JAPAN UNDER MILITARY RULE

12th to 16th century A.D

Namuag, Mark Russel O.

Bato kannon
On the entrance of most of the
Japanese Buddhist
temples, you can see a
pair of guardians,
the Nio (Benevolent
Kings), protectors against
the evil spirits (similar to
the koma-inu from the
shinto shrines). According
to Japanese traditions,
they followed and
protected Buddha when he
traveled throughout India.
The statue from the right is
called Agyo, it is a symbol
of overt violence, wielding
a vajra-paṇiand it is
represented with the
mouth open, representing
the beginning of the
universe.
Heiji monogatari
• The Tale of Heiji is a Japanese war epic (
gunki monogatari) detailing the events of
the Heiji Rebellion of 1159-1160, in which
samurai clan head Minamoto
no Yoshitomo attacked and besieged 
Kyoto, as part of an Imperial succession
dispute, in which he was opposed by Taira
no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan. The
Tale, like most monogatariexists in three
main forms: written, oral, and painted.
• The original text is sometimes attributed
to Hamuro Tokinaga, and is written in 36
chapters. As is the case with most
othermonogatari, the text has been
rewritten and revised many times over the
years, and developed into an oral tradition
as well. Most often, the Tale of Heiji would
be chanted as a continuation of the Tale of
Hōgen, which relates the events of the
closely related Hōgen Rebellion.
• The picture scroll version of the tale,
called Heiji monogatari emaki or Heiji
monogatari ekotoba, dates to the 13th
century, and is generally attributed to 
Sumiyoshi Keion. It tells the tale in color
on paper, on five scrolls. Each scroll
begins and ends with a written portion of
the tale, describing the events depicted in
a single continuous painting across the
length of the scroll. Perhaps the most
famous scene of these five scrolls is the
burning of the Night Attack on the Sanjō
Palace
Nachi waterfall

NachiFalls  in 
Nachikatuura, 
Wakayama Prefecture
, Japan, is one of the
best-known waterfalls
 in Japan. With a drop
of at 133 m, it is often
erroneously thought
to be the country's
tallest. In fact, the
tallest waterfall in
Japan is the Hannoki
Falls, at 497 m.
Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga (June 23, 1534 – June 21,
1582) was the initiator of the unification
of Japan under the rule of the Shogun in
the late Sixteenth Century, a rule that
ended only with the opening of Japan to
the Western world in 1868. He was also a
major daimyo during the Sengoku period
 of Japanese history. His opus was
continued, completed and finalized by
his successors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and 
Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was the second
son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputyshugo
 (military governor) with land holdings in 
Owari Province.Nobunaga lived a life of
continuous military conquest, eventually
conquering a third of Japanese daimyo
before his death in 1582. His successor, 
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a loyal Oda
supporter, would eventually become the
first man to conquer all of Japan and the
first ruler of all Japan since the Ōnin War
.
Ashikaga
After the death of the fifth shogun 
Ashikaga Yoshikazu in 1425, the fourth
shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi resumed
his role as head of the shogunate.
Yoshimochi had no other sons, nor did
he name a successor before he himself
died in 1428. Yoshinori became Seii
Taishogun on the day of Yoshimochi's
death. From amongst the handful of
possible Ashikaga candidates, his name
was selected by the shogunal deputy (
Kanrei), Hatakeyama Mitsuie, who drew
lots in the sanctuary of Iwashimizu
Hachiman Shrine inKyoto; and it was
believed that Hachiman's influence had
affected this auspicious choice.
Birds and waterfalls
Kanō Motonobu (August 28, 1476 –
November 5, 1559) was a Japanese
painter. He was a member of the Kanō
school of painting.
Kano Motonobu's father was Kanō
Masanobu, the founder of the Kanō
school.
The Kano family are presumed to be the
descendants from a line of warriors. The
warriors are from the Kano district. The
Kano district is now called Shizuoka
Prefecture. The forebear of this family is
Kanō Kagenobu. He seems to have been
a retainer of the Imagawa family. It has
been reported that he has painted a
picture of Mt Fuji. This painting was for a
visit to the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori
(1394–1441) in 1432. The Kano family is a
family that dominated the painting world
from the end of the Muromachi period
(1333–1568) to the end of the Edo period
(1600–1868).The Kano family is one of the
most important lineages in Japanese
history.
Kinkaku, Golden Pavilion
also known as Rokuon-ji (Deer Garden
Temple), is a Zen Buddhist temple in 
Kyoto, Japan. The garden complex is an
excellent example of Muromachi period
 garden design.It is designated as a
National Special Historic Site and a
National Special Landscape, and it is one
of 17 World Cultural Heritage sites in
Kyoto. It is also one of the most popular
buildings in Japan, attracting a large
number of visitors annually.
 Ginkaku-ji, the "Temple of the Silver Pavilion," is a Zen
temple in the Sakyo ward of Kyoto, Japan. It is one of
the construction that represents the 

Ginkaku
Higashiyama Culture of 
Culture of Muromachi
Muromachi period.
period.
Ashikaga Yoshimasa initiated plans for creating a
retirement villa and gardens as early as 1460; and
after his death, Yoshimasa would arrange for this
property to become a Zen temple. The official name is
Jishō-ji  or the "Temple of Shining Mercy." The temple
is today associated with the Shokoku-ji branch of 
Rinzai Zen.
The two-storied Kannon-den
two-storied Kannon-den ,  , is the main temple structure.
Its construction began February 21, 1482 (Bummei(Bummei 14 ,
4th day of the 2nd month). The structure's design
sought to emulate the golden Kinkaku-ji which had
been commissioned by his grandfather Ashikaga
Yoshimitsu.
Yoshimitsu. It is popularly known as Ginkaku
as Ginkaku,, the
"Silver Pavilion" because of the initial plans to cover
its exterior in silver foil; but this familiar nickname
dates back only as far as the Edo period (1600–1868).
 E-Makimono

A Makimono is a Japanese hand scroll, an ink-and-brush painting or calligraphy which is supposed to be held in

the hand and unrolls horizontally. Makimono were taken to scenic places to enjoy them in a beautiful
surrounding, and stored away when home. They were also given as gifts.
Haboku
Haboku  and Hatsuboku  are both
a technique employed in 
suiboku (ink based), as seen
in landscape paintings,
involving an abstract
simplification of forms and
freedom of brushwork. The
two terms are often confused
with each other in ordinary
use. Generally, haboku relies
on a layered contrast black,
gray and white, whereas 
hatsuboku utilizes "splashes"
of ink, without leaving clear
contours or outlines. In Japan,
these styles of painting were
firmly founded and spread by
the Japanese painter Sesshu
Toyo.
 Samurai

Samurai  is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial  Japan . According to translator 
William Scott Wilson : "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait
upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the
original term in Japanese, saburau . In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean
"those who serve in close attendance to the nobility," the pronunciation in Japanese
changing to saburai ." According to Wilson, an early reference to the word "samurai"
appears in the Kokin Wakashū  (905–914), the first imperial anthology of poems, completed
in the first part of the 9th century.
By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi ( 武
士 ), and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior
class. The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō . While they
numbered less than 10% of Japan's population samurai teachings can still be found today in
both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.
Shogun
Shogun (literally, "a commander of a force") is
a military rank and historical title for (in
most cases) hereditary military dictator of 
Japan. The
Japan. The modern rank is equivalent to a 
Generalissimo. Although the original
meaning of "shogun" is simply "a
general", as a title, it is used as the short
form of seii taishōgun  the governing
individual at various times in the 
history of Japan, ending when Tokugawa
Yoshinobu relinquished the office to the 
Meiji Emperor in
Emperor in 1867.
A shogun's office or administration is known in
English as a "shogunate". In Japanese it
was known as bakufu  which literally
means "tent office", and originally meant
"house of the general", and later also
suggested a private government. Bakufu
could also mean "tent government" and
was the way the government was run
under a shogun. The tent symbolized the
field commander but also denoted that
such an office was meant to be temporary.
The shogun's officials were as a collective
the bakufu, and were those who carried
out the actual duties of administration
while the Imperial court retained only
nominal authority.
EDO

• The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura, lit. "Under a Wave off
Kanagawa"), also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by
the Japanese artist Hokusai. An example of ukiyo-e art, it was published sometime
between 1830 and 1833 (during the Edo Period) as the first in Hokusai's series 
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei ), and is his most famous work. This
particular woodblock is one of the most recognized works of Japanese art in the world. It
depicts an enormous wave threatening boats near the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa.
While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is, as the picture's title notes, more
likely to be a large okinami lit. "wave of the open sea." As in all the prints in the series, it
depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself
appears in the background.
 • Himeji Castle  is a hilltop Japanese
hilltop Japanese castle
 complex located in Himeji in Hyōgo
Prefecture. It is regarded as the finest

Himeji Castel
surviving example of 17th century Japanese
castle architecture. It comprises a network of
83 buildings with advanced defensive
systems from the feudal period. The castle is
frequently known as Hakurojō ("White Egret
Castle") or Shirasagijō("White Heron Castle")
because of its brilliant white exterior and
supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.
• Himeji Castle dates to 1333, when Akamatsu
when Akamatsu
Norimura built
Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill.
The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as
Himeyama Castle in 1346, and then
remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries
later [16th century]. Himeji Castle was then
significantly remodeled by Toyotomi
Hideyoshi in 1581, adding a three-story
castle keep
castle keep.. In 1600, Tokugawa
1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu
 awarded the castle to Ikeda
to Ikeda Terumasa for
Terumasa for his
help in the Battle of Sekigahara.Ikeda
completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to
1609, expanding it into a large castle
complex. Several buildings were later added
to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa
 from 1617 to 1618. For over 400 years, Himeji
Castle has remained intact, even throughout
the extensive bombing of Himeji
of Himeji in 
 in 
World War II and natural disasters such as the
1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and various 
typhoons.
• Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited
castle in Japan
in Japan. It
. It was registered in 1993 as
one of the first UNESCO
first UNESCO  World Heritage Sites
 in Japan. The area within the middle moat
middle moat of
 of
the castle complex is a designated 
Special Historic Site and
Site and five structures of the
castle are also designated National
designated National Treasures
. Along with Matsumoto
with Matsumoto Castle and 
Castle and 
Kumamoto Castle,
Castle, it is considered one of
Japan's three premier castles. In order to
preserve the castle buildings, Himeji Castle is
currently undergoing restoration work that is
expected to continue for several years.
Gods of Wind and Thunder
Raijin (raijin rai "thunder" + jin "deity") is a god of thunder
[1] and storms in Japanese mythology.
His name is derived from the Japanese
 words rai ( meaning thunder) and shin ( god). He is
typically depicted as ademon beating drums to create
thunder, usually with the symbol tomoe drawn on the
drums. He is also known by the following names:
Kaminari-sama: kaminari ( kami, god +, nari, thunder)
and -sama ( a Japanese honorific meaning "master")
Raiden-sama: rai thunder), den ( lightning), and -sama ( 様)
Narukami: naru, rolling thunder and kami , god)

Fūjin  is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the

eldest Shinto gods. He is said to have been present at
the creation of the world and when he first let the
winds out of his bag, they cleared the morning mists
and filled the Gate between heaven and earth so the
sun shone.
He is portrayed as a terrifying dark demon,
resembling a red headed black humanoid wearing
a leopard skin, carrying a large bag of winds on his
shoulders.
A legend of Japanese Buddhism states that Fūjin
and Raijin, the god of thunder, were both originally
evil demons who opposed Buddha. They were
captured in battle with Buddha's army of heaven, and
have worked as gods since then
Raijin & Fūjin