Historian Data Sheets
Name ______________________
History of Japan
Below is a table. You need to use the website to fill in the information. Some of the information has been removed. Please fill it in to use for your report.
| Date | Major Events and Cultural Milestones in Japan |
|---|---|
| From the age of hunting to the age of rice cultivation | |
| Stone Age | |
| Jomon Period | Permanent settlement begins; people use polished stone tools and earthenware |
| Start of rice cultivation and use of metal utensils | |
| 4th-5th C. | Unification of the Yamato court proceeds; burial mounds built around the country; Buddhism, Chinese characters, new technologies, and other culture brought to Japan from the continent |
| Age of city building and nobility | |
| 593 | |
| Horyuji temple, including the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world, is completed | |
| 710 | |
| 752 | Great Buddha at Todaiji temple is completed |
| Capital moves to Kyoto The nobility becomes more powerful Use of Japanese kana syllabaries begins Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), the world's oldest novel, is written by Murasaki Shikibu |
|
| From the age of nobility to the age of warriors | |
| Minamoto no Yoritomo establishes the Kamakura shogunate | |
| 1274 | |
| 1336 | Ashikaga Takauji establishes the Muromachi (Kyoto) shogunate |
| 1397 | Temple of the Golden Pavilion is built in Kyoto |
| Temple of the
Silver Pavilion is built in Kyoto Wars among feudal lords spread throughout the country |
|
| 1543 | Portuguese introduce the first firearms to Japan |
| Christianity introduced to Japan by Francis Xavier | |
| 1590 | Toyotomi Hideyoshi unifies Japan |
|
From the age of warriors to the age of merchants |
|
| Tokugawa Ieyasu establishes the Edo shogunate Merchants become more powerful as commerce flourishes |
|
| 1639 | Japan becomes completely closed to the world The number of temple schools increases; reading, writing, abacus, morals, and other subjects are widely taught |
|
Japan opens up to the world |
|
| Japan and the United States conclude the Treaty of Peace and Amity, ending Japan's seclusion | |
| 1858 | Commerce treaties are concluded with various countries |
| 1867 | |
| 1868 | Meiji Restoration occurs, and Edo is renamed
as Tokyo Big changes in political and social systems and people's lifestyles Compulsory education system is established; construction of elementary schools begins around the country |
| 1889 | |
| 1890 | First Imperial Diet is held |
| 1894- 95 | War between Japan and China Silk industry develops |
| 1904- 05 | |
| 1914- 18 | |
| Great Kanto Earthquake | |
| 1925 | |
| Pacific War | |
| 1945 | Atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
| Toward a new postwar Japan | |
| 1946 | |
| 1949 | Yukawa Hideki becomes the first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize in physics |
| 1951 | Peace treaties are concluded with various countries |
| Japan becomes a
member of the United Nations Economic growth proceeds |
|
| 1964 | Olympic Games are held in Tokyo, the first Games in Asia; Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) begins operating |
| 1970 | |
| 1972 | Okinawa is returned to Japan Winter Olympics are held in Sapporo |
| 1995 | |
| Winter Olympics are held in Nagano | |
| 2002 | FIFA World Cup is cohosted by Japan and the Republic of Korea |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | World Exposition is held in Aichi on the theme of "Nature's Wisdom" |
1. Scroll down to the bottom of the web page where there are questions? Click on "Did Ninja really exist?"
Explain what Ninja really were.
2. Use the Back button and go back to the History page. Click on "When and where were atomic bombs dropped?" Answer the question and explain what Janpan decided to do about atomic bombs.
3. How was rice growing first introduced into Japan. (You need to press Back to find this question.)
4. Write about the Shoguns. Who were they? What did they do? What do you think of them?