JAPAN
(A QUICK OVERVIEW)
Where is Japan?
◦ in the northern Pacific Ocean
◦ directly to the east of North
Korea, South Korea, and Russia
What are some of the
geographical
characteristics of
Japan?
◦ made up of more than 3,000 islands
◦ four largest islands are Hokkaido, Honshu,
Shikoku, and Kyushu
◦ covered with mountains (188 of these are
volcanoes)
◦ lots of earthquakes
◦ only about 20% of the land can be farmed
◦ oceans kept Japan isolated from the rest
of Asia
What is the religion of Japan?
◦Shinto
◦ all natural things have spirits (including
winds, mountains, and rivers)
◦ nature spirits are called kami
◦ to honor the kami, the Japanese
worship at shrines
◦ followers believe that the kami will help
you if you are pure
◦ Shinto means “way of the spirits”
Who were the Samurai?
◦ During the 800’s, there were no strong
emperors.
◦ Instead, many nobles took control of
the land.
◦ If you wanted to keep your land, you
needed your own personal army.
◦ Warriors who agreed to fight for a
daimyo, or noble, (in exchange for
some land of their own) were called
samurai.
◦ Samurai means “one who serves.”
Who was the
Shogun?
◦ Violence between the two
strongest families led to the
Gempei War.
◦ The emperor at the time decided
to put one person in charge of all
the samurai to avoid this in the
future.
◦ This meant there were two leaders:
the emperor (who was in charge in
name only) and the shogun (who
was really in charge).
What did Japan
look like in 1890?