Lesson 25: The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan

• What did Minamoto Yoritomo's rise to power mean for Japan?


  a new era with Japanese warriors as the ruling class
• Shogun


  the head of the military government of Japan in the era of the samurai
• Samurai


  a member of a powerful warrior class in Japan
• Daimyo


  a local lord in Japan in the era of the samurai
• Minamoto Yoritomo possessed the title of...


  shogun
• Shoguns rewarded samurai with appointments to office and land grants. In return, samurai...


  pledged to serve shogun
• Samurai emphasized appreciation for art of...


  war
• What was one war technique that was most popular amongst the samurai?


  archery
• In 1400, shoguns ruled alongside...


  daimyos
• Daimyos were supported by...


  samurai
• Samurai and daimyos both expected...


  rewards from each other (land, money, administrative office)
• Daimyos gained power and allied with the samurai resulting in...


  the weakening of shoguns
• In the late 1500's, daimyos...


  warred for land and power
• In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu...


  • reestablished a strong military government
  • became shogun
  • established a new capital in Edo (present-day Tokyo)
• Administered


  to manage and organize
• What did samurais wear underneath their armor?


  colorful kimonos and baggy trousers
• Why did samurai wear ferocious iron masks?


  to elicit fear from enemies
• Why would samurais burn incense in their helmets?


  so their head would smell sweet if cut off
• Samurai swords were...


  • the finest in the world
  • a sign of rank
• Samurai armor was...


  flexible, complex, and colorful
• What skills did samurai learn during training?


  • fencing without swords
  • making the opponent's strength a weakness
  • breathing properly
• Martial arts


  styles of fighting or self-defense, such as modern-day judo and karate, that began mostly in Asia
• What did samurai learn to fight with if their sword was lost or broken?


  metal fans, wooden staffs, martial arts
• What did samurai shout out before both sides charged at each other in battle?


  Their:

  • names
  • ancestors
  • heroic deeds
  • reason for fighting
• To overcome fear of death, samurais were taught to think...


  of themselves as already dead
• What are some ways samurai endured pain and suffering?


  • starving themselves
  • walking barefoot in snow
  • holding stiff postures for a prolonged amount of time
• Samurais had a __________ about danger.

  "sixth sense"
• A haiku poet's most important tool:


  imagery
• Matsuo Basho invented...


  haiku
• 1700 was more...


  peaceful so samurai were also students of culture
• Tea ceremonies were...


  important ways to form political alliances
• Amida Buddhism


  a form of Buddhism founded on the belief that all people can reach paradise by relying on the mercy of the Amida Buddha
• Most samurai were...

  Buddhists
• Hoen founded...


  Amida Buddhism in 1200
• Amida:


  • enables all people to reach paradise
  • involves repeating chanting
  • "Pure Land Buddhism"
• Zen: 


  • giving up logical thinking
  • relies on meditation
  • preferred by the samurai
• Zen Buddhism


  a form of Buddhism that stresses self-reliance and enlightenment through meditation
• Koan


  a puzzling question meant to jolt the brain into enlightenment
• Gardens that aided in meditation for Zen Buddhism...


  symbolized nature
• Bushido


  a samurai code that called on warriors to be honest, fair, and fearless