Japan:

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Japan

• Geography and Prehistory

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Geographic Setting 4 main islands Hokkaido,
Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
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Topography

• 4 main islands plus more than 1000 small islands
  in the Pacific 145,834 sq. miles, the size of
  Montana
• 72 of mountains and hill land 14 land is
  arable
• Todays population 123 mil.
• 2 major plains Kanto (Tokyo) and Kinai (Osaka
  Kyoto), both in Honshu

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Population Distribution
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Climate

• Between 31-45 parallels,
• Tokyo area around 35 parallel (ref. 36.30 line)
• Monsoonal air Japan current from south vs.
  Siberia wind Okhotsk current from north
• Distinct four seasons with 215 days of growing
  season plenty rainfall
• Rice culture and intensive labor became necessity
  for survival
• Long coastal line fishing industry sushi as
  typical Japanese diet (Japanese Steak House?)

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Hazardous Environment

• 1500 earthquakes/year, 21 major ones since 1600
  (1000 plus casualties)
• The cause sitting on the default line
• Submarine trenches east of Japan 6 miles deep
• Mountains 2 miles high
• 500 plus volcanoes
• Typhoons from the Pacific
• The psychological impact
• The Tsushima Strait 115 mile wide (Dover 21
  miles) The Borrowing Culture?

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Japanese Woodblock Prints
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Japans Prehistory and Religion

• Archaeological evidence
• The Jomon (cord-marking) period 7000 BC, clay
  figurines used to worship spirits of sun and
  stones,
• Yayoi period, 250 BC to 250 AD, rice culture
  emerged the center shifted from northern Kyushu
  to Kanto Plain
• The Tomb period, 250-550 AD, large burial mounds,
  clay sculptures of human (haniwa) replaced human
  sacrifices the influx of mainlanders via Korea

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Historical Records

• Chinese records
• History of Later Han History of Kingdom Wei
  contain info about Japan
• 57 AD, first Japanese envoys arrived in Xian,
  the Han Capital, receiving bronze mirrors as
  gifts from Han emperor
• After a period of war in 2nd century, Queen
  Pimiku (Himiko, daughter of sun) unified Japan.
  She was a witch originally, now the ruler of
  Yamatai (Yamato)

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Japanese Records

• Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 AD)
• Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan, 720 AD)
• The Myth of Creation
• The separation of heaven earth
• A couple (Izanagi Izanami) descending from the
  sky, thus the creation of Japan in the ocean
• The couple give birth to Fire God, and the mother
  died
• Izanagi traced after his wife into Yomi, coming
  back to purify himself, while giving birth to Sun
  Goddess (Amaterasu), Storm God (Susa-no-o), etc.
• Amaterasus granson, Ninigi, descended to Kyushu
  to rule the earth
• His great-grandson, Emperor Jimmu, unified Japan
  in 660 BC (?)
• Shinto religion was born

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The nature and impact of Shintoism

• A type of animism the vital principle of organic
  development is immaterial objects
• The existence of spirits separable from bodies
• Impact on Japanese view on life and death
• Suicide was romanticized
• Religion as none-ethical, defilement in life is
  physical and correctable by ritual purification
  (bathing as a ritual, while dirty occupation
  created outcasts
• Inner cultivation and spirituality emphasized
  (Zen)
• Absence of theological elaboration leading to
  flexibility

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Historical facts Yamato State and Society

• Early Yamato 4-5th century
• The Sun line emerged in the contest among uji,
  leading clans with a chief (uji-no-kami) and a
  god, or clan spirit (uji-gami)
• Government functions included worship of Shinto
  gods and interpret their messages in regulation
  of behavior
• Clans controlled various localities, who became
  subordinates to the Sun imperial line but govern
  their own territories (some 120 of these clans in
  all)
• Under these ruling clans were be, the
  commoners clans, hereditary occupation was their
  identity, but with no right to have their surname