HIST 135 Eastern Civilization
Exam III Review
Historical Periods of Japan:
Kofun Period (ca. 250-710 CE)
Asuka-Nara Periods (552-794 CE)
Heian Period (794-1185)
Kamakura Period (1185-1336)
Ashikaga Period (1336-1573)
Edo (Tokugawa) Period (1615-1868)
Meiji Period (1868-1912)
Five characteristics of Japanese religion:
Intimacy of human, divine, and nature
Significance of family
Dichotomy of purity and defilement
Popular religiosity
Bond of religion and nation
Kofun
Haniwa
Miko
Kami
Kojiki (712 CE)
Uji
Yamato
Izanagi/Izanami
Amaterasu
Shinto
Buddhism enters Japan: 6th c. CE
Horyu-ji, Todai-ji temples
The Constitution of Seventeen Articles
Taiho Code (702)
Matsurigoto
Jinja
Ji
Kamidana
The Tale of Genji
Bakufu
Daimyo
Shogun
Samurai
Kamikaze (in 13th c. relation to Kublai Khan)
Ronin
Onnagata
Insei emperor
Fujiwara family/regents
Ukiyo-e
Fumi-e
Jigoku-e
Buddhist sects:
Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism
Zazen (Seated Meditation) Buddhism
Amida Buddha
Kannon
Koan
Satori
Motoori Norinaga
Mono no aware
Meiji Restoration (1868)
Sect Shinto (1882, religious)
Shrine Shinto (1882, nationalist)
Educational Rescript of 1890
Bushido
Kokutai
Shinto Directive of 1945
Yasukuni Shrine
Be familiar with basic plotline, context, etc. of the Japanese film Hara Kiri
(full semester course only)
Question Pool for Exam III:
1. Explain the nature of indigenous Japanese religion. What are its characteristics and directions of worship? What effect did the arrival of Buddhism in Japan in the 6th c. CE have on indigenous religious beliefs and practices?
2. Discuss at least three reasons for the progressive loss of imperial power and influence in late Heian Period Japan. Do not simply "list," but define them and explain their circumstances and effects.
3. How did Japan's 19th century Meiji government appropriate the Shinto religion in order to make it "work" for their purposes? What were those purposes?
4. Describe the Shinto Restoration of the late Tokugawa Period, particularly in terms of the thought of Motoori Norinaga. What well-known Japanese phrase did he coin and how did he apply it to Shinto?
5. Discuss the "Yasukuni issue." What is the essential question involved in this controversy? In your answer, provide a brief outline of the historical context and development of Yasukuni.
6. Full semester course only: Discuss the content and significance of the film Hara Kiri. What is the basic story line? What is its historical context? What images or elements are present in this film that have symbolic significance?