Guided Reading Vocabulary

Taika Reforms: Attempt to remake Japanese monarch into an absolute Chinese-style emperor; included attempts to create professional bureaucracy and peasant conscript army.

Tale of Genji:Written by Lady Murasaki; first novel in any languange; relates life history of prominent and amorous son of the Japanese emperor's son; evidence for mannered style of the Japanese society.

Seppuku (hara-kiri): A form of Japanese ritual suicide preformed of many Japanese soldiers, especially officers, following defeat. Literally "belly splitting”

Minamoto: Defeated the rival Taira family in Gempei Wars and established military government (bakufu) in 12th century Japan.

Choson: Earliest Korean kingdom; conquered by Han emperor Wudi in 109 b.c.e.

Koguryo: Tribal people of northern Korea; established an independent kingdom in the northern half of the peninsula; adopted cultural Sinification.

Paekche: Independent Korean kingdom in southeastern part of peninsula; defeated by rival Silla kingdom and its Chinese Tang allies in 7th century.

Khmers: Indianized rivals of the Vietnamese; moved into Mekong River delta region at time of Vietnamese drive to the south

Le:

Heian Period:

“Gatekeepers”:

Heian: Capital city of Japan under the Yamato emperors, later called Kyoto; built in order to escape influence of Buddhist monks; patterned after ancient imperial centers of China; never fully populated

Fujiwara: Japanese aristocratic family in mid-9th century; exercised exceptional influence over imperial affairs; aided in decline of imperial power. By the end of the 10th century one chief minister of this family had sent FOUR of his daughters married to Emperors.

Gumpei Wars: Waged for five years from 1180, on Honshu between Taira and Minamoto families; resulted in destruction of Taira, and the establishment of the Bokufu Gov't, this war brought great suffering to the peasantry.

Hojo: Warrior family closely allied with the Minamota; dominated Kamakura regime and manipulated Minamota rulers who claimed to rule in name of the Japanese Emperor at Kyoto.

Kamakura Shogunate: Yorimoto's capital during his shogunate, destroyed in 1331
significance: head of the true power of Japan
Sinification: Extensive adaptation of Chinese culture in other regions; typical of Korea and Japan, less typical of Vietnam.

Yi: Korean Dynasty that succeeded Koryo dynasty following period of Mongol invasions; established in 1392; ruled Korea to 1910; resotred aristocratic dominance and Chinese influence

Chams: Indianized rivals of the Vietnamese; driven into the highlands by the successful Vietnamese drive to the south.

Trinh: Dynasty that ruled in North Vietnam at Hanoi, 1533- 1772; rivals of the Nguyen family in the south.

Kami: Gods or nature spirits of Japanese religion, which lived in all things, such