Myth

Powerful clans is the Yamato clan ruled Japan for hundreds of years beginning around A.D. 250. During this time, people practiced Shinto. shinto teaches that a god-like spirit lives in every object and force of nature. They sent priests and students to study in China. The Chinese form of government, writing system, and calendar were shared with Japan as a result of this exchange.

The Japanese empire was in great power by this time period, and they thought themselves as the king of the East Asian race. Japan, the “old order”, also believed that some day Europe and America would take over their power and become the “new orders”(Doc A). Japan was one

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese and Japanese faced much internal conflict, but while China faced a combination of economic setbacks and political weakness, the Japanese were riddled with wars along their countryside. First, the Chinese emperor was too weak in comparison to his bureaucracy, which ended up making most of the decisions for the last Ming dynasty emperor. This was due to the emperor’s realization that having a title as Son

There are many aspects of this world such as culture, technology, or art that have been influenced by other things. The way that things influence each other has allowed for new possibilities and ideals to be formed. Religion is no exception; there have been many instances where religions have influenced each other and blossomed due to new ideas being presented. A good example of this the relationship between the two religions: Buddhism and Shinto. Buddhism was brought into Japan during the early 6th century from Korea, and was later institutionalized as the state religion in the late 6th century by Prince Shōtoku. The Prince was a great patron of Buddhism and by having made it the state religion, it would help Buddhism spread. However, Japan was not without its own religion—Shinto—which had been there for many years prior to the arrival of Buddhism. With Buddhism gaining traction in Japan with the help of Prince Shōtoku, what then does it mean for the Shinto religion? However, Shinto was not long forgotten, which leads to the question: how did the two religions, Buddhism and Shinto, interact with each other when Buddhism arrived in Japan? In this essay, I will discuss how both Buddhism and Shinto were closely tied to each other in Japan, and how they would influence each other in different ways that allowed them to grow into new directions.

The Japanese’s foundation of strength and character relied on an ever present honor system. This character not only went into their everyday lives but also their military. The Empire of Japan‘s militarization benefitted the people by embodying the best characteristics and highest morals of the Japanese people, thereby encouraging people to keep faith in their

Greetings from Medieval Japan! I am here to express some of my adventures and experiences that I have been through while visiting. I have figured out why Japan is so isolated! Turns out it’s an island, crazy right? Japan had to develop allies in the past due to their isolation issues. China had a very important role in the influencing of medieval japan. Some of the ways it influenced japan was by its religion and writing abilities. While Japan adopted the religion of Buddhism because of its influence of the Chinese, it also adopted the writing system known was ideographic. While in need of a stable government Japan also adopted Chinese politics.

As we learned in lecture, the Japanese people, including their most elite, were viewed as submissive to the Chinese Imperial Court. We can infer this from the fact that the Chinese rulers were titled Emperors whilst the Japanese rulers were titled the lower Kings. In the Japanese Imperial Family's quest to legitimize their rule and prove their divinity with the heavens, the Japanese mythos, compiled in the Kojiki, was created. The extensive history doesn’t just explain the Yamato Emperor’s divinity though; the Record of Ancient Matters also details how many of the cultures, customs, and beliefs of the Japanese people came about. When reading Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book, many of these customs and beliefs are mentioned again, demonstrating

While Japan was made up of different clans they had different myths that centered on their divine ancestors. When Japan moved into a single imperial family, their divine ancestors took over and were the new myths of Japan.

People have told myths throughout the centuries to give the unknown a meaning behind its existences. Myths are the results of the human imagination to explain the supernatural events. An explanation gives the people a better understanding to what the unknown may be, offers hope to what the people can achieve in the American Dream, and giving us an inspirational story to achieve the

There once was a god named Perculus, he was one of the three lost gods that were destroyed by Zeus. He was the god of education; he was responsible for teaching all the citizens of Greece the basic ways of living. Once Zeus got into power he was jealous that someone other than himself was teaching the citizens so he sent him to Hades, along with two other gods for other personal reasons, Diminutive the original god of Truth and, Gargantuan the god of punishment.

Yasukuni is a product of the Meiji Restoration's State-Shinto, rather than the traditional shinto practice native to Japan. Takahashi Tetsuya supports Breens claims arguing that the Yasukuni ideology was “essential and instrumental in raising the morale of the Japanese military, and in the spiritual mobilization of the entire populace for war.” (pg 110) These arguments prove that the purpose of Yasukuni is fundamentally based in political rhetoric. Wang Zhixin argues that China has recognised the political foundation of Yasukuni from the beginning of the 20th Century, and Caroline Rose explores the political ramifications of Prime Ministerial shrine visits. Her chapter highlights the dichotomous nature of Yasukuni shrine, as a representation of Japanese aggression in neighboring countries, and a tool of spiritual healing within Japan. Although the Yasukuni issue is one small part of a broader East Asian reconciliation problem, Breen’s volume highlights the way memory of conflict has been utilised as a tool of

In Japan, one other culture had developed, called the Ainu, not much is known about them, and most people think they came from Siberia, because they had a language unlike any other and looked different. Soon, they began to fight for land, and usually lost those fights. Due to this they were pushed into an island called Hokkaido. Ainu culture began to die as people gave up and adopted new customs. They became Japanese and built small villages, that were ruled by clans. Other people had to obey those clans. The chief had political power, and religious duties. People believed they descended from nature spirits called kami. Kami was a very central part of the religion, because often people honored them. In Shinto teaching, they believed nature,

The cash register in "Money" is heard just as the color of Oz is seen.

National Identity, as well as culture, has transitioned throughout Japan’s history in result of the modernization and industrialization of the country as a whole. National identity has become a sort of mantra in contemporary discussions of culture and the forming of a nation-state. In Japan, the connection to the natural and spiritual world have formed this concept of visions of nature, which have built up the national identity of the country through this cultural thought. The modernization of Japan has interrupted these visions of nature that have molded the imagery of nationhood throughout the history of the country. In the short story, “Kuchisuke’s Valley”, this interruption of the natural world can be seen through the building of a dam, which in turn creates a setback in both the natural and spiritual world which the Japanese have made a part of

A creation myth is a tale about how the world was created. Although the myths are different depending on where the story is coming from, a majority of them have things in common. Art is helpful in keeping these stories somewhat consistent from culture to culture because art does not get lost in translation like spoken word does. Art is a wonderful medium to spread creation myths across the