Japan Lecture

The lecture discusses the rich history of Japan, divided into three periods: Heian period, reign of Hojo Tokimune, and modern imperialistic Japan. The Heian period saw the advancement of literature and stable government under the Fujiwara clan. It also introduced etiquette, dress, letter writing, and dining customs. Hojo Tokimune's rule focused on the samurai class, emphasizing loyalty, honor, and martial arts prowess. Zen Buddhism gained influence during this time. The samurai class defended against the Mongols using advanced tactics and benefited from a typhoon. Imperial Japan expanded rapidly, but their ambitions led to their downfall after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They resisted colonization and remain independent. Good afternoon and welcome. Today we'll be talking about the rich and intricate history of Japan. For this lecture, I'd like to divide it up into three different periods to make it more understandable. The first period we will cover is the Heian period, and then we will move to the reign of Hojo Tokimune, and then finally we will move into the more modern side of Japan, which is the imperialistic side that you see towards World War I and World War II. So without further ado, I'd like to go ahead and get into the Heian period. So the first topic I would like to talk about within the Heian period is the advancement of literature. So it is quite clear that Japan's literature was taking off during this time period, which was from about 794 to about 1185. Some modern historians dispute that, but that is not for this lecture. But anyways, we can see that in the Tale of Genji that was written by Murasaki Shikibu. This was widely considered and still is the first novel ever to be written. Past this, there is the Pillow Book by Sei Shogun. Both of these are very, very important to modern historians because they give us insights into the everyday lives of Japanese citizens. However, what allowed for this rise of literary genius is a stable aristocracy. So the Fujiwara clan was exerting influence over Japan at this point, and before this, we were seeing a bunch of different shoguns, a bunch of different militant groups taking over Japan, falling, taking over Japan. But this stable aristocracy really allowed for all of these gains to be made in literature. However, this newly found stable government also allowed for more stable etiquette policies within Japanese culture. So just a couple of things I want to go over regarding this expansion of etiquette within the everyday lives of Japanese citizens. The first thing is their dress, like their attire. In court, the men would wear a 12-layer robe called a Sokuti, and then the women would wear a 12-layer robe called a Junito. So this was going to be the proper attire for social gatherings, ceremonies, pretty much anything that you weren't at home by yourself. Also another thing past this that developed would have been a seasonal sensitivity, so to say. So they were expected to dress differently for the different seasons. Past this, letter writing became much more prominent between poetry and letters, which gave way to a newly found courtship and marriage social policy. So this courtship and marriage, courtship you would obviously see, you know, couples sending letters or poems or anything like that. And also marriage became much more recognized in Japanese culture during this time. However, the main use of marriages within this portion of history is obviously to strengthen political alliances. However, we also see new dining etiquette coming available during this time. Mills were more elaborate than ever. So these mills would involve multiple courses of small dishes or even individual dishes, so that means no sides of potatoes or mac and cheese. And past this, this is where we see chopsticks becoming a thing and the traditional kneeling before a table for tea. All of these things were wrapped up into this Heian period and it extensively deals with the stability of the government, which was newly found in Japanese culture. They weren't used to this and it stabilized society in the process. This sense of etiquette that we see during the Heian period transitions very well to the rule of Hojo Tokimune. So Hojo Tokimune ruled Japan from about 1251 to about 1284. But the reason that this transitions so well is because of the samurai class. So this new class of warriors obviously played a pivotal role as their essence still echoes through time and even into today. You see samurai swords and all different types of memorabilia being collected. However, what the samurai class stood for was much more. So what this samurai class did was they expanded upon this etiquette that was previously bettered in the Heian period and they gave way to virtuous living. So it's rooted in loyalty and honor and obviously the martial arts prowess. But this became a defining characteristic within Japanese culture. And past this, another significant thing that happened under the reign of Hojo Tokimune was the influence of Zen Buddhism. He was a devout follower of this. And it also helped establish Zen as a significant spiritual and cultural force. So this newly found etiquette, as you can see, gave way to a new class of warrior and also gave way to religious thinking within the... However, what the samurai class did to help solidify was also the defense against the Mongols under the Klobuchar Khan. So the Mongols at this period were just ravaging pretty much everywhere. Their territory was very expansive. Their technology was unmatched in pretty much all categories. However, what I want to talk about a few different instances within these defenses. One would be the Battle of Buni in 1274. So the Mongols landed in Hakata Bay near present-day Fuduka. So the Japanese samurai were significantly less advanced than these Mongol warriors. However, what they were able to do was use more advanced tactics. So this is actually one of the first employments that we see of guerrilla tactics. But the main thing that allowed the Japanese to defend on this specific day was a huge typhoon, often referred to as a divine wind or a kamikaze. This is where both of these terms stem from, and it heavily damaged their fleet and much of their forces. The next battle that I would like to talk about is the Battle of Kone in 1281. So this is the second invasion attempt by the Mongols, and it occurred just off the coast of Hakata Bay near the island of modern-day Kushi. So the Japanese defenders under Tukumyun's leadership constructed an extensive wall of defense and employed a hit-and-run tactic, much like the guerrilla tactics seen at the Battle of Buni. And once again, we see a powerful typhoon strike the Mongol fleet. However, what made Japan so successful in this regard was their expertise in sailing. Their naval advancement was much better than it was before the reign of Tukumyun, and without it I do believe that they would have fell to the Mongols. Because the key point in all of this was they never allowed the Mongols to use their horsemanship, which is what they were so well-known for at the time, coming in and desolating full towns, villages, and beyond. This spirit of fighting segues well into Imperial Japan, because that's exactly what they were doing, fighting for land and resources. So this period lasted from about 1868 to about 1945, and the expansion came following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. So this is where Japan is rapidly industrializing and modernizing not only their culture, but also their military forces. But past this, they were very successful in this regard. They owned a vast majority of the Pacific Ocean, spanning from Singapore all the way to Alaska. So what led to the fall of this was that they were honestly just too big. Their ambitions outweighed their actual fleets, and they tried to take Pearl Harbor. So this story has etched its way into just about every United States history book that there is. But what came after this was the first atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and this was pretty much the end of Imperial Japan. But following this, they faced a threat of colonization, and they have resisted it ever since. The majority of all U.S. military bases are confined within one town of Japan, and their society has just reared its head at any form of colonization of Japan, the Japanese territory, as far as the traditional set of islands. I hope that you enjoyed this lecture. I hope that it was informative for you, and I hope to see you again soon.