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Medieval Japan
Term | Definition |
---|---|
cultural diffusion | the spread of culture (e.g. beliefs, social activities) |
religions | a belief in something and worship of a superhuman controlling power |
government | the political direction and control over a country |
system of writing | an organized method of information storage and transfer for communication (with signs and symbols) |
art and architecture | a general term to describe buildings and the beauty of items |
social structure | the system of individuals being divided into groups depending on their rank, wealth, or strength |
technology | the inventions and innovations of items |
regent | one who rules in the name of another |
uji | the chiefs of a number of clans |
imperial | belonging or related to an emperor |
aristocracy | a ruling class of noble families |
Nara | Chinese-style capital in Japan |
kami | the spirits that the Japanese worship in the religion Shinto |
meditation | a spiritual discipline that involves deep relaxation and an emptying of distracting thoughts from the mind |
bodhisattvas | buddhas who can enter nirvana but choose instead to help others reach enlightenment |
kanji | Chinese writing |
kana | borrowed letters from the Chinese |
syllable | a unit of sound in a word |
tanka | Japanese form of poetry |
stupas | Buddhist monasteries featured shrines in India |
pagoda | a tower-shaped structure with several stories and roofs |
gagaku | a form of Chinese court music |
sheng | wood instrument that the Chinese called it |
sho | wood instrument that the Japanese called it (mouth organ) |
Japanese Government | Japan adopted many features from China, such as their aristocracy where noble families held positions. The Japanese didn't have to earn their positions unlike the Chinese. |
Japanese City Design | The cities had a checkerboard design on their streets with a wide boulevard that ran down the middle. Japan's city of Nara had no wall for the protection from enemies unlike the Chinese. |
Japanese Religion | The Japanese combined their religion, Shinto, with China's religion, Buddhism (blended together). They celebrated life and mourned death. |
Japanese Writing | China introduced kanji to the Japanese. Then, they invented kana, which simplified to Chinese characters into specific syllables and similar characters. |
Japanese Literature | The Japanese made tanka, which was a version of Chinese poetry, based on the number of syllables. |
Japanese Sculpture | The only major change from China to Korea to Japan was the material. The purposes for the sculptures in Japan were to accompany or protect the dead. |
Japanese Architecture | The Chinese changed the bell like roofs to curved roofs that the Japanese adopted. This was basically the pagoda design adopted when Buddhism arrived. The pagodas inspired priests to build their own shrines. |
Japanese Music | New musical instruments and musical forms reached Japan from China, where the Japanese adopted many of them without change. |