| A | B |
|---|
| Shinto | Japanese religion based on the belief in nature spirits |
| Pure Land Buddhism | taught about a happy life after death |
| Gempei War | civil war between the Taira and Miramoto family |
| vassal | samurai who gave an oath of loyalty to his daimyo |
| origami | the art of paper folding |
| constitution | a plan of government |
| Yayoi | the ancestors of the Japanese people |
| The Tale of Genji | a novel written by Murasaki Shikibu |
| kamikaze | typhoons that smashed attacking Mongol ships |
| shogun | a Japanese military leader |
| Nara Period | A.D. 700s |
| martial arts | sports involving combat and self-defense |
| Taika | the "Great Change" in Japanese government |
| daimyo | powerful military lords who headed small territories |
| Hokkaido | one of the four largest islands in Japan |
| Murasaki Shikibu | a female novelist and poet |
| Jimmu | a Yamato leader who founded the line of Japanese emperors |
| Onin War | a period of ten years when Japanese warriors fought one another |
| Minamoto Yorimoto | the first shogun |
| samurai | warriors who agreed to fight for nobles in exchange for land |
