Nara and Heian Period Japan

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Nara and Heian Period Japan

• Centralization of Japan, Cultural Diffusion from
  China, and the breakdown to the Feudal Period

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Nara Period

• Japan ruled by the Yamato Clan/capital at Nara
• Longest ruling family in the world
• Native religion Shinto
• Shinto animistic/nature spirits
• Emperor divine/descendent of the Sun
• Taika Reforms show influence of China, although
  NO Confucian bureaucracy
• Buddhism and Shinto were not opposed. Syncretism.

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Heian Period

• Government decentralized
• Culturally, a Golden Age/many women had prominent
  cultural roles
• Woman wrote the worlds first novel, about court
  life among the nobility
• Spiffy culture Origami, tea ceremony, haiku,
  sumo
• Zen Buddhism

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Feudal Period

• Noble families fought increasing
  decentralization
• Emperor figurehead. Shogun powerful
  ruler/warlord
• Daimyo equivalent to European Lords
• Samurai warriors in vassal position to daimyo
• Bushido Samurai code of ethics
• Samurai failure Seppuku (belly-splitting)

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