THE SPREAD OF
CIVILIZATION IN
EAST ASIA
JAPAN, KOREA AND VIETNAM
IN THE POST-CLASSICAL AGE
GEOGRAPHY INFLUENCES
HISTORY
• Relative Location
– Korea, Vietnam border China
– Japan located off coast of East Asia
• Physical Characteristics
– Korea, Vietnam
• Mountainous, cut by river valleys
• Population located on plains
– Japan
• Volcanic islands, very mountainous
• Deep valleys with plains
• Demography
– Populace generally heavy on plains
– Rice was principal crop
– Cities exist but rarer than China
• Cities: centers of Chinese culture
• Countryside: resistant to Sinification
THE CONFUCIAN WORLD
KOREA: THE BRIDGE
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Korea in the Ancient and Classical Periods
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Influenced by developments in China
Chinese armies invaded periodically
Chinese established control of parts of Korea
Nomadic invasions frequent
Fall of Han left regional Korean aristocrats in control
Korean History 669 – 1392 C.E.
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Tang armies conquered much of Korea
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Song replaced Tang
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Ancestor worship strong in Korean society
Korean officials trained in Confucian ideas during Han, Tang but not as strong
Newer Traditions
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Sinification = becoming Chinese
Koreans borrowed what was useful, unavoidable; avoided what was not
Tributary embassies included Korean royal officials and scholars
Silla kings built new capital at Kumsong modeled on the Tang capital
Older Traditions
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Koguryo conquered Silla in 935, ruled to 1392
China's influence in Korea
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Silla dynasty allied with Tang, ruled peninsula
Entered into a tributary relationship with China
Korean elite turned to Neo-Confucianism
Peasants turned to Chan Buddhism
Difference from China: aristocracy and royal houses dominated Korea
VIETNAM: A BORDER STATE
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Nam Viet people originated in Southern China
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Rise of Han and southern settlement of Chinese pushed Viet out
Viet migrated into Red River Valley, down coast fighting local inhabitants
Vietnam under Chinese rule to c. 983 CE
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Han first conquered Northern Vietnam in 111 BCE
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Trung sisters led revolt against Chinese rule (40 – 43 CE)
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Ruled by Dynasties, capital moved between Hanoi, Hue
Constant pressure against hill peoples, pushing south
Difference from China
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Role of village equal to role of family in China
Few cities; village dominate countryside, elders ran villages
Many Vietnamese retained their religious traditions
Women played more prominent roles in Vietnam
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Peasants resented Chinese influence, role of towns, cities
1,000 year struggle for independence
Relationship often tributary to China
Independent Vietnam (c. 983 CE)
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Viet elites adopted Chinese agriculture, schools, thought; intermarried
Massive migration of Chinese official, scholars, bureaucrats to Vietnam
Could be head of households, own land, engage openly in business
Were often leaders of villages and even at national level
Chinese influence in Vietnam limited to the elite
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Elites adopted bureaucracy, form of state, emperorship, Confucianism
Adopted Chinese script, literary and artistic models
Mahayana Buddhism (although region is Theravada) also arrived
Irrigation and water control techniques
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Ancient Japan
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Earliest inhabitants were nomadic Caucasians (Ainu) from Northeast Asia
Japanese related to Koreans, migrated into islands, pushed Ainu north
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Inspired by Tang, Yamato clan claimed imperial authority
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The imperial court modeled on that of the Tang
Built a new capital (Nara) in 710 C.E., modeled on Chang'an
Prince Shotoku wrote first Japanese constitution
Adopted Confucianism and Buddhism, but maintained Shinto
Heian Japan (794-1185 C.E.)
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Moved to new capital Heian (modern Kyoto) in 794
Japanese emperors as ceremonial figureheads and symbols of authority
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Effective power in the hands of the Fujiwara family
Emperor did not rule
Lived in splendid isolation along with court elite
Effected by bureaucrats, complex etiquette
Chinese learning dominated Japanese education, culture
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Ruled by several dozen states dominate by clans, 1st millennium BCE
Shinto: Ancestor veneration with deification of nature, spirits (kami)
Nara Japan (710-794 C.E.)
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EARLY JAPAN
The Tale of Genji
Women contributed most to Japanese literature and writing
Decline of Heian Japan
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Equal-field system began to fail
Aristocratic clans accumulated lands
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Rivalry between court nobility and landed aristocracy
Taira and Minamoto, the two most powerful clans, engaged in wars
The clan leader of the victorious Minamoto claimed the title of shogun
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MEDIEVAL JAPAN
Japanese feudalism
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Called the Shogunate Period
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Military dictators ruled, Emperors reigned in splendid isolation
Government was centralized feudalism
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Provincial lords controlled Japan
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Called Daimyo, vied for power against each other
Constant war to increase personal power, wealth, fiefs
Kamakura Period (1185-1333 C.E.)
Muromachi Period (1336-1573 C.E.)
The Samurai
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The lowest class of aristocratic nobility
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Countryside divided up into fiefs
Daimyo appointed by the shoguns
Adopted Neo-Confucianism as state philosophy
Professional warriors of provincial lords
Observed samurai code called bushido
Valued loyalty, military talent, and discipline; traded military skills for food
To preserve their honor, engaged in ritual suicide called seppuku
Japanese Women
– Legendary founder of Japan, Yamato clan was sun goddess, Amaterasu
– Under Heian
• They were the cultural elite with elaborate rituals including dress
• Had great influence, including several empresses
– Under Shogunate
• Lost considerable influence as Neo-Confucianism introduced, warfare spread
• Could still be samurai and fight but patriarchal society
• Shinto was also male dominated and included ancestor worship
FIEFS OF FEUDAL JAPAN