East Asia 07
East Asia (Area Studies): Monday 4th Period (月）4限
MONDAY East Asia (Spring 2026)
下記の方法に従うこと
READ THE DIRECTIONS
Complete:JUNE 1 [月] ~ JUNE 7 [日] | |
提出期間 (6月1日 ~ 6月7日) |
Complete : 提出期限
June 7 (10pm) (Sunday)
6月7日 (22:00) (日)
2026 Spring SemesterIWE (Friday) 2nd period10:50~12:30 [14 weeks] | ||
| Class Week | Day | Location |
| 1 | 4/13 | 6009 教室 |
| 2 | 4/20 | 6009 教室 |
| 3 | 4/27 | 6009 教室 |
| - | 5/4 holiday | no classes |
| TRIP | 5/6 (Wed.) | KAMAKURA (optional) 09:00~15:15 |
| 4 | 5/11 | 6009 教室 |
| 5 | 5/18 | 6009 教室 |
| 6 | 5/25 | 6009 教室 |
| 7 | 6009 教室 - JAPAN: Samurai | |
| TRIP | 6/6 (Sat.) | ZEN MONASTERY (optional) 09:00~12:00 |
| 8 | 6/8 | 6009 教室 - Fall of old China & Korea; rise of Modern Japan |
| 9 | 6/15 | website only (no classroom) Topics before 1945 |
| 10 | 6/22 | 6009 教室 - War in Asia 1931-1945; Japan vs. China |
| 10.1 | 6/22 (optional) 17:10~? | 6009: Pacific War 1941-45: Japan vs. USA, atomic bombs. I provide extended lecture and Q&A about WWII in Asia (not required). |
| 11 | 6/29 | 6009 教室 - Chinese Revolution; Mao; Communism |
| 12 | 7/6 | 6009 教室 - Cold War in Asia (was often hot war) |
| 12.1 | 7/6 (only by request) 17:10~ | Only if enough students are interested, I'll talk about the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the China-USSR war, and the growth of nuclear weapons in Asia. |
| 13 | 7/13 | 6009 教室 - 1990s & 2000s |
| 14 | 7/20 | website only (no classroom) |
1. SHORT TEST | ||
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Short Test (Quiz) Use link 1. SHORT TEST (quiz)5. Korea: metal moveable print | ||
| Tadanobu Asano 佐藤 忠信 Japanese actor | ||
 Shogun (2024)Netflix series in English & Japanese Asano speaks Japanese |  Mongol (2007)Film in Mongolian Asano speaks Mongolian |  Silence (2016)Film in English & Japanese Asano speaks English & Japanese |
Japanese | ||
History of East Asia by year video map
More Accurate Depiction of War in 16th cent. Japan
European Colonialism Map by Year
Imjin War (1592-1598) - Japan (Hideyoshi) invaded Korea on his way to take Ming China
Imjin War - Land Combat - Korean film clip
Battle of Noryang - battle that broke samurai - film clip
The Last Samurai film film battle - more accurate about modern army
2. ASSIGNMENTReading & ReportComplete : 提出期限June 7 (10pm) (Sunday) 6月7日 (22:00) (日) | ||
 | What is your question & answer about samurai or the samurai period? | |
2. Assignment | ||
 | Internationally renowned samurai expert Dr Stephen Turnbull delves into a pivotal era of Japanese history in this highly illustrated account of The Gempei War, a conflict that defined the age and the ethos of the samurai. Never before had there been a large-scale clash between two rival samurai families, the Taira and the Minamoto, and never again would the result of a war in Japan be quite so dramatic. Fought to gain control over the emperor it would end with imperial power being totally eclipsed in favour of the military might of the samurai class and the establishment of the position of Shogun – Japan's military dictator. Turnbull examines the events of the five-year long conflict, revealing the changes that the war inflicted on Japanese culture and the establishment of many of the traditions of the samurai. |
 | An illustrated account of one of the most important campaigns in the history of Japan and the origin of the kami kaze - a key part of Japanese national identity. From his seat in Xanadu, the great Mongol Emperor of China, Kubla Khan, had long plotted an invasion of Japan. However, it was only with the acquisition of Korea, that the Khan gained the maritime resources necessary for such a major amphibious operation. |
 | In 1467 the Onin War ushered in a period of unrivalled conflict and rivalry in Japan that came to be called the Age of Warring States or Sengoku Jidai. In this book Stephen Turnbull offers a masterly exposition of the Sengoku Jidai, detailing the factors that led to Japan's disintegration into warring states after more than a century of peace; the years of fighting that followed; and the period of gradual fusion when the daimyo (great names) strove to reunite Japan under a new Shogun. Peace returned to Japan with the end of the Osaka War in 1615, but only at the end of the most violent, turbulent and cruel period in Japanese history. |
 | Hideyoshi Historians frequently hypothesize that the Japanese unifier Toyotomi Hideyoshi contracted syphilis later in life, and that the disease progressed to neurosyphilis. While his exact cause of death in 1598 remains debated, this infection is widely believed to be the catalyst for the erratic and cruel behavior that marked his final years. [1, 2, 3, 4] The theory that Hideyoshi suffered from the disease—which first arrived in Japan in the early 16th century—is supported by several historical clues: [1, 2, 3, 4]
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Syphilis Syphilis spread to Asia shortly after the European colonization of the Americas. Over the past centuries, the disease's epidemiological map shifted drastically, turning from devastating epidemics in the 16th century to near-eradication in the mid-20th century, and finally to significant recent resurgences. [1, 2, 3, 4] 16th Century: Arrival and Spread
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Imjin War (1592-1598) - Japan (Hideyoshi) invaded Korea on his way to take Ming China | |
 | The Dark Side of Japan is a collection of folk tales, black magic, protection spells, monsters and other dark interpretations of life and death from Japanese folklore. Much of the information comes from ancient documents, translated into English here for the first time. Antony Cummins has also searched the now forgotten Victorian volumes on Japanese mythology and explains recent academic research on Japan for the non-expert. Antony has transformed the complex information into a modern rendering, with stories and details that let a modern reader enter into the world of the forgotten legends of old Japan and the superstitions that colour them, some of which still exist today. |
 | A fascinating look at the dark side of the noble Japanese warrior, reviewing evidence to see if the samurai was the consummate noble savage or an oppressive blood thirsty tyrant. Time to take a soul-shower, it is about to get dark. The samurai, a noble warrior fighting against oppression or a frenzied head hunter seeking his next gruesome trophy? Both images appear in popular imagination but are never reconciled, why? In this short book Antony Cummins will take you down the sinister avenues of history, unleashing the true horror of what it mean to be a warrior in feudal Japan, ignoring: trends in history, political correctness and ethical debate. Instead the bare facts are revealed, exposing the reality of what it means to be young, bored and given a sword. The samurai were Japan’s child soldiers, brought up in a position of power, elevated to the status of man, warrior and leader before they were even half way though their teens. While school children today walk to their long list of dull classes, a teenager in old Japan was taught: decapitation, ritual disembowelment, esoteric magic, animal sacrifice, murder, assassination, political intrigue and in many cases were subject to intensive indoctrination. There is no wonder then why Japan is full of stories of butchery and bloodlust, of atrocity and violence. Where then does the predominant image of the trusty and nobble warrior come from and how can these two reflections of the world’s most famous warrior be accurate? |
 | By 1816, Japan had recovered from the famines of the 1780s and moved beyond the political reforms of the 1790s. Despite persistent economic and social stresses, the country seemed headed for a new period of growth. The idea that the shogunate would not last forever was far from anyone's mind. Yet, in that year, an anonymous samurai produced a scathing critique of Edo society. Writing as Buyo Inshi, "a retired gentleman of Edo," he expressed in An Account of What I Have Seen and Heard a profound despair with the state of the realm. Seeing decay wherever he turned, Buyo feared the world would soon descend into war. In his anecdotes, Buyo shows a sometimes surprising familiarity with the shadier aspects of Edo life. He speaks of the corruption of samurai officials; the suffering of the poor in villages and cities; the operation of brothels; the dealings of blind moneylenders; the selling and buying of temple abbotships; and the dubious strategies seen in law courts. Perhaps it was the frankness of his account that made him prefer to stay anonymous. |
 | The most popular book ever written about samurai, and much if not most of it lacks credibility or evidence. Inazo Nitobe’s Bushido: The Soul of Japan is heavily criticized by modern historians for romanticizing samurai history, imposing Western Christian values on Japanese culture, and lacking scholarly rigor. Critics argue it invented a tradition to cater to Westerners rather than accurately reflecting the brutal realities of pre-modern samurai. Nitobe was an ardent imperilaist who believed Korea should be completely destroyed and turned into a Japanese state. His Bushido was partly written as propoganda, to reinforce the "noble intentions" of Japanese imperilaism. |
HERE ARE LINKS THAT I USED IN CLASS (If you want to look by yourself).
Video
Mongol sequence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W4hKMFBCyM
Young Temuji (Film Mongol) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XENlmLWw5Y&t=98s
1196 vs. Jamukha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naZvgkk0bS0&t=187s
Subutai (AI film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh3lCzEGvN8&t=457s
Battle of Mohi (Europe) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LjB8oVFhd4&t=1590s
Mongols & Black Plague (video time 13:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOZadUVU2BY&t=750s
Maps
Trade routes c. 1200 https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15923/map-of-the-trade-networks-in-the-middle-ages-c-120/
Black Plague - Europe map https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12038/map-of-the-spread-of-the-plague-in-europe-1346---1/
Back Plauge route https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death_in_the_Middle_East#/media/File:1346-1353_spread_of_the_Black_Death_in_Europe_map.svg
Temujin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khan
Subutai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subutai
Ogedai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96gedei_Khan
Kublai Khan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kublai_Khan
video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzWwp9JM7Hw&t=832s (show 1206 specifically)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Mongol_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_dynasty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_dynasty_(1115%E2%80%931234)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurchen_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchuria
Korea
Mongol influence on Korean clothing of 14th century
FIELD TRIPJUNE 6 (Saturday) 09:00~12:00總持寺 | ||
 English-Guided-Zazen-June-2026.pdf | Sōji-ji Zen Monastery (Wikipedia) 總持寺 (ウィキペディア) Sōji-ji (總持寺) is one of two daihonzan (大本山, "head temples") of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. The other is Eihei-ji temple in Fukui Prefecture. Fodor's calls it "one of the largest and busiest Buddhist institutions in Japan." | |
Japanese Soto Zen Buddhism is the most famous form of Zen in the world, since it was the first form to be exported from Japan to the West. As a result, Soto zen has an international focus. This field trip will include 45 minutes of an English introduction to Zazen, which is zen-style meditation. Then we will take a guided tour of the temple in English. The cost at the temple is ¥500. By train and on foot, the monastery is about 40 minutes from Yokohama Station. JUNE 6 @ 09:00 | ||
NOT RELIGIOUS - This trip is about CULTURE. If you are worried, this trip is NOT about religion. It is a tour of the temple and a basic introduction on how to meditate quietly in the Soto zen style. This is a monthly event open to the public. The focus is basic and practical. There is no religious requirement. It's mostly a way to experience a part of Japan's history. There is no easy way to explain zen, so it's best to experience it with your body. There will be a tour of the monastery afterward. Please don't worry about religious things or strict rules. That level of zen is only for advanced learners. We are just a friendly basic group. | ||
English-Guided-Zazen-June-2026.pdf
Two Main Religions in Japanese history | |
Shinto 神道 | Buddhism 仏教 |
| -native to Japan -started in Japan's Yayoi period (c. 300 BCE ~ 250 CE) -Shinto evolved from ancient nature worship and magic. 神道は古代の自然崇拝と呪術から発展した。 | -from northern India -started c. 500 BCE -Buddhism evolved from early Hinduism in India. 仏教はインドにおける初期ヒンドゥー教から発展した。 |
| Shinto is a Japanese religion | Buddhism entered Japan c. 500 CE from China and Korea. |
| kami 神 (deities/local gods) | Buddha (仏 Enlightened Being) |
| shamanism シャーマニズム animism/spirits 精霊 | Four Noble Truths & 8-fold Path 四つの聖なる真理 |
| shrines (神社 jinja) | temples (寺 tera) |
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| Shinto priest 神主 only men are priests today | Buddhist monk 仏教僧 only men are monks in most countries |
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| Ancient Shinto - women held power, including Queen Himiko, perhaps Japan's first true ruler, who was a powerful Shamaness (priestess) 巫女. Women played an important role in shaping early Shinto. | Most Buddhism in Japan has tried to be peaceful. However, it also has a violent side. In ancient Japan, some Buddhist sects attacked other temples and even burned them down. Later, Japanese Zen Buddhism became the most popular form with the samurai warrior class. The samurai were especially violent between years 1150 and 1650. Some sects of Buddhism also trained warrior monks (special soldiers) during the civil war period 戦国時代 and even during WWII. |
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| Japanese language has no specific language for female priests/monks/shamans/sorcerers. Politics and older history texts have used the language to systematically write women out of Japan's ancient history, to promote patriarchy and the propaganda that power in Japan has always been with men. 日本語には、女性の僧侶、僧侶、シャーマン、呪術師を表す特定の言葉が存在しない。政治や古い歴史書は、この言葉を利用して日本の古代史から女性を組織的に抹消し、家父長制と、日本における権力は常に男性にあったというプロパガンダを広めてきた。 | |
| Spread of Buddhism map | |
Ethnic Variations in China (map)
Scientific variations of Han genetics
All human populations have genetic complexity
Warring States pre-Han map (c. 272 BCE)
Warring States map (c. 250 BCE)
Han Chinese
are generally considered a cultural, linguistic, and historical identity rather than a homogenous genetic group, with significant genetic variation, especially between northern and southern populations. While they share ancestry from ancient agricultural tribes along the Yellow River
, the group expanded over millennia, absorbing diverse neighboring populations. Key Aspects of Han Genetic Diversity:
- North-South Genetic Divide:The Han populationexhibits a distinct north-south gradient, with northern populations being closer to Siberian ancestries and southern populations showing more mixture with Southeast Asian populations.
- Not Homogenous:Studies show substantial heterogeneity within the Han population, rather than a single distinct genetic cluster.
- Cultural Assimilation:The Han identitywas historically formed through political and cultural assimilation rather than a pure biological lineage.
- Cultural Continuity vs. Biological Purity:Despite genetic diversity, there is a common cultural, linguistic, and ancestral connection, often tracing back to the Xia, , and dynasties.
Japanese genetic variations (Wiki)
Japanese variations (scientific)
Composition of Japanese throughout history
Article - Tripartite Theory (Japan)
Homo erectus (Peking Man) China: 1.9 million years ago; Korea: 500,000 years ago; Japan: never
Rommel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Rommel
Hawaii https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkYDyq4H_3U
1. ASSIGNMENTReading & ReportComplete : 提出期限May 24 (10pm) (Sunday) 5月24日 (22:00) (日) | ||
 | Choose one article to report on. | |
Choose one subject to report on and do the assignment below. Japanese students - You MUST CHOOSE one of the dynasties, NOT a Japanese period. Students from China - You MUST CHOOSE one of the Japanese periods, NOT a dynasty. 2. Song Dynasty 4. Heian Japan 1. Assignment | ||
April 20 Class Topic:Evolution of Religion in AsiaConfucianism, Buddhism, Arrival of Europeans & Christianity If you have never seen this film, I highly recommend "Silence," by Italian-American filmmaker Martin Scorsese. It takes place around the year 1635, during the Tokugawa government's violent persecution of Japanese Christians, mostly peasants. The film is based on the 1966 novel 沈黙 (Silence) by Shusaku Endo. Scorsese spent about 20 years planning this film, which is visually and historically accurate for the period. It stars several excellent Japanese actors, including Tadanobu Asano, Shinya Tsukamoto, and Yoshi Oida. | |
 | Highly recommended film:Silence (2016) Film Clip: Crucifixion by the SeaFilm Clip: Priest Meets Edo InquisitorFilm Clip: Rodrigues SubmitsFilm Clip: the Beauty of Silence |
| In Modern Era (Control over religions continued until 1945). The idea that "the Japanese" are just one people with one religion/ideology, with just one history and one plan for all of Japan is modern propaganda. 「日本人」は一つの民族であり、一つの宗教・イデオロギーを持ち、一つの歴史と日本全体に対する一つの計画を持っているという考えは、現代のプロパガンダである。 Modern Imperial Control over Christian Socialism.pdf Shinto and Buddhism played no role in the 17th century destruction of Christianity. Christianity was destroyed by the Edo/Tokugawa Shogunate (government). | |
Place to eat and drinkis popular with International Students
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| Geisha (Geiko) vs. Maiko Geisha (Tokyo) / Geiko (Kyoto) | |
| Kyoto Theater (Geisha & Maiko performances) Geisha & Maiko on stage together @3:00 | |
| Kyoto: Senior Maiko Perfromance with Senior Geisha Musician | |
| Makeup of Low-Ranking (Junior) Geisha Makeup @7:15; Junior & Senior together @14:45 | |
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| Noh Drama - Demon Plays (influence on anime) Noh is very stylized: masks and sound are important | |
| Kabuki - Boy Actor Kabuki emerged during the Edo period (stylized dance and costumes) | |
| Butoh: Post-Modern Dance Essentilist physical expressionism but borrows traditional Noh and Kabuki characteristcs | |
| Butoh Group: Water Dance | |
| Kodo - O-Daiko | |
Film Clip: Rodrigues SubmitsFilm Clip: Rodrigues SubmitsArticleUnified Silla 668-935 CELand - Imjin War battle - Korean film clip