Japan | Chapter 3 | Questions and Answers on General History | Benjamin Hathaway

1001 Questions and Answers on General History by Benjamin Hathaway Japan 1. Where is the Empire of Japan? East Central Asia 2. What does it comprise? Four large islands and over 3,000 small ones 3. What is the name of the largest island? Nihon or Nippon 4. What is the meaning of the word Japan? Sunrise or the Land of Sunrise and thus denotes the position the empire occupies in the extreme east. 5. Name the oldest books of Japanese history. Book of Traditions, published 1712 A.D., and Chronicles of Japan, published 720 A.D. 6. What do these books record? Besides giving an account of events, they record the Japanese theory of creation. 7. What is their theory of creation? It is a rude specimen of evolution, that heaven and earth evolved from an egg, and that the deity evolved from the earth. 8. From the best authority, what is thought to be the origin of the Japanese? The weight of history is in favor of the idea that they migrated from northeastern Asia through Korea to Japan. 9. What is the legend of the pedigree of their sovereign? There first existed seven generations of heavenly deities who were followed by five generations of earthly deities, who in turn were succeeded by the mortal sovereigns of whom the present Mikado, or emperor, is the 122nd. 10. What is the earliest date accepted by the Japanese themselves? One that corresponds to 600 BC, when the first emperor, Jimmu, succeeded to the throne. It is styled the year 1 of the Japanese era. 11. When did Buddhism enter Japan? in the year 552 A.D. 12. What effect did this have on Japan? Chinese institutions were introduced, and a stream of skilled artisans, scholars, teachers, and missionaries poured into the country. 13. What religious custom was adopted by the rulers? That of abdicating the throne in order to spend old age in prayer. 14. To what did this lead? To the effacement of the Mikado's authority during the Middle Ages. 15. What governmental changes occurred in 604 A.D.? A monarchical government was established. 16. What caused this change? An acquaintance with the Chinese. 17. How were the officials divided? Into civil and military grades. A regular system of ministers responsible to the sovereign, who as the Son of Heaven was theoretically absolute. 18. What war raged in the 10th century? The War of the Red and White Flags, 19. Why so called? On account of the color of their banners, 20. Was it a civil or a national war? Civil being between the ruling families, 21. What title was conferred by the Mikado upon the conqueror? Shogun, which signifies greatest general or general-in-chief, 22. What did the Shogun acquire in 1192? The entire control of political affairs. Twenty-three. What did the Mikado retain? The religious supremacy and the symbols of royalty, and remained the theoretical head of the government. Twenty-four. What grew up under this dual form of government? A feudal system, the military leaders or daimios, securing land in fief, erecting castles, and supporting a host of retainers. Twenty-five. How long did this condition of affairs last, until 1868, when a revolution restored the Mikado to supreme power, destroyed the shogun's rule, and abolished the feudal titles and tenures. 26. Who came to Japan during the 16th century? The Portuguese. 27. Who introduced Christianity? Francis Xavier, the apostle to the Indies, and in time 600,000 converts were made. 28. What did the Jesuit fathers accomplish? they founded churches organized hospitals and established colleges where the candidates for the church could be educated twenty nine what was the extent of their influence at one time it seemed probable that japan as a nation would embrace the roman catholic faith three what excited the alarm of the government at last the intrigues of the missionaries thirty one who is regarded by the japanese as their greatest man taiko sama thirty two what edict did he issue an edict expelling all foreign religious leaders thirty three what is said of the persecution that followed it has never been surpassed for cruelty and brutality on the part of the persecutors or for courage and constancy on the part of those who suffer thirty four what foreign people were still allowed to remain the dutch who had come in sixteen hundred were allowed a residence upon an island in the harbor of nagasaki and to exchange a single shipload of merchandise per year thirty five how long did the government maintain its isolation until the country was opened to the five great western powers by the american treaty of march thirty first eighteen fifty four thirty six what expedition secured it the united states expedition under commodore perry thirty seven what has the government of japan become a constitutional monarchy with a cabinet a privy council a house of peers and a house of representatives thirty eight what has been accomplished by the new order absolute religious freedom is secured elementary education made compulsory kindergarten methods are provided and a flourishing government university is supported thirty nine what was the cause of the war between Japan and China in eighteen ninety four ninety five a revolution in Korea drove the king into exile in Japan and the latter nation landed a large number of troops on Korean soil China resented this invasion and upon the failure of the two nations to agree regarding their mutual relations toward Korea war was declared June eighteen ninety four forty what was the result both countries sent large bodies of troops into Korea and the Japanese were victorious a treaty of peace was signed March nineteenth eighteen ninety five with terms favorable to Japan forty one what is the religious belief of the Japanese the Shinto and the Buddhist there are various christian missions in Japan principally in Tokyo and Yokohama 42. What is the Shinto belief? A system of nature and hero worship. It's god number 14,000 and are propitiated by offerings of food and by music and dancing. 43. What is peculiar about the Japanese written language? There are two distinct alphabets and kinds of writing in use. The system of Chinese hieroglyphic symbols, which dates from the 3rd century, and a phonetic alphabet of 47 characters invented in the 19th century. 44. What is said of the literature of Japan? It is abundant and various, and includes works on history and science, encyclopedias, poetry, prose, fiction, and translations of European works. 45. What is the nature of Japanese art? It is essentially decorative, and in its application to a great degree purely industrial. One of its characteristic features is individuality of character in the treatment by which the absence of all uniformity and monotony or sameness is secured. 46. What is said of the governmental changes of Japan? A single generation has witnessed changes that required in Europe centuries to perfect. End of chapter 3.