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Japanese society and culture
Japanese society and culture
Western and Japanese influence on each other
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Throughout the course of East Asian history, Japan has been largely influenced by the Asian mainland. From ancient times to the medieval period, significant contributions to Japan can be seen coming from both Korea and China. Both of these countries diffused elements of their cultures to form the basis of Japanese society – namely China. These foreigners would influence various aspects of society including technology, philosophy, politics, and religion.
The first instance of foreign influence in Japan is documented as the Yayoi revolution. As a result of uncertainty during the Warring States Period, a large-scale migration of peoples from the Asian mainland – mainly Koreans and Chinese – crossed into Japanese territory. The migrants brought with them major technological advancements that had been in practice on the mainland including; wet-rice cultivation, as well as iron and bronze technology – making Japan the only civilization to experience bronze and iron revolutions simultaneously. Wet-rice cultivation was a technique that used a strain of rice from the southern regions of china, and produced vast quantities of food. Bronze was used to make various ceremonial objects, where iron was used mostly for weaponry and agricultural tools. The introduction of these technologies advanced the migrants ahead of the native Ainu peoples, and aided in their new control of the island.
During the Yamato State period, the Japanese had extensive relations with the Koreans that would enhance them both politically, and culturally. During this period, Korea was ruled by three dominant kingdoms; Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla. These three kingdoms were at constant war with each other; due to Silla's aggression, Paekche looked to Japan for aid....
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...and Buddhism. Similarly, another monk by the name of Kukai made his way to China to study a new sect called Shingnon. Shingnon was based on mystical and esoteric rituals, and became popular in the Japanese court.
Buddhism became so popular in Japan that the traditional Shinto deities began to rank second in society. Since both religions addressed different aspects of life, a syncretism occurred. Emperors practiced Buddhism, while at the same time taking part in Shinto rituals to aid in harvests. Eventually in the mid-eighth century, Buddhist priests began to take part in Shinto rituals. This participation of Buddhists in Shinto ceremony resulted in the Shinto deities and Buddhist bodhisattvas relating to each other; the deities began to be seen as being manifested by the bodhisattvas. What Japan saw was its traditional religion being combined with foreign beliefs.
The East Asians, mostly China and Japan, both were trying to become or stay a great power, and did it different ways. Japan tried to isolate themselves by only allowing limited contact and no spreading of Christianity, as was talked about in document sixteen. China tried to keep up with them by using a strong legal system as was mentioned in document six, and government set up like the monarchs of Europe, in that the power is passed from father to son, as seen in document five.
Japan has a history that dates back thousands of years. Researchers believe the Japanese people descended from many groups that migrated to the islands from other parts of Asia, including China and Korea. As early as 4500 B.C., the Japanese islands
-Nara’s Buddhist temples were another result of cultural diffusion, Buddhist began in India in 500s B.C.E. about 1,000 years later, it came to Japan from China by way of Korea.
For many years, Japan kept themselves distant from the western world and by the 1600s, foreigners had been excelled and Christianity was
In conclusion, China and Japan started out differently. Japan used war to establish unity and China use education and political growth. China was very strong in international trade; Japan was a secluded country. China grew slow and strong and Japan grew fast after the Warring States era. In the late 1800’s both countries were strong politically and economically.
Japan from Prehistory to Modern times. New York: Delacorte, 1979. Print. The. Lockwood, William W. Japan's Response to the West: The Contrast with China. New Haven: n.p., 1956.
Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since Western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times. have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economic and economic challenges. and social differences as a result of the western involvement.
Shintoism has no founder ,and the history behind the technicalities of the rise of Shinto are rather obscure. Experts don't agree as to when Shinto became a unified religion more than just a label to give to the different faiths of Japan. Before the arrival of Buddhism, Shinto referred to the many local cults of the prehistoric Japanese people. These people were animists; devoted to the worship of nature and spirits. These spirits were the Kami; found in living things, nonliving things and natural phenomena. The early Japanese created a spiritual world—and rituals and stories to accompany it—that seemingly gave them control of their lives. It wasn't considered a religion at those times, early Japanese people regarded their faith as a commonality as a part of the natural world. The realms of Earth and the supernatural were closely integrated into each other for them. (“Religions”)
Shinto or “the way of the gods,” is one of the oldest religious beliefs. A large part of the Shinto beliefs have to do with regular catastrophes, animals, and plants. Over time Shinto has changed to keep up more with present day and the developing world, yet Shinto’s major ideals are still the same and is not any different than it was in 6 B.C.E. Shinto has had to change to keep up with the different emperors and world events so as not to disappear. Today a considerable amount of Japanese culture, like dance, writing, and music come from the religion and individuals can see Shinto’s mark on Japanese
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
...ials, but one could argue the fact that religion was the single most important influence on Korean and Japanese civilizations because most systems of government used religion to legitimize governmental power. Religion brought new forms of poetry and literature as well as new styles of architecture. Many Korean and Japanese monks traveled to China in search of new texts to translate. Agricultural developments improved the economic stability of the countries by providing improved irrigation systems and easier methods of food gathering. The major impacts of Chinese influence on legislation, agriculture, art, literature, and religion were crucial in the nationwide development of Japan through the Heian period and Korea through the period of unification under Silla and helped the countries learn and advance in technology on their own to advance their civilizations.
The religion of the Japanese people is called Shinto. Shinto translates to Way of the Spirits. Some say that it is more than a religion, it is a way of life for the Japanese people. It is closely paralleled by the Japanese cultures and way of life (Hirai, 2007). Shinto has been a way of practicing faith and living a pure life in Japan for over 2,000 years. Shinto is in every aspect of the Japanese life. For example: ethics, politics, social structure, artistic life, sporting life, and of course spiritual life (Religion, 2017). Nowadays, the people of Japan mix some Shinto and Buddhism in their lives as far as their spiritual beings are concerned. Shinto is a very free religion. There is no God, no commandments, no founder, and no scriptures. Rather than worshiping a God, Shinto followers worship kami, or spiritual energy (Hansen 2007).
Fourteenth century Japan was a time of peace for many people. Buddhism had just become a major part of Japanese culture due to the Shogun Yoshimitsu. He became ruler in 1367 at the sapling age of ten (Waley 21). Yoshimitsu needed to distinguish himself from his ancestors and he did this by being devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Zen Sect (21). “Zen Buddhism and the life and teaching of Shinran are popularly identified as typical Japanese Buddhism.” (Takeda 27) However Buddhism, in Japan, is different and unique from Buddhism in other countries because it is considered the “funeral religion” (27). This is mainly influenced by ancient Japanese beliefs of the onryo.
In Japan, they were really pleased with Buddhism, but with China, they liked Confucianism. There were those people throughout both of them who were Christian. Confucianism was big in Ming China. Wang Yang-Ming got a lot of followers for his new teachings, but he got heavily criticized for basically changing th...
...ussions on Japan’s history, we can now understand why Japan’s emperor remains a significant figurehead in modern Japanese society. Finally, due to our examination of Korea’s colonized past; we now have a clearer indication as to the reason behind their modern day divide.