| A | B |
|---|
| Japan | chain of 3000 islands- the largest being Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu |
| Jomon | means 'code marks' - a culture developed along the coast in fishing villages |
| Yayoi | ancestors of Japanese people , skilled in metal working |
| clans | a group of families related by blood or marriage |
| Jimmu | Yamato leader who took the title of 'emperor of heaven' |
| Akihito | emperor of Japan today who is ancestor of Jimmu |
| constitution | plan of government |
| Shotoku | emperor who brought political and religious reformes that helped build a strong central government |
| animism | belief that all natural things are alive and have their own spirits |
| shrines | holy place where priests, musicians and dancers perform rituals |
| Heian | capital city now known as Kyoto |
| samurai | warriors who were given land for their fighting service to the nobles |
| Minamoto Yoritomo | important shogun who won the Gempei War |
| shogun | commander of all of the emperor's military forces |
| Kamakura | shogun headquarters in this small seaside town |
| Ashikaga Takauji | turned against the emperor and made himself shogun |
| daimyo | powerful military lords who headed a number of small territories |
| vassals | samurais gave their oath of loyalty to |
| feudalism | a bond of loyalty between a lord and a vassal |
| sect | smaller religious groups |
| martial arts | followers of Zen learned how to control their bodies through sports that involved combat and self-defense |
| meditation | sitting cross-legged for hours to clear the mind of all thoughts and desires |
| calligraphy | art of writing beautifully |
| tanka | unrhymed poem of five lines to capture nature's beauty and the joys and sorrows of life |
| Murasaki Shikibu | wrote "The Tale of the Genji" adventure tales of a Japanese Prince |
| guilds | groups formed to protecty and increase profits of artisans and merchants |
| Shinto | religious majority in Japan; religion based on nature spirits |
