Feudal Japan:  The Sign of the Chrysanthemum

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Learn more about the author Katherine Patterson by clicking here

During our study on Japan we will read a historical fiction novel by Katherine Patterson.  Click the link above to learn more about Katherine Patterson and other novels that she has written.  We will regularly use this page to do class work and even homework occasionally.  In this section you will find reading comprehension questions and other assignments related to our work with the novel. 

Chrysanthemums:  A Symbol of Divine Power

Japanese Garden:  Chrysanthemum Festival http://www.japanesegarden.com/events/chrysanthemum


Virtual Field Trip to Japan! 
Before we begin our unit we are going to virtually travel to Japan.  Below you will see photographs of present day Japan and images from the past.  Press "play" to begin the trip at any time.  You can stop the slide show at any time to examine or read the captions by pressing the "stop" button or you can run the cursor across the screen.  Occasionally, if you pause an image you will find a link to another site about that topic, take your time to explore each image carefully.  Read the captions to gain knowledge on this new unit.  The map at the right shows you where the images are from. 

click on the file below entitled Unit Preview and complete the worksheet.
japan_preview.docx
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Part I:  Feudalism in the 12th Century

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Samurai warrior
Feudalism was a system of land ownership where the wealthy nobility controlled the daily lives of those living on their property in exchange for providing protection for them.

Click here to learn more about the history of Japanese Feudalism

feudal_pyramid.docx
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Part II:  Japanese Geography

Geography Documents:

japan_mountains_and_population.docx
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japan_geography_notes.doc
File Size: 30 kb
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japan_mountains.docx
File Size: 141 kb
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Geography Links:

360 degree panoramic view of Mt. Fuji
http://www.mt-fuji.co.jp/qt_vr/hamaisi.mov

360 degree panoramic view of Shirato waterfalls
http://www.mt-fuji.co.jp/qt_vr/shiraito.mov

Daily Life:  Silk screen digitally enhanced photos
http://luna.davidrumsey.com:8380/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~9~1~23271~50062:Tokaido-dochu-ezu-byobu---16---?sort=Pub_Date%2CPub_List_No_Series_No_Sort%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=sort:Pub_Date,Pub_List_No_Series_No_Sort,Pub_List_No,Series_No;lc:RUMSEY~9~1&mi=1&trs=1293


Part III.  Religion:  Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan

Listen to the Buddhist Chanting below and think about what feelings they evoke. 
Guiding Questions:
What Buddhist values are reflected in the chants?
How are the chants different from each other?
What do these cultural differences exist and what does that tell us about Buddhism?

Tibetan Buddhist Chanting

Shinto/Buddhism Images

What is Shintoism?

Shinto and Buddhist Resources:

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto.shtml


Part IV:  Genji and Heike History

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Map of Gempei War
http://www.samurai-archives.com/map4.html

Pictures of Heike and Genji Battles
http://www.vhinkle.com/nightingale/genjibattles1.html

The Emperor's Loss of Power
http://www.jsri.jp/English/Honen/LIFE/Tendai/turmoil.html

Fujiwara and Civil War
http://www.wsu.edu:8001/%7Edee/FEUJAPAN/HEIJI.HTM

Part V:  The Samurai

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Click on the link below to learn about the samurai code of conduct or bushido
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/samurai/way.html

 Click on the link below to see images and descriptions of the history of the samurai
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/samurai/history.html
 

Samurai poetry, clothing, wisdom
http://www.samurai-archives.com/

Photographs of samurai swords
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00716/handheldweapons.html

Click on the link below see images and descriptions of Japanese katana or sword making
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/samurai/sword.html


Poetry:

haiku_thinking_organizer.pdf
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writing_haiku.pdf
File Size: 14 kb
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Examples of Tanka Poems
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/hyakunin/index.html


Images:

Click here to visit the Civ 6 Japan image archives