Name: ______________________ Period:_____________ Table Group: _____________

JapanKeyTerms/vocabulary
Term Definition Image Sentence
aristocracy The nobles or highest class Thearistocracyare
of a society. invitedtofestivalsat
theimperialpalace.

bushido "The Way of the Warrior" Theyembracedthe

is the code or way of life for ancientcodeofthe
the samurai. They must be bushidowarriors,
fearless, fair, honest, and soldierswhowouldkill
loyal to their daimyo. themselvesthan
surrender

clan An extended family that ThepeopleinJapan

rules a village. livedinClans,these
clanswereruledbya
powerfulchief/ruler.

courtier Nobles and aristocrats who Thecourtierwould

were members of the servethekingand
imperial court who served theywouldbeincluded
the emperor. aspartofthecourtor
royalhousehold

culturaldiffusion Cultural elements from one Anexampleofcultural

society into another. diffusionwithnegative
effectswouldbethe
spreadofdiseases

daimyo Local landowning lord who Daimyowerethemost

hired samurai. powerfulfeudalrulers
fromthe10thcentury
tothemiddle19th
centuryinJapan.

Fujiwarafamily Powerful family who Fujiwaraclanwasa
dominated the government powerfulfamilyof
of Japan by marrying their regentsinJapan.
sons and daughters into the
imperial family.

haiku A 3 line poem about nature Haikupoemsdatefrom

or life 9thcenturyJapanto
5 syllables thepresentday.
7 syllables
5 syllables

imperial Belonging or related to an TheImperialJapanese

emperor wastheofficial
ground-basedarmed
forceoftheEmpireof
Japan.

kami Shinto spirits that live in Kamiisagod,deity,

natural things. divinity,orspiritof
everydaynaturallife.

LadyMurasaki Female author worlds first LadyMurasakiShikibu

Shikibu novel, The Tale of Genji, isajapaneseauthor
about a fictional prince in andpoet.
the Heian aristocracy.

meditation Deep relaxation to empty Japanesewoulddo

distracting thoughts from the meditationtoempty
mind. outtherethoughts
fromtheremind.

Nohtheater Classic Japanese dramatic AtaNohtheaterthey

theater. wouldperformclassical
Japanesedramatic
plays.

 pagoda A tower shaped structure Apagodahasanodd
with an odd number of numberofroofinits
roofs. shapedstructure.

PrinceShotoku Spread Buddhist and PrinceShotokuspread

Confucianist ideas through theReligions(buddhist
Japan; wrote constitution to andconfucianist)ideas.
increase emperors power.

samurai Powerful warrior class in Asamuraiworked,

Japan who worked for their fought,defendand
lord (daimyo). honortheirlord
(daimyo)

seppuku Samurai ritual of suicide. Asamuraiwould

commitseppukuwhen
theywereabouttobe
capturedbytheenemy
oriftheysomehow
dishonoredthere
Daimyo.

Shintoism The traditional religion of Shintoismisa

Japan. traditionalreligionin
Japan.Ontheleftof
thisboxisapictureof
theirsacredplace
Shinto.

shogun Military leaders who ruled Shogunisleaderswho

Japan for more than 700 ruledformorethan
years. 700years.

 Zen Buddhism that focuses on Zenisanotherwayof
meditation and discipline. meditationand
discipline.