| A | B |
|---|
| Japan | Chain of islands that stretches from north to south in the northern Pacific Ocean |
| Hokkaido | One of the four largest islands of Japan |
| Honshu | One of the four largest islands of Japan |
| Shikoku | One of the four largest islands of Japan |
| Kyushu | One of the four largest islands of Japan |
| Jomon | Culture which means "cord marks" in the Japanese language |
| Clan | Group of families related by blood or marriage |
| Jimmu | Yamato leader who took the title "emperor of heaven". Founded a line of rulers in Japan that has never been broken |
| Shotoku | About A.D. 600, a Yamato prince who took charge of Japan on behalf of his aunt, empress Suiko |
| Constitution | Plan of government |
| Animism | Belief that things such as the wind, mountains, and rivers have their own spirits |
| Shrines | Holy places |
| Heian | Emperor Kammu of Japan began building this new capital city, later known as Kyoto |
| Samurai | Warriors who agreed to fight for nobles |
| Minamoto Yoritomo | Commander of the Minamoto armies |
| Shogun | Commander of all of the emperor's military forces |
| Kamakura | Where the shogun's government headquarters was located, a small seaside town |
| Daimyo | Powerful military lords |
| Vassal | When a samaurai gives an oath of loyalty to his daimyo and promises to serve him in times of war |
| Feudalism | Bond of loyalty between a lord and a vassal |
| Sects | Smaller religious groups |
| Martial arts | Sports that involved combat and self-defense |
| Meditation | Practice where a person sits cross-legged and motionless for hours, with the mind cleared of all thoughts and desires |
| Tanka | Unrhymed poem of five lines |
| Murasaki Shikibu | Wrote The Tale of Genji |
| Guilds | Groups formed to increase and protect artisans' and merchants' profits |
