2. People and Places
• Murasaki Shikibu
– Noble from the Heian period, author of Tale of
Genji, believed to be the world’s first novel
• Heian
3. Vocabulary
• meditation
– Practice of quiet reflection to clear the mind and
find inner peace
• calligraphy
– The art of writing beautifully, this was an art form
that was expected knowledge of every well-
educated person in Japan
• martial arts
– Sports that involved combat and self-defense,
these came over from China and Korea
4. Vocabulary Continued…
• sect
- a smaller group with distinct beliefs within a larger
religious group
• guild
- Business groups formed by artisans and
merchants to protect and increase their profits
• tanka
5. Questions
1. Many Japanese believed in both Shinto
and Buddhism.
2. Followers of Zen Buddhism often
practiced martial arts, or sports that
involve combat and self defense,
and meditation.
6. 3. The Japanese borrowed artistic ideas
from the countries of China and Korea.
They used these ideas to develop their
own style which embraces beauty and
simplicity.
4. The Japanese admired the art of beautiful
writing, or calligraphy.
7. 5. What is The Tale of Genji?
Tale of Genji is believed to be the
world’s first novel, written by
Lady Murasaki Shikibu. It tells
about the adventures of a
Japanese prince in the imperial
court.
8. 6. Describe 2 of the art forms the Japanese
developed during the Middle Ages.
Insert information from slides at school
9. 7. The four main crops of the Japanese
include – wheat, barley, millet and rice.
8. The 3 main social classes were the nobles,
who included the emperor, and
government officials; a small but growing
class of merchants. The majority of the
population were poor farmers.
9. The lives of women remained restricted,
though some were rulers, warriors, or
authors.
10. Why did Japanese trade improve during
1100’s? Name 3 products traded by the
medieval Japanese.
Japan increased trade with Korea, China, and
Southeast Asia during this time period.
They exchanged lacquered goods, sword
blades, and copper for silk, dyes, pepper,
books and porcelain.
