Ancient Japan and Shinto

1. Japanese religion that taught that there were spirits in all living and non-living things called Kami'
3. warrior class (like the knights) pledged oaths of loyalty to their military leader
4. samurai code of conduct demanded loyalty fearlessness in battle and honorable in life
5. 1603-1867 closed of Japan from Europe for 250 years as they distrusted Europeans and Christianity and felt superior to European culture and issued the Act of Seclusion in 1636
7. chain of islands and irregular coastlines
9. belief in more than one god
10. decentralized political system in which power and land was distributed among nobles
11. landowning nobles and lords that owned large estates of land and demanded taxes from the people that lived on them they were wealthy and powerful
13. farmers artisans were poorest class of Japan but their work was valued
14. top military commander whose job it was to help train the army and protect Japan

1. family dynasties which ruled Japan until 1867
2. an underground fault-line that causes many natural disasters
6. clan held the highest rank in society and claimed to be a descendant of the sun god, a symbol held no political power
8. lowest class in Japanese feudal system they were wealthy but their work was not respected as they made money off of other peoples work
12. ritual suicide a blade to stab themselves in stomach of samurai brought shame to their families