Fun Facts about Medieval Japan
* Buddhism was on religion that was practiced in Japan, along with Shintoism and Zen.
* Honour was one of the very important things for a samurai
* In Japan calligraphy, poetry, tea cemermonies and meditation were all activities done in anyones spare time
* One person, of great importance and social rank, could order anyone, including his own family and realitives, to be put to death.
* The samurai usually carried two sword on them, one short, tanto, and one long, katana.
* If respect was not shown by those below a samurai, one passing beside one might have his head chopped off
* In 500 AD Japan adopted the Chinese alphabet
* The emperor of
Japan forbided contact with China in 838 AD
* The year 1181 AD
saw the great famine kill hundreds of thousands throughout
Japan
* The Portuguese arrive in Japan aroud 1549 AD
* Both women and men could be a samurai, allowing that the woman always served under a male leader.
* The Shogun was a military leader, therefore his sword, or Nihonto in Japanese (katana came later in the Mid-Muromachi period), was an important part of his outfit.
* Daimyo had vast inherited land holdings, along with armies to protect the land and its workers.
* Daimyo were powerful warlords and also the most influential rulers under the Shogun. This lasted from the 10th century to the early 19th century.
* Samurai were neither nobles or peasants, however they did have certain privileges of which peasants did not. Being able to have a surname, a family crest, and carry two swords were amoung those privilages.
* Although most samurai were not well educated, they had a strict code of honor or the "way of the warrior", known as bushido in Japanese. If a Samurai broke the bushido code and brought dishonor to him/herself they would be expected to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide.
* Craftsmen, or artisans worked with wood and metal, with some becoming well-known as expert Samura sword makers.
* Merchants were one of the lowest classes on the social scale, however, in later times when Japan began to use money more as currency merchants became more wealthy.
* The first Japanese emperor was the leader of the Yamato family, which dominated other clans. He and the emperors to follow him claimed to be descended from gods.
* Honour was one of the very important things for a samurai
* In Japan calligraphy, poetry, tea cemermonies and meditation were all activities done in anyones spare time
* One person, of great importance and social rank, could order anyone, including his own family and realitives, to be put to death.
* The samurai usually carried two sword on them, one short, tanto, and one long, katana.
* If respect was not shown by those below a samurai, one passing beside one might have his head chopped off
* In 500 AD Japan adopted the Chinese alphabet
* The emperor of
Japan forbided contact with China in 838 AD
* The year 1181 AD
saw the great famine kill hundreds of thousands throughout
Japan
* The Portuguese arrive in Japan aroud 1549 AD
* Both women and men could be a samurai, allowing that the woman always served under a male leader.
* The Shogun was a military leader, therefore his sword, or Nihonto in Japanese (katana came later in the Mid-Muromachi period), was an important part of his outfit.
* Daimyo had vast inherited land holdings, along with armies to protect the land and its workers.
* Daimyo were powerful warlords and also the most influential rulers under the Shogun. This lasted from the 10th century to the early 19th century.
* Samurai were neither nobles or peasants, however they did have certain privileges of which peasants did not. Being able to have a surname, a family crest, and carry two swords were amoung those privilages.
* Although most samurai were not well educated, they had a strict code of honor or the "way of the warrior", known as bushido in Japanese. If a Samurai broke the bushido code and brought dishonor to him/herself they would be expected to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide.
* Craftsmen, or artisans worked with wood and metal, with some becoming well-known as expert Samura sword makers.
* Merchants were one of the lowest classes on the social scale, however, in later times when Japan began to use money more as currency merchants became more wealthy.
* The first Japanese emperor was the leader of the Yamato family, which dominated other clans. He and the emperors to follow him claimed to be descended from gods.