feudal japan - spsd.k12.ms.us · four largest islands are honshu, hokkaido, kyushu, and shikoku...

3/28/2020

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Feudal Japan

Geography ● Japan is a country in

eastern Asia ○ It is made of several Islands ○ Four largest islands are

Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku

● Most of Japan is mountains and forests. ○ Mt Fuji is the largest

mountain and also a volcano

Climate ● Most of Japan’s climate is

similar to ours in the US ○ Four seasons a year ○ Hot and humid

summers ○ Cold winters

● Mountainous areas have longer winters

https://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1101.html



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Key Terms ● Kami

○ A divine being in Japanese culture, usually a god or spirit ● Bushido

○ The code of honor and morals for the Samurai ● Samurai

○ A warrior class in Japan’s Feudal system ● Shogun

○ A warlord/commander class in Japan’s Feudal system ● Ronin

○ A former-samurai with no home

Early History ● Early records of people in Japan

shows that they have been there for thousands of years ○ The first kingdoms in Japan

formed around 250 AD ○ Early Japan picked up

Buddhism around 538 AD ○ Like China, early Japan had

many civil wars against the emperors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIygLo_W1Sw

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Feudal Times ● The feudal system in Japan

begins around 1185 AD ● The emperor begins giving

land to the commanders of his armies ○ They were the Shoguns ○ The warriors in the armies were

the Samurai

New Visitors ● For 700 years, the Shoguns ruled

Japan while the emperor had very little power

● In the 1500’s, European traders brought goods and guns to Japan ○ The emperor decided to make

friends with the Europeans to so he can regain power

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End of Feudalism ● In the 1600’s, the Shoguns

established a ban on foreigners coming to Japan ○ This lasted for 200 Years

● The Meiji Restoration in 1868 gave power back to the emperor and the government

● The shogun and samurai classes were abolished after a brutal civil war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aviGtyOVgFA

Feudal Japan Questions

Directions:

Use the notes on Google Slides (or powerpoint slides) to answer the questions below.

Questions:

1.) Define the following key terms:

a. Kami –

b. Bushido -

c. Samurai –

d. Shogun –

e. Ronin –

2.) What are the names of the four largest islands in Japan?

________________________________________________________________________

3.) What kind of terrain covers most of Japan?

________________________________________________________________________

4.) What are the seasons in Japan like?

________________________________________________________________________

5.) What class in the Japanese feudal system were the paid warrior/soldier class?

________________________________________________________________________

6.) What class in the Japanese feudal system were the military leader/commander class?

________________________________________________________________________

7.) What class in the Japanese feudal system were the ones who sold items?

________________________________________________________________________

8.) What class in the Japanese feudal system was the powerless leader/figurehead?

________________________________________________________________________

A Feudal Society

A Feudal SocietyThis text is excerpted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Feudal society was based on a system of loyalty among all in the kingdom.

Who do you think is the most important person in your town

or state? In every society there are certain people who are

more powerful and influential than others.

In the Middle Ages, they didn't have elections the way

modern democracies do today. The important people in the

Middle Ages were those who controlled land. These were

the kings, lords, and knights who fought for the kings.

Therefore, the people close to the king, especially the

nobility, were the ones who had the most important jobs.

The system that developed around the most powerful

people is called feudalism.

A Special System

Feudalism appeared first in Charlemagne's time. Over time,

it gradually spread across medieval Europe. Feudalism

arose because kings often needed warriors to fight for them.

These kings made deals with powerful leaders, or lords. A

lord would become a king's vassal. The king would give him

a large amount of land, called a fief. And each would make certain promises to the other. The vassal would

swear to fight loyally for the king. In return, the king promised to protect and support the vassal.

Feudal government was not like our modern government. During the Middle Ages there were no nations or

central governments in the modern sense. Instead there were networks of lords and vassals under the

rule of a king. And, the promises, or oaths, that vassals swore were what held these networks together.

The links between vassals and lords encouraged people to think of themselves as part of a larger whole.

Feudal agreements were meant to last. These agreements were made public with special ceremonies

held in a church and arranged by kings and priests. The ceremony in which a man became a vassal was

called an act of homage (/oh*mij/). Homage is the French word for honor or respect. Let's time-travel back

to the Middle Ages and watch as a medieval lord pays homage to a king.

Kiss of Peace

Imagine being in a cathedral lit by hundreds of flickering candles. There are beautiful windows of stained

glass and paintings and sculptures. The altar is made of carefully carved wood. Sitting in the cathedral are

all the great lords of the kingdom and their families. They are dressed in their finest robes and jewels. At ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

A Feudal Society

the front stands the king, waiting to receive his vassal.

A lord walks slowly down the center aisle of the cathedral. When he reaches the king, he falls to his knees

and swears an oath. He promises to love and serve the king forever.

The king then raises the kneeling man to his feet and announces that he is giving land to the lord. This is

in exchange for the lord's promise of loyalty and other services. The king kisses his new vassal on the

cheek in a "kiss of peace."

But feudalism was more than just the relationship between the king and his lords. The king's lords would

also divide up part of their land and grant fiefs to vassals of their own. For example, the king's lords would

grant portions of their land to lesser lords and to other soldiers called knights.

Feudal Government

Feudal loyalties held law and order in place within a kingdom. But there were few laws shared across

different kingdoms. Individual lords made their own laws and enforced them in their own fiefs. The one law

that extended across Europe was the sacred oath of loyalty that a vassal took. If a vassal failed to serve

his lord or betrayed his lord, he became an outlaw, shunned and persecuted by other lords.

Over the years these noble titles and arrangements were inherited. This means that they were handed

down from father to son. For example, if a father were a duke, earl, baron, count, or marquis, his son

might get that title when the father died. The families who held fiefs became the nobility of central and

western Europe. As nobles, they had special privileges that other people did not have. In this book, you

will learn how feudalism in the Middle Ages provided a way for people to make a living. Feudalism also

created a culture of knights, battles, and honor that is still remembered today.

ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

A Feudal Society - Vocabulary: loyalty

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What is a meaning of the word loyalty?

A. a discrimination between things as different and distinct

B. a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

C. faithfulness or devotion to some person, cause or nation

2. What is another meaning of the word loyalty?

A. a state of equilibrium

B. feelings of allegiance

C. a source of difficulty

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. There was no evidence of _____ among Japanese-Americans.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal

4. But the _____ recognized the king's ultimate authority in America.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal

ReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.


5. At supper i no longer felt it was _____ to eat.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal

6. Most real dogs have ample amounts of _____.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal

7. Your dog is _____ and wants to obey you.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal



8. Women did many jobs for the continental and _____ troops.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal

9. France had been a unified nation for centuries with a common language, common

traditions, and a common set of _____.

A. loyalties

B. loyalist

C. loyalty

D. loyal

E. loyalists

F. disloyalty

G. disloyal

10. Please write your own sentence using the word loyalty.

11. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word loyalty so that you

can use it when you write or speak?


A Feudal Society - Vocabulary: network

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What is a meaning of the word network?

A. an interconnected system of things or people

B. a device that shows geographical directions

C. a chemical reaction in the presence of light

2. What is another meaning of the word network?

A. a person trained to travel in a spacecraft

B. one who rides, often a horse or motorcycle

C. a system of intersecting lines or channels


3. The word Internet was invented to describe the system that links computer _____

around the world.

A. networking

B. networked

C. network

D. networks

4. The Internet began in 1969, when four colleges linked their computers, forming a

_____.

A. networking

B. networked

C. network

D. networks

5. The individual computers are _____ together.

A. networking

B. networked

C. network

D. networksReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Feudal Society - Vocabulary: network

6. He goes to events as a form of _____ to meet new people.

A. networking

B. networked

C. network

D. networks

7. Please write your own sentence using the word network.

8. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word network so that

you can use it when you write or speak?


Kabuki and Noh in Feudal Japan

Kabuki and Noh in Feudal JapanThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Even today, a Kabuki player appears in colorful costume and distinct makeup.

In feudal Japan, people of different classes engaged

in different activities for fun. One activity that brought

pleasure to townspeople, but was considered too

common for the samurai warriors, was Kabuki.

Kabuki is popular, traditional Japanese drama with

singing and dancing.

Several times each year, traveling Kabuki players

probably came to town. Performance day had to be

sunny because the theater had no roof. Performers

in colorful costumes exaggerated their movements

and wore heavy makeup. Filling the stage, they

sang, danced, and acted out stories of love, war, and

heroism.

Sometimes the spectators joined the actors on the

stage. It was a noisy, lively affair. Tea and food

vendors squeezed through the audience. The

snacks they sold were in great demand because a performance could last up to eighteen

hours.


Kabuki and Noh in Feudal Japan

This is a Noh mask of a woman.

An earlier form of drama, the Noh theater, was seen

as more fitting for the upper classes. In contrast to

Kabuki, a Noh play had little action. Two actors

wearing carved masks performed on a bare wooden

stage. Meanwhile, a chorus of men chanted about

ideals such as unselfishness and honor. The only

scenery was a single screen painted with a pine

tree. This served as a reminder that Noh plays were

originally performed at Shinto shrines, often in front

of sacred trees.

Some high-ranking daimyo, or lords, had Noh stages

built at their own castles. In several ways, the actors

were a lot like the samurai themselves. The all-male

Noh casts were very physically fit. The actors were

well-trained and highly disciplined. Before each

show they spent time in a special "mirror room,"

where they meditated and focused their minds on

their performance.


Kabuki and Noh in Feudal Japan - Vocabulary: honor

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What is a meaning of the word honor?

A. a paintbrush

B. a series of

C. a privilege

2. What is another meaning of the word honor?

A. a cause of respect and fame

B. a vaguely specified concern

C. the fourth month of the year


3. Harvest holidays _____ the growing season.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable

4. In the South, monuments _____ the Confederacy.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable



5. Ray Bradbury is one of the greatest writers of science fiction, and he has won many

_____ for his work.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable

6. Nothing deters a good man from doing what is _____.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable

7. Finally, in 2000, an act was signed into law officially _____ the original 29 Navajo

code talkers.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable



8. During the course of her long and distinguished career, Senator Smith was the

recipient of ninety-five _____ degrees from educational institutions across the country.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable

9. I'm old school don't care nothing about folks who _____ traditions as old as Africa.

A. honors

B. honor

C. honorary

D. honoring

E. dishonor

F. honored

G. honorable

10. Please write your own sentence using the word honor.

11. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word honor so that you



Kabuki and Noh in Feudal Japan - Vocabulary: sacred

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What is a meaning of the word sacred?

A. of or relating to or consisting of muscle

B. made or declared or believed to be holy

C. feeling or showing love and affection

2. What is another meaning of the word sacred?

A. pertaining to geography

B. able or likely to stick

C. worthy of great respect


3. Nothing offensive, _____, unpatriotic, or treasonable?

A. sacredness

B. sacrilege

C. sacrilegious

D. sacred

4. He regarded the insidious face both as a personal insult and a _____ against his

religion.

A. sacredness

B. sacrilege

C. sacrilegious

D. sacred

5. He stood in the wings, not willing to violate the _____ of the stage.

A. sacredness

B. sacrilege

C. sacrilegious

D. sacred


Kabuki and Noh in Feudal Japan - Vocabulary: sacred

6. The other pyramids the Maya built were _____ structures.

A. sacredness

B. sacrilege

C. sacrilegious

D. sacred

7. Please write your own sentence using the word sacred.

8. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word sacred so that you



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