HEIAN JAPAN
LEARNING TARGET: HOW WAS HEIAN JAPAN
INFLUENCED BY CHINA?
DO-NOW: TAKE A HANDOUT AND TAKE OUT YOUR
HOMEWORK!
HOMEWORK:
• 280-285 DUE TOMORROW.
• DUE ON MONDAY: 285-290
• DUE ON TUESDAY: 293-297 (SKIP OVER BOXES)
• TEST ON THURSDAY.
GEOGRAPHY OF JAPAN
Directions: Complete the questions below
based on the reading, map, and your knowledge
of geography.
• How do you think Japan’s geography will
affect its development as a civilization?
• Do you think Japan will be open to
influences from mainland Asia? Explain. What
kind of influences could become part of
Japanese culture?
• Compare Japan’s geography with another
civilization’s geography. Describe the
similarities and differences.
HEIAN JAPAN
Directions: Complete the questions below based
on the reading.
• Describe the Teika Reforms and its impact on
Japan’s government and culture.
• Describe life during Heian Japan.
• What is the Tale of Genji? Is this a reliable source
for a historian studying Heian Japan? Explain.
TALE OF GENJI
This painting illustrates one of the episodes in
the Tale of Genji. It captures the inward-looking
character of court life that became increasingly
isolated from the warriors, townspeople, and
peasants they ruled.
GENDER ROLES IN JAPAN
This artist’s impression of the elaborate dress and
studied pose of a Heian courtier, one can gain a
vivid sense of the formality and attention to
aesthetic pleasures that dominated the lives of the
Japanese. The Heian court provided a tiny minority
of Japanese women with outlets for expressing
emotion and creativity that have been denied to
most women throughout much of civilized history.
LIFE IN HEIAN JAPAN
• Most of what we know about life in Japan comes from literary works, poetry, and art. You
will be completing a gallery walk on the following topics:
• Women’s Fashion
• Poetry and Language
• Chinese Influence on Japan
• Japanese Art
• Shintoism and Zen Buddhism