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Social Studies Notes Chapter 4 Section 2 Feudalism in Japan · 900 years ago, samurai rose to fame and power in Japan · Samurai means those who serve · Samurai swore to oath to serve their leaders · They followed a code of rules · Honor meant more than wealth or life · Samurai would rather die than shame himself A Country of Islands · Life in Japan 900 years ago was unusual in many ways · One reason Japan was different is its geography · Japan in a group of mountainous islands in the Pacific Ocean · For years, the sea protected Japan from invaders · In this geographic setting, the Japanese developed a distinctive way of life The Rise of the Samurai · Warriors ere important even though the Japanese had no real enemies · They fought with each other to gain power Feudalism Develops in Japan · For centuries, emperors ruled Japan from the city that is now called Kyoto · Over time, wealthy families created large private estates · They gained much power · Between 1000 and 1200, the emperor lost power · Estate owners, daimyo, became more independent · They hired samurai to protect them · As they gained power, a new political and military system developed in Japan · Daimyo and samurai became closely connected · Samurai followed set of rules called bushido · System called feudal system · System is like a pyramid, at the bottom are peasants, then samurai, then daimyo, and then the shogun or great general Shoguns Gain Control · First shogun did not take power in Japan until 1192 · All through 1100s, Japan was torn by war · 2 powerful families fought for control- the Minamoto and the Taira · In 1185 the Minamoto family won · Minamoto Yoritomo became ruler of the country · In 1192, the emperor of Japan named Yoritomo shogun · Shoguns ruled Japan in the emperor’s name until 1868 · Japan’s period of military rule lasted almost 700 years · During rule of weak shoguns, local samurai bands were always at war Isolation For Japan · Within a century after shogun rule started, Japan was threatened by the Mongols · Mongols came from country called Mongolia, north of China · Under a fierce and brilliant leader, Kublai Khan, the Mongols had already conquered China · Khan tried to take over Japan twice and failed both times The Arrival of Europeans · For 300 years few foreigners came to Japan · In 1543, some Portuguese sailors landed in Japan · The Japanese showed great interest in the gun the Portuguese had · In the years that followed, many European traders and Christian missionaries arrived · Trade developed and thousands of Japanese became Christians The Tokugawas Cut Off Japan · European influence didn’t last long · In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun and was determined to bring order to the country · He wanted to end the fighting among warrior samurai bands · Ieyasu divided Japan into about 250 regions, each headed by a daimyo · Daimyos promised to serve the shogun and swore loyalty to him · Ieyasu feared that Europeans would try to conquer Japan · He and Tokugawa rulers who followed him isolated Japan from Westerners · The shoguns outlawed Christianity and forced Europeans to leave the country · They banned most foreign travel and trade and closed Japanese ports to outsiders · They also stopped the building of large ships that could travel great distances · In effect, the closed Japan to the outside world · The Japanese continued their own distinctive culture · Their isolation lasted until 1853 Section 2 Review 1.
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