Japan,+Korea,+and+Vietnam

- Determined rank by birth and little social mobility. - The aristocratic class had taken over most of the positions in the central gov't. - Local leaders were ordered to organize military forces. - Men and women of aristocratic families had to abide by strict behavioral codes, under the watch of their peers and superiors. - love affairs were popular and gossip was rampant. - aristocratic families lived in palaces and gardens. - Women were expected to be as poised and cultured as men. They wrote poems, played the flute, and participated in elaborate schemes to snumb or disgrace rivals. - Aristocratic family, the Fujiwara, exercised exceptional influence over imperial affairs. They gained a lot of imperial power through marriages. They used their wealth and power to build up large estates that provided a stable financial base for their growing power. - there was a rise of warrior elites, such as the **bushi**, who administered law, supervised public works projects, and collected revenue (mainly for themselves). the bushi ended up starting their own military forces, or **samurai**, who were extremely powerful and loyal to the local lords. - beaten or disgraced soldiers committed suicide, known as **seppuku**, to prove courage to their families. - peasants were treated poorly. - **Shoguns** = military leaders of the bakufu. || - In 794, the emperor Kammu established a new capital at Heian (later named Kyoto), Buddhist weren't allowed to build monasteries in Heian, they then reemerged as a potent force at court as royal advisers. - Emperor discontinued the Taika reforms, which had long been stalled by aristocratic and popular opposition. - The emperor also restored the great aristocratic families. - Important families: Taira and the Minamoto. - The Minamoto established the **bakufu** (tent) or military government. || - In 794, the emperor Kammu established a new capital at Heian (later named Kyoto), Buddhist weren't allowed to build monasteries in Heian, they then reemerged as a potent force at court as royal advisers. - The Gempei Wars raged in the mainland of Honshu for fives years. It brought great suffering to the peasantry, whose farmlands were destroyed. || - Zen Buddhism || - Poems were written on painted fans or scented paper. - The writing of the Japanese was far more simplified than the Chinese written language, making it easier for Japanese people to comprehend. - **//The Tale of Genji//** was a very popular novel by Lady Murasaki. It was the first novel in any language. - In addition to //The Tale of Genji//, some of the most elegant poetry in the Japanese language was released in this era. || Main Idea: They formed the basis of their empire from the Chinese. Develops feudalism.
 * ESPIRIT Chart on Japan**
 * E || - Japan was divided into 300 little kingdoms, whose warlord rulers were called **daimyos** rather than bushi. ||
 * S || - Buddhist monks had gained a lot of power and confidence that the court and aristocracy lived in fear of street demonstrations.
 * P || - **Taika reforms** were introduced in 646 in hopes to revamp the imperial administration along Chinese lines.
 * I || - Scholars tried numerously to memorize the thousands of Chinese characters, which really had no relations or ties to the language in which they spoke. They were also intended to create a genuine professional bureaucracy and peasant conscript army in Japan to match those of Han and Tang China.
 * R || - Buddhism was transformed by both aristocrats and peasants into a distinctively Japanese religion.
 * I || - Writing verse was the most valued art at the court.
 * T ||  ||

- By 4th century B.C.E, the people who moved into the Korean peninsula had to acquire sedentary farming and metalworking techniques from the Chinese. - Buddhism, Buddhist artists were patronized, and Korea financed the building of monasteries and pagodas. - Chinese writen language was introduced - Law code by the Koguryo was similar to the law code of Han China. - Attempted to adopt the Chinese-style bureaucracy. - Universities taught Confucian classics. - Sent embassies to China to take note on the clothing worn by the cour and to collect Chinese texts. - Tribute system provide access to Chinese learning, art, and manufactured goods. -> major channel of trade and intellectual exhchange between China and its neighbors. - Art reproduced Chinese prototypes, even better than the Chinese original. - Placement of monasteries and pagodas in high places because of the need to mollify local spirits and balance supernatural forces. - Learned techniques of porcelain manufacture from the Chinese. - Merchants from Korea sold Chinese goods, and had connections to Chinese trades system. Non Chinese Influences: - Improved Chinese woodblock and printing. - At first resisted Chinese rule in Korugyo, but then Chinese rule weakened, and held strong against attacks against the Tang and Sui dynasties, but in the end the Chinese destroyed the Paekche kingdom and then defeated the Korguryo.
 * Examples of Chinese Influence in Korea:**

Chinese Influence in Vietnamesse - They receieved superior technologies from China. - Let themselves be conquered, because they thought that they had a lot to learn from their powerful neighbors. - China had huge political influence on them, they created huge bureaucratic politcal machines. - Vietnamese scholars went to Chinese school and read Chinese texts of Confuicus.

Difference: - The Chinese failed to assimulate Vietnam. - Geographic reasons stopped China from sending military and goods to VIetnam. - The Vietnamese dressed differently from the Chinese. - The Trung sisters led revolts against Chinese rule. - Vietnamese women didn't like Confucian codes and family system that would have confined them to the household. - They were afraid of losing their identity and become apart of the huge part of Chinese civilizations. - Their spoken language was not related to the Chinese language.


 * Summary of Comparing Feudalism**

- There were several attempts by nations to centralize their governments, however, many failed to do so such as the Russian governments. However, Japan and the medieval West had feudal government systems. They both had set political virtues that embraced most of the participants in the system, most of those participants being the aristocratic lords, who controlled the majority of the peasants. Both feudal governments were highly militaristic and went through many times of internal warfare, based on feudal loyalties and rivalries. Their military values consisted of physical courage, personal/family alliances, loyalty, ritualized combat, and often contempt for the non warrior groups such as the merchants and peasants. However, these militaristic feudal governments, eventually backfired against Japan, it had left them with serious problems in controlling their samurai class after the early 17th century. Like Japan, the medieval West constantly resorted to war, thinking it was the only war to solve foreign problems, it showed off the military leader's prowess. Japan feudalism focused more on individual loyalties and encouraged people to function in groups that could eventually be linked to the state. The West on the other hand focused more on feudal loyalties and they developed lawyers, something that Japan had failed to do.

Summary of Chinese Influence in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam Chinese had a very large impact on its surrounding neighbors Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Their successful nation became a role model on nations later to come. The Chinese sophosticated bureaucracy was highly praised, and all thier neighbors (Japan, Korea, and Vietnam) tried to adapt this similary political structure. Also, their culture was very attractive to these surrounding nations. Buddhism was spread to all three nations. Japan took a branch of Buddhism called Zen Buddhism.