9.3 SkillBuilder activity HISTORICAL QUESTIONS Today Japan still has an emperor who is descended from the same Yamato clan that established the first Japanese state. 1. Conduct research to find out all you can about the current emperor. Make notes on things like: • his role in Japanese society • his current powers. 2. Create a brief description of the current emperor using the information you found.
9.3
Exercise
Learning pathways LEVEL1 1, 2, 3, 6
LEVEL2
LEVEL3
4, 5, 10
7, 8, 9
REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND 1. The first recognised Japanese state was established in the ________ century CE by the ________ clan. 2. Determine whether the following statement is True or False. One of the major problems faced by the Yamato rulers in maintaining a unified Japanese state was that Japan consists of a number of islands, many very mountainous and difficult to control from one central location. 3. Determine which four of the following statements provide evidence that Japan borrowed much of its culture from China. A. Buddhism most likely came via China. B. The Yamato rulers set up a system of government that was based on Chinese traditions and its legal system. C. Japanese writing was based on Chinese characters. D. Japanese literature was sent to China for approval prior to printing. E. In the capital city, Nara, the architecture was based on that of the Chinese capital, Xi’an. F. Japanese writing was based on Chinese characters. 4. Explain how the system of land ownership changed during the eighth century. 5. Recall how the nobles grew in power at this time. ANALYSE AND APPLY 6. Refer to SOURCE1 and an atlas to list the names of Japan’s four main islands. Identify which island is the largest and which is the smallest. 7. Propose a reason why the geography of the Japanese islands would have made it difficult to achieve a unified state with its capital in Nara. 8. Examine SOURCE2 . Describe how the artist tried to show the power and importance of the sun goddess Amaterasu to the people around her. EVALUATE AND COMMUNICATE 9. Analyse SOURCE3 . Explain how you can tell that Buddhism had become an important religion in Japan by the eighth century. 10. Evaluate SOURCE5 , one of many gates in a high wall that surrounded the old imperial palace in Kyoto.
a. Explain why it was necessary to surround the palace with a high wall. b. Suggest what this gate tells us about the wealth and power of the sh̄ogun. Answers and sample responses for this topic are available online.
TOPIC9 Japan under the sh̄oguns 219
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