Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 9, Lesson 2: A Developing National Culture (pp. 227-230)
I. A Court of Refinement
B. The noble Fujiwara clan served as regents for the emperor, exercising great power between 858 and 1185, and reducing the emperor's role to a religious one.
C. At court, Japanese culture became very important, including art, poetry, literature, and highly refined customs, manners, and tastes.
B. Poetry was the favorite form of writing among Japanese courtiers.
C. Diaries, tales, and long works of fiction were also popular.
B. While courtiers were preoccupied with fine culture, provincial nobles took over land, creating large estates that were free of governmental control.
C. Smaller landowners often gave up their land to the provincial nobles, becoming tenant farmers, carpenters, or menial laborers on the private estates.
D. Peasants' lives continued with backbreaking farmwork.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. In 794, the emperor moved the capital to Heian, now called Kyoto, in order to weaken the powerful Buddhist clergy.
II. The Literature of the Court
A. The Japanese used the Chinese writing system, but also developed a set of characters for syllables, called hiragana, that were distinctly Japanese.
III. Life in the Provinces
A. Taxes paid by provincial farmers supported the luxurious life at court. Courtiers collected part of what was produced on their private estates.
Back to Lesson at a Glance
Copyright © 1999 Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.