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A brief history of Ancient Japan
Early Japan (40,000 BC 300 AD) The first period of the history of Japan is called Iwajuku (40,000 BC 13,000 BC).
This is the time of the initial settlement of the islands.
The period is named after the place of the first discovered Paleolithic site.
During the Dzemon period (13000 BC — 300 BC), the population of the Japanese islands was engaged in gathering, hunting, and fishing.
"Dzemon" is the name of the clay products of that time.
This period roughly corresponds to the Neolithic.
During the Yayoi period (300 BC — 250 AD), blacksmithing, rice growing and other "high technologies" of that time came to the island of Kyushu together with emigrants from Korea and China.
The name of this period was also given to clay products, first discovered in Yayoi (Tokyo district).
The beginning of rice sowing is attributed to 100 BC.
With the advent of agriculture, tribal unions began to create the first Japanese states.
Kyushu became the center of the country for a short time.
Chinese travelers during the reign of the Han and Wei dynasties reported that in those years the ruler of the country (more precisely, one of the most influential tribal unions of Kyushu) was a priestess named Pimiko or Himiko.
Later, the center of government moved to the east, to the fertile lands of the Kinai district (now Kansai).
The country began to unite under the rule of the Yamato tribe, who ruled in the province of the same name (now Nara Prefecture).
Traditionally, the beginning of the reign of the first emperor Jimmu is attributed to 660 BC.
However, modern historians date the foundation of the Yamato dynasty to the middle of the first century BC.
Yamato Period (300-710)
Basically, the country was united under the rule of the emperor by 300 AD.
The Yamato period (300 — 710) is counted from it.
This period is also called the Kofun period, since at that time large mounds were built for the burial of rulers (Yap. "kofun").
The emperor ruled while living in the capital.
She, in turn, moved with each new ruler — custom forbade the emperor to live where the grave of his predecessor was located.
Over time, the real political power was in the hands of the powerful Soga clan, and the emperor was left only with the role of the high priest of Shintoism.
This situation persists in Japan to this day — the emperor performs the most important religious rites, and political power is in the hands of ministers, shoguns, parliament, and so on.
During the Yamato period, Japan stretched from the island of Kyushu to the fields of Kinaya, but did not yet include the Kanto and Tohoku regions.
It also controlled a small part of South Korea.
Thanks to this circumstance and friendly relations with the Korean state of Baekje, the influence of China and Korea in the country grew.
Even when Japan completely lost its position on the Korean Peninsula in 662, the influence of the mainland states remained quite strong.
Buddhism was brought to Japan between 538 and 552.
The new religion was welcomed by a part of the ruling class.
However, the priestly Shinto aristocracy strongly prevented the spread of the Dharma teaching.
Therefore, the introduction of Buddhism was accompanied by conflicts and even several wars.
Prince Setoku Taishi, the regent during the reign of Empress Suiko, played a huge role in the spread of Buddhism.
In 604, he wrote the "Code of Seventeen Articles", in which he preached Buddhism and Chinese ideals of statehood.
Recently, however, the authorship of the prince has been denied by a number of scientists.
Eventually, Buddhism gained a large number of followers in the upper strata of society and became the state religion.
However, ordinary peasants could not assimilate his complex dogmas for a long time.
In 645, Nakatomi no Kamatari brought to power the aristocratic Fujiwara clan, which actually ruled Japan until the military (samurai) clans came to power in the XI century.
In the same year, the Taika reforms were carried out: Chinese schemes of the state apparatus and administration were introduced, all the land was bought by the state and divided equally among the peasants, a new (according to the Chinese model) taxation system was introduced.
At the same time, Taoism, Confucianism and kanji hieroglyphics came to Japan from China and Korea.
In 622, the emperor Tenti adopted the "Tenti Code" — the first legislative code known to us from the chronicles in Japan.
Nara and Heiyan Periods (710-1185)
In 710, the first permanent capital of Japan was founded in the city of Nara.
The new city was built on the model of the Chinese capital.
The largest Buddhist monasteries and temples in the country were built in Nara.
Soon their political influence increased so much that in order to preserve the power of the emperor, the capital was moved in 784 to the city of Nagaoka, and in 794 to Heian (Kyoto), where it remained for a thousand years.
One of the characteristic signs of the Nara and Heian periods was the departure from the blind copying of China and the rise of national consciousness.
Even when China's influence was still strong, many of the ideas and institutions brought from outside were "Japanized": for example, several additional ministries were created that were responsible for specifically Japanese needs.
The popularity of national cultural traditions also grew in art.
The development of the kana alphabet made it possible to create literary works in Japanese.
During the Heian period, several new Buddhist schools, borrowed from China, but passed "Japanization", gained strength.
The emphasis in the Taik reforms was placed on a new land management system and a tax system, but the new high taxes forced impoverished peasants to sell their allotments and become tenants of large landowners.
In addition, many aristocrats and Buddhist monasteries have obtained permission not to pay taxes.
As a result, the state's revenues were constantly declining, and after a few centuries, power actually passed from the hands of the emperor into the hands of large independent landowners.
The Fujiwara clan controlled the political situation in the country for several centuries of the Heian period, marrying girls from their kind to emperors and occupying more and more posts in Kyoto and the province.
The influence of the clan reached its apogee in 1016, when Fujiwara Michinaga became regent (kampaku).
As a result of Fujiwara's rule, people were constantly unable to manage in the government.
The authorities could no longer maintain order in the country, so many landowners hired samurai to protect their property.
The influence of the military grew steadily, especially in Eastern Japan.
The power of the Fujiwara clan ended in 1068, when the new emperor Gosanjo decided to rule the country independently and the Fujiwara could not subordinate him to their power.
In 1086, Gosandze abdicated and became a monk, but continued to rule the country from the monastery.
The era of insei ("emperors of monks") began.
The Inoki emperors exerted political influence until 1156, when Taira Kiyomori led Japan.
In the XII century, two influential military clans were particularly distinguished: the Minamoto (or Genji) and Taira (or Heike) clans.
The Taira occupied many government posts during the reign of the Fujiwara clan.
On the other hand, the Minamoto clan gained a lot of military experience, having conquered part of the lands in the north of Honshu Island for Japan during the Nine Year (1050 — 1059) and Three — Year (1083-1087) wars.
After the Heiji Rebellion (1159), a battle for power between the two clans, Taira Kiyomori led the country and ruled it from 1168 to 1178, completely subjugating the emperor.
The main opponents of the Taira were the Minamoto clan and Buddhist monasteries.
The latter created entire armies of monk fighters who constantly disturbed the public peace with troubles and internecine wars.
After Kiyomori's death, the Taira and Minamoto clans unleashed the Genpei War (1180-1185) during a power struggle.
The Minamoto clan won, and the country was led by Minamoto Yoritomo.
Kamakura Period (1185-1333)
In 1192, after neutralizing all his potential opponents, including some family members, Yoritomo was proclaimed shogun (military ruler).
The new government was founded in his hometown of Kamakura.
The Shogunate was organized more simply than the government on the Chinese model, and therefore worked much more efficiently.
With the death of Yoritomo in 1199, wars began between the Kamakura Shogunate and the imperial court in Kyoto.
This struggle for power stopped only during the Jekyu troubles of 1221, when the Shogun's troops completely defeated the emperor's army.
The rulers (shikken) of the Hojo clan in Kamakura took control of Japan.
By redistributing the lands seized during the coup, they secured the favor of all the influential people of the country.
The emperor and the remnants of the government in Kyoto completely lost power over Japan.
The influence of China persisted during the Kamakura period.
New Buddhist trends appeared: the Zen teaching (brought from China in 1191) acquired a large number of followers among the samurai, the leading class of that time.
Another Buddhist school — the radical and intolerant sect of the Lotus Sutra, was founded by the monk Nithiren in 1253.
It was later renamed the Nichiren Sect.
It was distinguished by a hostile attitude to other Buddhist teachings and a pronounced nationalism.
In 1232, the "Jiei Shikimoku" ("Code of Laws") was adopted.
It established the special importance of loyalty to the lord and was intended to combat the decline of morality and discipline.
The Hojo clan controlled the entire country, and any attempt at rebellion was immediately suppressed.
The shoguns remained in Kamakura and had no special power, and their representatives were in Kyoto and Western Japan.
The governors and the police tightly held power in the province.
The regents of the Hojo clan were able to ensure several decades of peace and economic prosperity, until Japan began to be threatened by external enemies.
In 1259, the Mongols conquered China and began to "take an interest" in Japan.
They sent several written ultimatums to the Kamakura government, but the Japanese were not going to give up without a fight.
In 1274, the Mongols made their first attempt to conquer the island of Kyushu.
However, after several hours of fighting, the flotilla was forced to retreat — a severe storm began.
This storm saved Japan, as the Japanese had no chance against the huge and well armed Mongolian army.
After thorough preparations, the Japanese were able to resist the second intervention of the Mongols in 1281.
However, again the invaders were forced to retreat due to bad weather.
The island of Kyushu was also preparing for a third attack, but by that time the Mongols had too many problems on the continent to continue thinking about conquering Japan.
The results of many years of military preparations were disastrous for the Kamakura government, as they did not bring profit and required large expenses.
The influential military leaders who fought for the regents were waiting for awards and awards, but the treasury was empty.
It was financial problems and a decline in confidence on the part of those in power that became the most important reasons for the fall of the Kamakura government.
Muromachi Period (1333-1573)
By 1333, the influence of the Hojo regents had fallen so much that Emperor Godaigo was able to restore the former power of the emperor and remove the Kamakura Shogunate.
However, the imperial ministries revived during the Restoration of Cammu (1334) did not last long because of the outdated state apparatus, and incompetent ministers did not find support among the powerful landowners.
Ashikaga Takauji, who had previously fought alongside the emperor, rebelled against the court and conquered Kyoto in 1336.
Godaigo fled south to Yoshino and founded the Southern Court there.
At the same time, another emperor ascended the throne in Kyoto.
This was made possible as a result of a succession dispute between the two branches of the imperial family after the death of Emperor Gosag in 1272.
In 1338, Takauji appointed himself Shogun and established a new government in Kyoto.
The Muromachi district, where government buildings have been located since 1378, gave the name to the entire historical period.
Two imperial courts (Southern and Northern) existed in Japan for more than half a century.
They waged endless wars against each other.
Usually the Northern Court was stronger, but still the Southern Court managed to briefly capture Kyoto several times.
The Southern Court finally surrendered in 1392, and the country was united again under the rule of the emperor and the Ashikaga shoguns.
During the reign of a shogun named Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1368 — 1408), the Muromachi shogunate could still control the central provinces, but lost its influence on the rest of the lands.
Yoshimitsu established good trade relations with Ming Dynasty China.
The gross domestic product grew due to the development of agriculture and a new, more efficient inheritance scheme.
As a result, trade developed, new cities and social groups appeared.
During the XV and XVI centuries, the influence of the Ashikaga shoguns and the government in Kyoto was practically reduced to zero.
New players on the political scene of the Muromachi period were small clans of landowner warriors — "ji samurai".
When they began to unite, they quickly surpassed the governors and the police in strength, and some extended their influence to entire provinces.
These new feudal lords were called "daimyo".
They divided Japan among themselves and fought with each other non stop for several decades (the period of Sengoku Jidai — "Civil Wars").
The most influential daimyo were Takeda, Uesugi and Hojo in the east and Ouchi, Mori and Hosokawa in the west.
In 1542, the first Portuguese merchants and Jesuit missionaries appeared in Kyushu and brought firearms and Christianity to Japan.
The Jesuit Francis Xavier came to Kyoto on a mission in 1549-1550.
Many daimyo converted to Christianity, as they were interested in developing trade relations with overseas countries (first of all, it was about the purchase of weapons).
The mission to Kyushu successfully expanded its influence.
In the middle of the XVI century, the daimyo increasingly sought to gain power over the entire country.
The luckiest of them was Oda Nobunaga.
Azuchi Momoyama Period (1573-1603) In 1559, Oda Nobunaga received the administration of the province of Owari (the area of the modern city of Nagoya).
Like many other daimyo, he dreamed of uniting Japan.
Thanks to his strategically well located possessions, he managed to capture the capital in 1568.
After settling in Kyoto, Oda continued to destroy his enemies.
He was opposed by some militant Buddhist schools, especially the Ikko sect, which actually ruled several provinces.
In 1571, Oda completely destroyed the Enryakuji Monastery.
His confrontation with the Ikko sect lasted until 1580.
At the same time, in 1573, Oda overthrew the Muromachi Shogunate.
Nobunaga was very lucky with two of his most dangerous opponents in the east: Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin died before they could fight Nobunaga's troops.
After Shingen's death, Oda defeated the Takeda clan at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, actively using firearms purchased from Europeans.
In 1582, General Akechi killed Oda and captured his Azuchi Castle.
However, the power of Nobunaga was inherited by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, an associate of the deceased, who defeated the Akechi troops.
Hideyoshi quickly destroyed his opponents.
He subdued the northern provinces and the island of Shikoku in 1583, as well as Kyushu in 1587.
After defeating the Hojo clan in the Battle of Odawara in 1590, Japan was finally united.
Trying to establish control over the entire country, Toyotomi Hideyoshi destroyed many castles built throughout the country during the civil wars.
In 1588, he confiscated all weapons from peasants and monks during the so called "Sword Hunt".
He banned the samurai from farming and forced them to move to the cities.
The introduction of clear boundaries between classes strengthened the government's control over the people.
In addition, in 1583, an audit of all the lands of the state began, and in 1590 a population census was conducted.
At the same time, the construction of the huge Toyotomi Castle in the city of Osaka was completed.
In 1587, Hideyoshi by his decree expelled all Christian missionaries.
However, the Franciscans were able to return to Japan in 1593, and the Jesuits retained their positions in the west of the country.
In 1597, Hideyoshi intensified the persecution of Christian missionaries, forbade them to change their faith and, as a warning, executed 26 Franciscans.
He believed that the Christian Church could prevent the establishment of full control over society; moreover, many Jesuits and Franciscans were completely intolerant of traditional religions: Shintoism and Buddhism.
Hideyoshi's next goal after the unification of the country was to capture China.
In 1592, the Japanese army invaded Korea and occupied Seoul in a few weeks, but the following year it was defeated by the Chinese army.
Hideyoshi persisted and did not give up until the last defeat and the withdrawal of troops from Korea in 1598.
He died the same year.
> Continuation of the history of Japan
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By Miuki • Geography, Ancient Japan, History / Society, Personalities, Prefectures / Regions, Religion / Mythology, Japanese • • Tags: Wars, Geography, Gosanjo, Jimmu, Ancient Japan, History / Society, Kamakura, Kansai, Kyoto, Kyushu, People, Minamoto, Nagoya, Nara, Azuchi Momoyama Period, Jemon Period, Iwajuku Period, Kamakura Period, Muromachi Period, Nara Period, Heian Period, Yayoi Period, Yamato Period, Personalities, Politics, Rulers, Prefectures, Religion, Samurai, Shogunates, Shikoku, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokyo, Tokugawa, Fujiwara, Himiko, Hojo, Japanese Emperors
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