China's Influence on Japan

Essential Question:

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What differentiates one culture from another?

China's Influence on Japanese Government

• In 607, Prince Shotoku sends his first group of advisors to China during the Tang dynasty to learn about their system of government.
• One of the take-aways from the Chinese system was a grouping of official ranks and duties – a bureaucracy.

Prince Shotoku

China's Influence on Japanese Government

• Japanese leaders were also influenced by the famous Chinese thinker (wait for it!)...Confucius.
• Prince Shotoku hoped his Constitution of 17 Articles, based Confucian moral principles, would help unite Japan.

Confucius, of course!

China's Influence on Japanese Government

• After Shotoku, in an effort to create a stronger central government, the Taika reforms made all the land property of the emperor, made everyone the emperor's subjects, and made clan leaders into local officials responsible for tax collection.
• This made Japan more like Tang China.

But...

• A merit system based on ability never developed for officials in Japan.
• Local clan leaders never fully bought into the idea of a strong central government.
• So, there was a mistrust of central government, and strong warrior clans and crafty officials undermined the power of the emperor, finally making him a figurehead.

Fujiwara

Chinese Influence on Japanese Religion

• In early times the Yayoi people arrived in Japan from mainland Asia, and it is believed they brought the basic beliefs of Shinto with them, including the worship of kami, spirits that lived in various natural objects.

ema, or prayers to kami written on wooden blocks

Chinese Influence on Japanese Religion

Buddhism makes its way to Japan from China by way of Korea.

Buddhism met with resistance in Japan, because of fear of offending the Shinto kami and reducing the power of the clan leader who maintained reverence for the clan's kami.

But...

While Buddhism caught on in cities, Shinto remained strong in the countryside with people who were closer to nature.

There was no major conflict of belief that kept people from practicing both, and many aspects of Shinto were merged with Buddhist beliefs in Japan, much like Chinese Buddhism absorbed elements of Daoism.

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

The Japanese adopted much of their written symbol system from China, including kana, a form of writing where each symbol stands for a sound...like an alphabet. (In most Asian languages a symbol stands for a word.)

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

The Japanese court at Heian also imported many Chinese books, especially those about Confucius and Buddhism, because they hoped to use these ideas to help unify Japan under a strong central government, rather that maintaining local clan power.

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

The status of women was affected by Chinese influence.

From early times, women could be clan leaders or even empress, which at the time were powerful positions.

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

The Chinese also influenced the Japanese in many art forms from music to scroll painting to sculpture.

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As with so many other things that Japan borrowed from Chinese culture, the Japanese put their own twist on all of these things.

But...

The coming of Confucianism and Buddhism lowered the status of women.

Confucianism said women should obey their father and then their husband – drawing on Confucius' 5 relationships.

Buddhism barred women from some temples and even had scripture stating that “no women are to be found” in paradise.

Still, Murasaki Shikibu did become a famous writer.

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

Japanese adopted chopsticks as utensils and the wok, a large round-bottomed pan, for cooking.

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wok

chopsticks

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

The popularity of tea was so great in Japan, it led to the “Tea Ceremony”, or chanoyu, which was a very serious ritual show of hospitality

Chinese Influence on Japanese Culture

China influenced the architecture of Japan. Nobles in both places built homes that were a series of buildings around a central garden.

Japanese built houses with sliding walls,and elaborate gardens, some with a teahouse for chanoyu.

sliding walls to garden

tea house