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118 Cards in this Set
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kukai
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was a Japanese monk, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Kūukai is famous as a calligrapher (see Shodo), engineer, and is said to have invented kana, the syllabary in which, in combination with Chinese characters (Kanji) the Japanese language is written (although this claim has not been proven). His religious writing, some fifty works, expound the esoteric Shingon doctrine, of which the major ones have been translated into English by Yoshito Hakeda (see references below). Kūukai is also said to have written the iroha, one of the most famous poems in Japanese, which uses every phonetic kana syllable.
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Oe Kenzaburo
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is a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, engage with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994. Second Japanese to receive Nobel prize for literature.
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Sen no rikyu
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is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony, particularly the tradition of wabi-cha.
Rikyū, under the name Sen Sōeki or by his tea name Hōsensai, is considered the founder of the Sansenke, or three main schools of tea ceremony: Urasenke, Omotesenke and Mushanokōjisenke. |
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Zeami
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Zeami was educated by his father, Kan'ami, who was also an actor. The father-son team established the Noh theatre. When Kan'ami's company performed for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Shogun of Japan, he asked for Zeami to have a court education in the arts. The Shogun took the boy as his lover, in the shudo tradition, in 1374.
After Zeami succeeded his father, he continued to perform and adapt his style into what is today Noh - a mixture of pantomime and vocal acrobatics. |
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Kawabata Yasunari
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was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read.
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Murasaki Shikibu
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Identified as the author of the Tale of Genji.
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Kurosawa Akira
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was a prominent Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His first credited film (Sanshiro Sugata) was released in 1943; his last (Madadayo) in 1993. His many awards include the Légion d'Honneur and an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Seven Samurai
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Futabatei Shimei
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Futabatei's works are in the realist style popular in the mid- to late-19th century. His work Ukigumo (Floating Clouds, 1887) is widely hailed as Japan's first modern novel.
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General Macarthur
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He was designated to command the invasion of Japan in November 1945, and when that was no longer necessary he officially accepted their surrender on September 2, 1945. MacArthur oversaw the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951 and is credited with implementing far-ranging democratic changes in that country.
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Tokugawa Shogunate
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was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city of Edo, now Tokyo. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled from Edo Castle from 1600 until 1868, when it was abolished during the Meiji Restoration.
The Tokugawa period, unlike the shogunates before it, was supposedly based on the strict class hierarchy originally established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The warrior-caste of samurai were at the top, followed by farmers, artisans, and traders. The inflexible nature of the caste system unleashed disruptive forces over time. |
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Emperor Showa
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After ＷＷⅡ, in accordance with the Constitution of Japan, the Emperor was positioned as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people. Accordingly, Emperor Showa performed his duties as stipulated in the Constitution on the advice and approval of the Cabinet, including receiving the credentials of foreign ambassadors, attesting the appointment of Ministers of State and other high officials, welcoming foreign Heads of State and other eminent foreign guests, and granting audiences. In the post-war period, Emperor Showa would visit the regions of Japan, to offer encouragement to the people who had been defeated in the war.
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Emperor Meiji
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was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death. The Meiji emperor was the symbolic leader of the Meiji Restoration, in which the Tokugawa shogunate was abolished by Imperial forces following the Boshin War. The Charter Oath, a five-point statement of the nature of the new government, abolished feudalism and proclaimed a modern democratic government for Japan. Although a parliament was formed, it had no real power, and neither did the emperor. Power had passed from the Tokugawa into the hands of those Daimyo and other samurai who had led the Restoration. Japan was thus controlled by the Genro, an oligarchy, which comprised the most powerful men of the military, political, and economic spheres. The emperor, if nothing else, showed greater political longevity than his recent predecessors, as he was the first Japanese monarch to remain on the throne past the age of 50 since the abdication of Emperor Ōgimachi in 1586.
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Meiji Restoration
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The Meiji Restoration is a source of pride for the Japanese, as it and the accompanying industrialization allowed Japan to become the preeminent power in the Pacific and a major player in the world within a generation. Yet, the Meiji emperor's role in the Restoration is debatable. He certainly did not control Japan, but how much influence he wielded is unknown. It is unlikely it will ever be clear whether he supported the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) or the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). One of the few windows we have into the Emperor's own feelings is his poetry, which seems to indicate a pacifist streak, or at least a man who wished war could be avoided.
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kokinshu
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The Kokinshū is the first of the Nijūichidaishū (二十一代集, Nijūichidaishū?), the 21 collections of Japanese poetry compiled at Imperial request. It was the most influential realization of the ideas of poetry at the time, dictating the form and format of Japanese poetry until the late nineteenth century; it was the first anthology to divide itself into seasonal and love poems. The primacy of poems about the seasons pioneered by the Kokinshū continues even today in the haiku tradition.
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iwakura mission
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was a Japanese diplomatic journey around the world, initiated in 1871 by the oligarchs of the Meiji era. Although it was not the only such "mission", it is the most well-known and possibly most important for the modernization of Japan after a long period of isolation from the West.
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amaterasu
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is in Japanese mythology a sun goddess and perhaps the most important Shinto deity (神 kami). Her name, Amaterasu, means literally "(that which) illuminates Heaven". She was born from the left eye of Izanagi as he purified himself in a river and went on to become the ruler of the Higher Celestial Plain (Takamagahara).
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mongol invasion
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were major military operations undertaken by Kublai Khan to invade the Japanese islands after conquering Korea. Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of macrohistorical importance, setting a limit on Mongol expansion, and ranking as nation-defining events in Japanese history. They are referred to in many works of fiction, and are the earliest events for which the word kamikaze, or "divine wind", is widely used.
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u.s. occupation of japan
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led by the United States with contributions from Australia, India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. This was the first time since the unification of Japan that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power. Disarmament, libralization, democratization, purging of war criminals and educational reform.
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russo-japanese war
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was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea. Japanese historians consider this war to be a turning point for Japan, and a key to understanding the reasons why Japan may have failed militarily and politically later on. The acrimony was felt at every stratum of Japanese society and it became the consensus within Japan that their nation had been treated as the defeated power during the peace conference. As time went on, this feeling, coupled with the sense of arrogance of becoming a Great Power, grew and added to their growing hostility towards the West and fueled their own militarist and imperialist ambitions, which would cumulate in Japan's invasion of East, Southeast, and South Asia in World War II in an attempt to create their own great colonial empire in the name of creating the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere.
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Korean War
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Korea had been a unified country since the 7th century. During the 19th century imperialist nations threatened Korea's long standing sovereignty. After defeating China in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, the Japanese forces remained in Korea, occupying strategically important parts of the country. Ten years later, they defeated the Russian navy in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), contributing to Japan's emergence as an imperial power.[18] The Japanese continued to occupy the peninsula against the wishes of the Korean government and people, expanded their control over local institutions through force, and finally annexed Korea in August 1910.[19]
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yugen
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is an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics. The exact translation of the word depends on the context. In the Chinese philosophical texts the term was taken from, yūgen meant "dim", "deep" or "mysterious". In the criticism of Japanese waka poetry, it was used to describe the subtle profundity of things that are only vaguely suggested by the poems, and was also the name of a style of poetry (one of the ten orthodox styles delineated by Fujiwara no Teika in his treatises). In the treatises on the Noh theatre by Zeami Motokiyo it refers to the grace and elegance of the dress and behaviour of court ladies
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koan
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is a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Chán (Zen) Buddhism, generally containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to intuition. A famous kōan is: "Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?" (oral tradition, attributed to Hakuin Ekaku, 1686-1769, considered a reviver of the kōan tradition in Japan).
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kano school
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is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting.
It was founded by Kanō Masanobu (1434–1530), a contemporary of Sesshū and student of Shūbun. Some scholars write that though Masanobu mastered elements of Chinese painting and of Shubun's style, he was overall mediocre and lacked the originality and creativity of his teacher. Nevertheless, Masanobu became an official painter in the Shogun's court, and it was this lofty position which granted the Kanō school influence and fame. The artists who followed him improved upon his style and methods, and within a generation the school flourished. |
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four class system
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Samurai
With the creation of the Domains (han) under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, all land was confiscated and reissued as fiefdoms to the daimyo. The small lords, the samurai, were ordered to either give up their swords and rights and remain on their lands as peasants, or move to the castle cities to become paid retainers of the daimyo. Only a few samurai were allowed to remain in the countryside; the landed samurai (郷士, gōshi?). Some 5% of the population were samurai. [edit] Artisans The artisans were likewise ordered to move to the cities. Thus, the towns below the castles were divided into four parts, the samurai quarter, the merchant quarter, the artisans quarter, and the hanamachi, where theaters, brothels and gambling dens were located. In the towns, different ways of life developed, with the chōnindō of the artisans and merchants and the bushidō of the samurai. The peasants, around 80% to 90% of the population, had to carry the burden of the economy. Taxes were paid in rice, 40% to 50% of the harvest, collected from the village as a community. The villages were given self-rule under village headman. The ranking of the divisions was influenced by confucianist thinking: The wise ruler was at the top, followed by the farmer who produces the wealth of the society. The artisan only reuses the wealth created, while the merchant only distributes the goods. Interestingly, there is a parallel to the physiocratic school of François Quesnay and his contemporaries, who influenced the French Ancien Régime. [edit] Merchants Yet, the picture did not fit reality: the merchants were the wealthiest group, and many samurai had to take debts to keep up. [edit] Farmers The farmers were above the merchants on the caste system. |
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ukiyo
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or the Floating World is a term used to describe many aspects of life, including - but not limited to - the pleasure-seeking lifestyle and culture of Edo Period Japan (1600–1867).
This view of the Floating World is centered on Yoshiwara, the licensed red-light district of Edo (modern Tokyo). The area's brothels, teahouses and kabuki theatres were frequented by Japan's growing middle class. This particular Floating World culture also arose in other cities such as Osaka and Kyoto. |
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mappo
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or the Age of Dharma Decline, is the "degenerate" Third Age of Buddhism. Traditionally, this Age is supposed to begin 2,000 years after Sakyamuni Buddha's passing and lasts for "10,000 years", it follows the Age of Right Dharma (正法 Cn: zhèngfǎ; Jp: shōbō) and then the Age of Semblance Dharma (像法 Cn: xiàngfǎ; Jp: zōbō).[1] During this degenerate age, people will be unable to attain enlightenment through the word of Sakyamuni Buddha, and society becomes morally corrupted. In Buddhist thought, even during the Age of Dharma Decline the teachings of the Buddha are still correct, but people are no longer capable of following them.
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wabi sabi
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represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The phrase comes from the two words wabi and sabi. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" (according to Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers). It is a concept derived from the Buddhist assertion of the Three marks of existence — Anicca, or in Japanese, 無常 (mujyou, or mujō)), Impermanence. Note also that the Japanese word for rust, 錆 is also pronounced sabi (the borrowed Chinese character is different, but the word itself is of assumed common etymology), and there is an obvious semantic connection between these concepts.
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mono no aware
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also translated as "an empathy toward things," or "a pity toward things," is a Japanese term used to describe the awareness of the transience of things and a gentle sadness at their passing. It also is referred to as the "ahness" of things/life/love. The term was popularized by the Edo-period scholar Motoori Norinaga, and was originally an idea from literary criticism. In his criticism of The Tale of Genji, Motoori noted that mono no aware is the crucial emotion that moves readers. Generally, its scope is not limited to Japanese literature but affects the Japanese view of the world in general (see also sakura).
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waka poetry
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Waka literally means Japanese poem in Japanese. The word was originally coined during the Heian period to differentiate native poetry from the kanshi (漢詩 "Chinese poems") that all educated Japanese people were also familiar with.
For this reason, the word waka originally encompassed a number of differing styles. The main two are tanka (短歌 lit. "short poem") and chōka (長歌 lit. "long poem"), but there are others: bussokusekika, sedōka (旋頭歌 lit. "whirling head poem") and katauta (片歌 lit. "poem fragment") . These last three forms, however, fell into disuse at the beginning of the Heian period, and chōka vanished soon afterwards. Thus, the term waka came in time to simply imply the one sub-form tanka. Japanese poet and critic Masaoka Shiki created the term tanka in the early twentieth century for his statement that waka should be renewed and modernized. Until then, poems of this nature had been referred to as waka or simply uta ("song, poem"). Haiku is also a term of his invention, used for his revision of the old hokku form, with the same idea. For economy of thought, we will use here the term tanka for further description. Traditionally waka in general has had no concept of rhyme (indeed, certain arrangements of rhymes, even accidental, were considered dire faults in a poem), or even of line. Instead of lines, waka has the unit (連) and the phrase (句). (Units or phrases are often turned into lines when poetry is translated or transliterated into Western languages, however.) |
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nanban
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is a sino-japanese word which originally designated people from South Asia and South-East Asia. It followed a Chinese usage in which surrounding “barbarian” people in the four directions had each their own designation, the southern barbarians being called Nanman. In Japan, the word took on a new meaning when it came to designate Europeans, the first of whom started to arrive in Japan in 1543, first from Portugal, then Spain, and later the Netherlands (though the Dutch were more commonly known as "Kōmō", 紅毛, meaning "Red Hair") and England. The word Nanban was thought naturally appropriate for the new visitors, since they came in by ship from the South, and their manners were considered quite unsophisticated by the Japanese. or the Nanban trade period (Japanese: 南蛮貿易時代, nanban-bōeki-jidai, "Southern barbarian trade period") in Japanese history extends from the arrival of the first Europeans to Japan in 1543, to their near-total exclusion from the archipelago in 1641, under the promulgation of the "Sakoku" Seclusion Edicts
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Natsume Soseki
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who is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). He is commonly referred to as Sōseki. He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished masterpiece Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note.
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Tanizaki Junichiro
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The Tattooer
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Kamo no Chomei
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Hojoki
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Chikamatsu Monzaemon
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The Love Suicides of Sonezaki. Bunraku playwright.
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Mishima Yukio
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a Japanese author and playwright. Confessions of a Mask. Committed ritual suicide in 1970.
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Yoshida Kenko
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was a Japanese author and Buddhist monk. His most famous work is "Tsurezuregusa" ("Essays in Idleness"), one of the most studied works of medieval Japanese literature. Kenko wrote during the Muromachi and Kamakura periods.
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Matsuo Basho
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Account of a Weather-beaten Skeleton. Master of the Haiku.
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Gyoza dumplings
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Tainted.. Came from China. Rumored that it was used to poison Japanese population.
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Jomon
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Prehistoric period of tribal/clan organization.
Stone Age hunters and gatherers who make jomon (rope-patterned) pottery inhabit Japan. 660 B.C. Mythological Jimmu ("Divine Warrior"), descendant of sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, founds empire. |
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Yayoi
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Rice cultivation, metalworking, and the potter's wheel are introduced from China and Korea. Era named "Yayoi" after the place in Tokyo where wheel-turned pottery was found.
In Shinto, Japan's oldest religion, people identify kami (divine forces) in nature and in such human virtues as loyalty and wisdom. 100-300: Local clans form small political units. |
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Kofun
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Introduction of Buddhism.
Unified state begins with emergence of powerful clan rulers; Japan establishes close contacts with mainland Asia. Clan rulers are buried in kofun (large tomb mounds), surrounded by haniwa (clay sculptures). Yamato clan rulers, claiming descent from Amaterasu Omikami, begin the imperial dynasty that continues to occupy the throne today. Japan adopts Chinese written characters. Shotoku Taishi (574-622) begins to shape Japanese society and government more after the pattern of China. He seeks centralization of government and a bureaucracy of merit. He also calls for reverence for Buddhism and the Confucian virtues. |
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ASUKA
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New aristocratic families are created. Especially powerful is that of Fujiwara no Kamatari, who helped push the reforms.
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NARA
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Imperial court builds new capital, modeled upon Chang-an in China, at Nara. Though emperors are Shinto chiefs, they patronize Buddhism in the belief that its teachings will bring about a peaceful society and protect the state.
Legends surrounding the founding of Japan are compiled as history in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan). With the adoption of Buddhism as the state religion, its monasteries gain political power. |
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HEIAN
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Literature and Art flourishes. Mongol invasion.
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KAMAKURA
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Noh Theatre
Japanese tea ceremony. 1274, 1281: Kublai Khan's Mongol invasions are repelled with help of kamikaze ("divine winds," or storms). Defense against these invasions weakens structure of the military government at Kamakura. |
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MUROMACHI
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Muromachi district of Kyoto becomes base for Shogun Ashikaga Takauji's new military government.
Takauji and his successors become patrons of Zen and spontaneity in ink painting, garden design, and the chanoyu (tea ceremony). |
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AZUCHIMOMOYA MA
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kabuki, bunraku etc.
Oda Nobunaga starts process of reunifying Japan after a century of civil war; he is followed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598). Foundation of modern Japan is laid. Hideyoshi's ambition to conquer Korea and China is thwarted by local resistance. Arts such as painting, monumental decorative designs, and the tea ceremony continue to flourish. |
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EDO (TOKUGAWA)
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Japan enters an age of peace and national isolation.
Tokugawa leyasu founds new shogunate at Edo (now Tokyo). In 1635 national isolation policy limits Chinese and Dutch traders to Nagasaki. Christianity is suppressed. Establishment of rigid social hierarchy ensures peace and stability throughout Japan. (Samurai are ranked highest, followed by farmers, artisans, and merchants.) By the early 1700s, cities and commerce flourish. A growing merchant class enjoys Kabuki and Bunraku theater. Printing and publication of books increase; education becomes available to the urban population. Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his steam frigates arrive in Japan (1853); the United States wants to use Japanese ports as supply bases for its commercial fleet. Japan accepts the U.S. demands and opens its door for the first time in two centuries. |
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MEIJI
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The emperor is restored; Japan makes transition to nation-state.
Dispossessed bushi become soldiers, policemen, and teachers with fall of feudal system and political reform. New national policy is to make Japan a rich and powerful country, to prevent invasion by Western powers. Emphasis is on building a strong military and strengthening industries. Japan becomes world power through victories in Sino-Japanese (1895) and Russo-Japanese (1904-05) wars. Korea annexed (1910-45). |
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TAISHO
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Movement towards democracy.
Japan expands economic base within Asia and the Pacific. Prospering businessmen support Liberal party government, broadening political participation. Universal manhood suffrage begun in 1925. |
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SHOWA
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experiences World War II and its aftermath, as well as economic recovery.
Japan's liberal rulers replaced; military-run cabinets make imperialistic inroads in China. Manchuria taken over in 1931. 1937-1945: World War II; war in China followed by invasion of Southeast Asia. 1940: Japan joins the Axis powers. 1941: Pearl Harbor brings United States into war in the Pacific. August 1945: first atom bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, the second on Nagasaki. The emperor airs by radio a statement of unconditional surrender. 1945-1952: Allied occupation of Japan; democratic party government restored; women gain legal equality and right to vote. Enactment of the new (democratic) constitution transforms Japan's political life, making it a truly parliamentary state. With a peace treaty signed in 1951, Japan regains its independence. The late 1950s to the early 1970s is called the "High Growth Age" in Japan because of the booming economy. Highlights of the era are the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 and Expo '70 in Osaka. In 1972 relations with China are normalized. |
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HEISEI
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Global issues foster debate.
In 1989 Prince Akihito succeeds to the throne. In1991 the gulf War ignites controversy over Japan's role in the international community. Should Japan strictly protect the "peace" constitution of 1947, a major cause of its prosperity? Or should it contribute troops as well as financial support to United Nations operations? In 1993, after Japanese troops are pulled out of a United Nations operation in Cambodia, the arguments go on: Should japan become more internationally minded? Or should domestic peace and prosperity be the main priority? |
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Izanami and Izanagi
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is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi. She is also referred to as Izana-mi, Izanami-no-mikoto or Izanami-no-kami.
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Prince Shotoku
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was a regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan.
Prince Shotoku laid the foundations for the rise of a stable political and economical systems through his prudent reign and reforms. His patronage of Buddhism brought in a flowering of Japanese art and culture. His legendary wisdom and far-sightedness, as well as peaceful foreign policy with Japan's neighbours has kept him in the public eyes in high esteem, even until today. In his honour, the 10,000 Yen banknote featured his image, the highest denomination. The 10,000 yen banknote with him was printed from the 1950's until the 1980's. |
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tenno
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The Emperor (天皇, tennō?, literally "heavenly sovereign,"[1] formerly often called the Mikado) of Japan is the country's monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy (see Politics of Japan).
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horuyuji temple
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is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺), or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, named as such because the site serves as a seminary as well as a monastery. The temple is widely acknowledged to have some of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, and is one of the most celebrated temples in Japan.[1][2] In 1993, Hōryū-ji was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese government lists it as a National Treasure.
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todaiji temple
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is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿 Daibutsuden), reputedly the largest wooden building in the world, houses a colossal bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as the Daibutsu (大仏) The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage site as "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara," together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. Sika deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, roam the grounds freely.
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kojiki
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), also known in English as the Records of Ancient Matters, is the oldest surviving book in Japan. The body of the Kojiki is written in Chinese, but it includes numerous Japanese names and some phrases. The songs included in the Kojiki are in archaic Japanese written phonetically with Chinese characters.
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nihon shoki
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sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan. The Nihon Shoki was finished in 720 under the editorial supervision of Prince Toneri and with the assistance of Ōno Yasumaro. The book is also called the Nihongi (日本紀).
Like the Kojiki, the Nihon Shoki begins with a series of myths, but continues its account through to events of the 8th century. It is believed to record accurately the latter reigns of Emperor Tenji, Emperor Temmu, and Empress Jitō. The Nihon Shoki focuses on the merits of the virtuous rulers as well as the errors of the bad rulers. It describes episodes from mythological eras and diplomatic contacts with other countries. The Nihon Shoki was written in classical Chinese, as was common for official documents at that time. The Kojiki, on the other hand, is written in a combination of Chinese and phonetic transcription of Japanese (primarily for names and songs). The Nihon Shoki also contains numerous transliteration notes telling the reader how words were pronounced in Japanese. |
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man yoshu
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is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled sometime in the Nara or early Heian periods. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the final in a series of compilers, is believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi. The collection contains poems ranging from 347 (#85-89)[1] through 759 (#4516) [2], with the bulk of them representing the period between 600 and 759.
The collection is divided into twenty parts or books, mirroring a similar practice in collections of Chinese poems of the time; this number was followed in most later collections. Unlike later collections, however, the parts of the Man'yōshū are not organized into topics or ordered chronologically. The collection contains 265 chōka (long poems), 4,207 tanka (short poems), one tanrenga (short connecting poem), one bussokusekika (poems on the Buddha's footprints at Yakushi-ji in Nara), four kanshi (Chinese poems), and 22 Chinese prose passages. There is no preface: the format of prefacing official collections, such as the Kokin Wakashū, developed later. |
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tendai sect
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is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.
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shingon sect
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is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and is the other branch of Vajrayana Buddhism besides Tibetan Buddhism. It is often called "Japanese Esoteric Buddhism". The word shingon is the Japanese reading of the kanji for the Chinese word zhen yan, literally meaning "true words", which in turn is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word mantra.
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fujiwara clan
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descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions, Sesshō and Kampaku. The clan originated when the founder, Nakatomi no Kamatari (614-669), was given the surname Fujiwara by Emperor Tenji. They dominated the Japanese politics of Heian period (794–1185). In subsequent eras, they remained influential.
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kana
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is a general term for the syllabic Japanese scripts hiragana (ひらがな) and katakana (カタカナ) as well as the old system known as man'yōgana. These were developed from the logographic characters of Chinese origin known in Japan as Kanji (Japanese: 漢字; Chinese pronunciation "hànzì"), as an alternative and adjunct to these latter.
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miyabi
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is one of the traditional Japanese aesthetic ideals, though not as prevalent as Iki or Wabi-sabi. In modern Japanese, the word is usually translated as "elegance," "refinement," or "courtliness".
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tales of ise
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is a Japanese collection of tanka poems, accompanied by short, prose narratives about the poet, Ariwara no Narihira, which provide a context for the poems. The collection dates from the 10th century, during the Heian period.
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tale of genji
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is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century, around the peak of the Heian Period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, or the first novel to still be considered a classic. This issue is a matter of debate.
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pure land buddhism
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is a broad branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism and currently one of the most popular schools of Buddhism in East Asia, along with Chán. In Chinese Buddhism, most monks practise it, some combining it with Chan (Zen).[3] It is a devotional or "faith"-oriented branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha.
Pure Land Buddhism is often found within Mahāyāna Buddhist practices such as the Chinese Tiantai school, or Japanese Shingon Buddhism. However, Pure Land Buddhism is also an independent school as seen in the Japanese Jōdo Shū and Jōdo Shinshū schools. There is not one "school" of Pure Land Buddhism per se, but rather it is a large subset of the Mahāyāna branch of Buddhism. |
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amida
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is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism. Amitabha is the principal buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia. According to these scriptures, Amitābha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakara.
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japanese garden
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that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples and old castles.
Some of the Japanese gardens most famous in the West, and within Japan as well, are dry gardens or rock gardens, karesansui. The tradition of the Tea masters has produced highly refined Japanese gardens of quite another style, evoking rural simplicity. In Japanese culture, garden-making is a high art, intimately related to the linked arts of calligraphy and ink painting. Since the end of the 19th century, Japanese gardens have also been adapted to Western settings. |
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tea ceremony
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is a multifaceted traditional activity based on Taoism (Daoism) and influenced by Zen Buddhism, in which powdered green tea, or matcha (抹茶), is ceremonially prepared and served to others.
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gempei war
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were a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late-Heian period Japan. They resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192.
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tale of the heike
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is an epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180-1185). Heike (平家) refers to the Taira (平) clan; "hei" being an alternate reading of the kanji (character) for Taira. In terms of the title of the Genpei War, "hei" can be alternatively read as "pei" again and the "gen" (源) is the same kanji used in the Minamoto (also known as Genji) clan's name.
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hokoji
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sometimes translated as “An Account of My Hut” or “The Ten Foot Square Hut”, was an important short work of the Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan by Kamo no Chōmei. Written in 1212 It describes disasters that befall the people of Kyoto from earthquakes to famine and fire. Chōmei becomes a Buddhist monk and moves farther and farther into the mountains, eventually living in a 10-foot square hut.
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zen buddhism
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is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on mindful acceptance of the present moment, spontaneous action, and letting go of self-conscious and judgmental thinking. [1]
It emphasizes dharma practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. As such, it de-emphasizes both theoretical knowledge and the study of religious texts in favor of direct individual assessment of one's own experience. |
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rinzai sect
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Rinzai is the Japanese line of the Chinese Linji school, which was founded during the Tang Dynasty by Linji Yixuan (Japanese: Rinzai Gigen). Though there were several attempts to establish Rinzai lines in Japan, it first took root in a lasting way through the efforts of the monk Myōan Eisai, following his return from China in 1191. Eisai is thus usually credited with the transmission of Rinzai to Japan. The school may be said to have truly flowered, and achieved a distinctly Japanese identity, with Shuho Myocho (Daito Kokushi, 1283-1337) and Muso Soseki (1275-1351), influential masters that did not travel to China to study.
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soto sect
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is one of the two major Sino-Japanese Zen sects (the other being Rinzai). It is an extension or subbranch of the Chinese Caodong, which was brought to Japan by Dogen Zenji (1200–1253), and which after his death became known as the Sōtō school. It now has a significant presence in North America as well as throughout the West.
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noh
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is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Together with the closely-related kyogen farce, it evolved from various popular, folk and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku. Although Noh has been slow and stylised for several centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty's Nuo, (傩, 戏), Sarugaku (derived from "Wu musical" traditions in various Chinese dynasties), and folk theatricals.
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onin war
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was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan.[1] A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan.
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oda nobunaga
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was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo (military governor) with land holdings in Owari province.[1][2] Nobunaga lived a life of continuous military conquest, eventually conquering a third of Japanese daimyo before his death in 1582.
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toyotomi hideyoshi
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was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle. He is noted for a number of cultural legacies, including the restriction that only members of the samurai class could bear arms.
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tokugawa ieyasu
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was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but remained in power until his death in 1616. His given name is sometimes spelled Iyeyasu owing to the historical use of the we kana
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namban culture
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trade period
In Japan, the word took on a new meaning when it came to designate Europeans, the first of whom started to arrive in Japan in 1543, first from Portugal, then Spain, and later the Netherlands (though the Dutch were more commonly known as "Kōmō", 紅毛, meaning "Red Hair") and England. The word Nanban was thought naturally appropriate for the new visitors, since they came in by ship from the South, and their manners were considered quite unsophisticated by the Japanese. |
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christian missionaries
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In the year 1542, the first Europeans from Portugal landed on Kyushu in Western Japan. The two historically most important things they imported to Japan were gunpowder and Christianity. The Japanese barons on Kyushu welcomed foreign trade especially because of the new weapons, and, therefore, tolerated the Jesuit missionaries. The missionaires were successful in converting quite large numbers of people in Western Japan including members of the ruling class. In 1550, Francis Xavier also undertook a mission to the capital Kyoto.
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kano school
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The school's works are the paragons of Momoyama period art, and while most schools specialize in one style, medium, or form, the Kanō school excels at two. Kanō painters often worked on a large scale, painting nature scenes of birds, plants, water, or other animals on sliding doors or screens, covering the background with gold leaf. Some of the most famous examples of these can be found at the Nijō Castle in Kyoto.
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ukiyo-e
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"pictures of the floating world", is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre and pleasure quarters. It is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan.
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ukiyo-zoshi
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genre novel
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haiku
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is a kind of Japanese poetry. It was given this name in the late 19th century by Japanese writer Masaoka Shiki from a combination of the older hokku (発句, hokku?) and the haikai (or verses) in haikai no renga. Haiku, when known as hokku were the opening verses of a linked verse form, haikai no renga. In Japanese, hokku and haiku are traditionally printed in one vertical line (though in handwritten form they may be in any reasonable number of lines). In English, haiku are written in three lines to equate to the three parts of a haiku in Japanese that traditionally consist of five, seven, and then five on (the Japanese count sounds, not syllables; for example, the word "haiku" itself counts as three sounds in Japanese (ha-i-ku), but two syllables in English (hai-ku), and writing seventeen syllables in English produces a poem that is actually quite a bit longer, with more content, than a haiku in Japanese). The kireji (cutting word or pause) usually read at the end of either the first or second line. A haiku traditionally contains a kigo (season word) which symbolizes or intimates the season in which the poem is set with some reference to the natural world.
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ihara
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was a Japanese poet and creator of the "floating world" genre of Japanese prose (ukiyo-zōshi).
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national seclusion policy
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was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner or Japanese could enter or leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633-1639 and remained in effect until 1853 with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and the opening of Japan. It was still illegal to leave Japan until the Meiji Restoration (1868).
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alternate attendance
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was a policy of the shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history. The purpose was to control the daimyo. In adopting the policy, the shogunate was continuing and refining similar policies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1635, a law required sankin kotai, which was already an established custom. The law remained in force until 1862.
The details changed throughout the twenty-six decades of Tokugawa rule, but generally, the requirement was that the daimyo of every han move periodically between Edo and his han, typically spending alternate years in each place. |
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neo-confucianism
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is a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao (772-841) in the Tang Dynasty. It formed the basis of Confucian orthodoxy in the Qing Dynasty of China. The term should not be mistaken for New Confucianism which is an effort to apply Confucianism to the modern times of China. It was a philosophy that attempted to merge certain basic elements of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist thought. Most important of the early Neo-Confucianists was the Chinese thinker Zhu Xi (1130-1200).
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genroku epoch
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after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from 1688 through 1704. The reigning emperor was Higashiyama-tennō (東山天皇, Higashiyama-tennō?).[1]
The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo Period. The previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative economic stability. The arts and architecture flourished. There were unanticipated consequences when the shogunate debased the quality of coins as a strategy for financing the appearance of continuing Genroku affluence. This strategic miscalculation caused abrupt inflation. Then, in an effort to solve the ensuing crisis, the bakufu introduced what were called the Kyōhō Reforms. |
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kabuki theater
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is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing (歌), dance (舞), and skill (伎). Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing."
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bunraku theater
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also known as Ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠璃), is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.
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chonin culture
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was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of chōnin were merchants, but it also included craftsmen. Nōmin (farmers) were not included.
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forty seven ronin
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also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the Genroku Akō incident (元禄赤穂事件, Genroku akō jiken?) took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century. The tale has been described by one noted Japanese scholar as the country's "national legend."[1] It recounts the most famous case involving the samurai code of honor, bushidō.
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commodore perry
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was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy who compelled the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.
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drifting cloud ukigumo
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was a novel written in 1887 by Futabatei Shimei, often called the first modern Japanese novel. The novel was published in two sections in 1887 and 1888. The novel only contains four characters, prioritising the development of characters over plot. The novel contains criticism of growing materialism in the Japanese society.
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satsuma rebellion
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was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from 1877-01-29 to 1877-09-24, 11 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.
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gembun itchi
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Meiji period
The significant reforms of the 19th century Meiji era did not initially impact on the Japanese writing system, however the language itself was changing due to the increase in literacy resulting from education reforms, the massive influx of new words; both borrowed from other languages or newly coined, and the ultimate success of movements such as the influential 言文一致 (genbun'itchi) which resulted in Japanese being written in the colloquial form of the language instead of the wide range of historical and classical styles used previously. |
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taisho democracy
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is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen (or genrō) to the Diet of Japan and the democratic parties. Thus, the era is considered the time of the liberal movement known as the "Taishō democracy" in Japan; it is usually distinguished from the preceding chaotic Meiji period and the following militarism-driven first half of the Shōwa period.
The two-party political system that had been developing in Japan since the turn of the century finally came of age after World War I, giving rise to the nickname for the period, "Taishō Democracy." |
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greater east asia co-prosperity
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was a concept created and promulgated during the Shōwa era by the government and military of the Empire of Japan which represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers".[1] The Sphere was initiated by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, in an attempt to create a Great East Asia, comprised of Japan, Manchukuo, China, and parts of Southeast Asia, that would, according to imperial propaganda, establish a new international order seeking ‘co prosperity’ for Asian countries which would share prosperity and peace, free from Western colonialism and domination
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general nogi
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Nogi's seppuku immediately created a sensation and a controversy. Some writers claimed that it reflected Nogi’s disgust with the profligacy and decline in moral values of late Meiji Japan. Others pointed to Nogi's own suicide note, calling it an act of atonement for mistakes in his military career. In either case, Nogi's suicide marked the end of an era, and it had a profound impact on contemporary writers, such as Mori Ōgai and Natsume Sōseki. For the public, Nogi became a symbol of loyalty and sacrifice. His deification made him a guardian of the military, but among his military contemporaries, his military reputation had always been marginal
and a prominent figure in the Russo-Japanese War. |
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emperor hirohito
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was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order reigning from December 25, 1926 until his death in 1989.
Among non-Japan specialists, he is best known by his personal name Hirohito.[1] The word Shōwa is the name of the era that corresponded with the Emperor's reign, and was made the Emperor's own name posthumously, the name by which he is now exclusively referred to in Japan,[2] even in non-Japanese language texts.[3] Although he often was and continues to be known as Hirohito (裕仁, Hirohito?),[4] in Japan an emperor's personal name is never used.[5] His reign was the longest of any historical Japanese emperor, and encompassed a period of tremendous changes in Japanese society, in some of which he played a significant role. At the start of his reign, Japan was still a fairly rural country with a limited industrial base. Japan's militarization in the 1930s, in which he is thought by some scholars to have been a participant, eventually led to Japan's involvement in World War II, a decision in which he has again been argued to have had some influence. After that ended with the total devastation of Japan, he co-operated with the re-organization of the Japanese state during the following Occupation of Japan, and lived to see that re-birth result in Japan becoming a highly urbanized country which was one of the industrial and technological powerhouses of the world. |
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scap
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These actions led MacArthur to be viewed as the new Imperial force in Japan by many Japanese political and civilian figures, even being considered to be the rebirth of the Shogun style government[2] which Japan was ruled under until the start of the Meiji Restoration Period.
Douglas MacArthur and his SCAP staff played a primary role to exonerate Emperor Shōwa and all members of the imperial family implicated in the war such as Prince Chichibu, Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda, Prince Asaka, Prince Higashikuni and Prince Hiroyasu Fushimi from criminal prosecutions before the Tokyo tribunal.[3]. |
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ozu yasujiro
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Ozu is possibly as well-known (if not more) for the technical style and innovation of his films as for the narrative content. The style of his films is most distinctive in his later films, and he had not fully developed it until his post-war talkies. He did not conform to most Hollywood conventions, most notably the 180 degree rule. Also, rather than use the typical over-the-shoulder shots in his dialogue scenes, the camera gazes on the actors directly, which has the effect of placing the viewer in the middle of the scene. Ozu also did not use typical transitions between scenes. In between scenes he would show shots of certain static objects as transitions, or use direct cuts, rather than fades or dissolves. He moved the camera less and less as his career progressed, and ceased using tracking shots altogether in his color films. He also invented the "tatami shot," in which the camera is placed at a low height, precisely where it would be if one were kneeling on a tatami mat.
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ura omote
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The Anatomy of Self's Japanese title is “Ura to Omote”, literally, “the hidden side and the front side”, but this translation is feeble attempt to properly describe these two words. That is probably why Doi did not bother trying to translate them into a short title to begin with. What “ura” and “omote” represent are two ideas of how the Japanese person relates to themselves and the world around them. So often, when the Japanese person's base identity is made up of its relationships to others in its group, they have relinquished control of their own identity-forming rights and needs. That said, the individual still exists, grows, and develops, often in surprising ways when at the receiving end of almost god-like forces of group dynamics, and without a core will to articulate or explore these things individually.
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honne tatemae
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words that describe recognized social phenomena.
Honne (本音) refers to a person's true feelings and desires. These may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends. Tatemae (建前), literally "façade," is the behaviour and opinions one displays in public. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one's position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one's honne. |
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ie/iemoto
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iemoto-is a Japanese term meaning "founder" or "grand master" of a certain school of art. It is used to describe both people and a system of familial generations in traditional Japanese arts such as tea ceremony, ikebana, noh, calligraphy, traditional Japanese dance, and martial arts. Shogi and Go used to use the iemoto system as well, though it has now been lost. The iemoto system is characterized by a hierarchical structure and the supreme authority of the iemoto.
ie-was the basic unit of Japanese law until the end of World War II: most civil and criminal matters were considered to involve families rather than individuals (Iwasawa 1998:233). The "ie" is considered to consist of grandparents, their son and his wife and their children (Shimizu 1987:85), although even in 1920, 54% of Japanese households already were nuclear families. The system was formally abolished with the 1947 revision of Japanese family law under the influence of the Allied occupation authorities, and Japanese society began a transition to a more Americanised nuclear family system. However, the number of nuclear families only slightly increased until 1980, when it reached 63% and the Confucian principles underlying the ie concept only gradually faded and are still informally followed to some degree by many Japanese people today. |
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oyabun/kobun
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The yakuza system is similar but more intricate. The guiding principle of the yakuza structure is the oyabun-kobun relationship. Oyabun literally means "father role"; kobun means "child role." When a man is accepted into the yakuza, he must accept this relationship. He must promise unquestioning loyalty and obedience to his boss.
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senpai/kohai
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are an essential element of Japanese age-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into older and younger sibling. Senpai is roughly equivalent to the western concept of "mentor", while kōhai are roughly equivalent to "acolytes".
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giri vs ninjo
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giri- is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English, but one with a far more pervasive influence on the Japanese world view and culture than its English equivalent. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe.
ninjo- "human emotion or compassion" in Japanese, is human feeling that complements and opposes the value of giri, or social obligation, within the Japanese worldview. Broadly speaking, ninjo is said to be the human feeling that inescapably springs up in conflict with social obligation. |
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murahachibu
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The use of shunning (murahachibu) to punish—with the aim of driving out—a difficult neighbor before they might attract official notice (or for other reasons), gave local village organizations their own means of control. For losing one's official residence meant that the entire family would become homeless (mushuku) and potentially assigned (a process known as hinin teka) to outcaste (hinin) status and thus liable to be “sentenced” to reside in a specified hinin village (buraku), or some other confined locale. This change in status was not confined to the person or generation that first occasioned the original ostracism, but extended in perpetuity.
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aum shinrikyo
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is a Japanese new religious movement organization. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out a Sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subways.
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soka gakkai
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is the international umbrella organization for Sōka Gakkai-affiliated lay organizations in over 190 countries[citation needed]. Adherents practice Sōka Gakkai's particular form of Nichiren Buddhism, although they are not recognized by the main-stream Nichiren Buddhists. SGI's Japan-based parent, Sōka Gakkai, was formed in 1930 and is closely associated with the New Komeito, an influential Japanese political party. However, the SGI no longer financially supports this party[citation needed]. The Sōka Gakkai International, the global organization, was founded in 1975 and characterizes its organization as a support network for practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism. SGI members, are actively engaged in numerous community-based programs to promote cultural exchange and understanding among peoples as well as activities to propagate the Buddhism that they practice.
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LDP
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is a conservative political party and the largest party in Japan. It has ruled for most of the years since its founding in 1955. It is not to be confused with the now-defunct Liberal Party (自由党, Jiyūtō?), which merged with the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party, in November 2003
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koizumi junichiro
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is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006.
Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the privatization of its postal service. In 2005, Koizumi led the LDP to win one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern Japanese history. |
