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300
Japan
Japan is a chain of islands that stretches north to south in the northern Pacific Ocean. Japan's islands number more than 3,000, and many of them are tiny. For centuries, most Japanese have lived on the four largest islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. -
Period: 300 to Feb 24, 1500
Japan
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400
Why Are the Yayoi Important?
By A.D. 300, the Yayoi, or the early Japanese, had organized themselves into clans. A clan is a group of people united by actual or per ceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. -
464
Hokkaido
Hokkaido was settled by Ainu, Nivkh, and Orok 20,000 years ago. Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost o Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu. -
572
Prince Shotoku's Reforms
About A.D. 600, a Yamato prince named Shotoku took carge of Japan on behalf of his aunt the empress Suiko. The Horyuji temple, was built by Prince Shotoku. He wanted to create a strong government. He was born into the powerful Soga family, as the second son of Emperor Yomei. -
Feb 26, 734
Constitution
To reach this goal for Japan, Shotoku created a constitution. A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precendents according to which a state or other organization is governed. -
May 9, 1147
What Is a Shogun?
He was the leader of the Minamoto. Yoritomo was the commander of the Miamoto armies. Yoritomo proved to be a ruthless ruler. He killed most of his relatives. -
Feb 26, 1192
Shoguns
A shogun was one of the heredity military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In 1192 the emperpr gave Yoritomoto the title Shogun-commander of all of the emperor's military forces. -
Jun 7, 1305
The Daimyo Divide Japan
A general named Ashikaga Takauji made himself shogun in 1333. A new government known as the Ashikaga shogunate began. The Ashikaga shoguns proved to be weak rulers. -
Feb 25, 1500
Honshu
Honshu is the largest island of Japan. Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku by tunnels or bridges. The island is nominally divided into five regions and contains 34 prefectures. -
Poems and Plays
One woman, Lady Murasaki Shibiku, wrote "The Tale of Genji". She was a great novelist and poet of the Japanese Heian period. She was one of the first modern novelists. -
Who Are the Yamato?
Japanese legend states that a Yamoto leader named Jimmu took th title "emperor of heaven." He founded a line of rulers in Japan that has never been broken. Akihito, who is Japan's emperor today, is one of his descendants. -
Kyushu
Kyushu the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Kyushu has a population of 13,231,995 and covers 35,640 square kilometers. It's the world's 37th largest island. -
Shikoku
The 50th largest island by area in the world. The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. The major river in Shikoku is the Yoshino River. Shikoku is connected to Honshu. -
Shrines
To honor the kami, the Japanese worshiped at shrines. A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worsipped. -
Who Were the Samurai?
To protect their lands and enforce law, nobles formed private armies. To create their armies, they gave land to warriors who agreed to fight for them. These warriors became known as saurai. The word samurai means "to serve."
