Japan's Geography and Political Development
daimyo
A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai
archipelago
A chain of islands
shogun
A general who ruled Japan in the emperor's name
Tokyo
Capital of Japan
samurai
Class of warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble in return for land.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Daimyo who took control of almost all of Japan
Oda Nobunaga
Defeated his rivals and seized the imperial capital Kyoto in 1568
Minamoto Yoritomo
Founder of the first shogunate, the Kamakura Shogunate
Mount Fuji
Japan's highest mountain peak.
Heian period in Japan
Last division of classical Japanese history. A majority of the religions that were in Japan reached their height during this time period.
Prince Shotoku
Leader who brought Chinese culture to Japan
Edo
Tokugawa capital city; modern-day Tokyo; center of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Lady MUrasaki
Woman given credit for writing the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji.
Tokugawa Shogunate
a dynasty of shoguns that ruled a unified Japan from 1603 to 1867
Ainu
original inhabitants of Japan
Kyoto
the capital city of medieval Japan
Tokugawa Ieyasu
this man established a shogunate that would dominate Japan for hundreds of years
The Tale of Genji
written by Lady Murasaki; first novel in any language; relates life history of prominent and amorous son of the Japanese emperor's son; evidence for mannered style of the Japanese society.
