World History: Chapter 9 Early Japanese History

Which of the following is a characteristic of early Shintō? A) that salvation came only through sincere faith rather than ritual or works B) the importance of sacrifices when calling upon the gods C) the need for ritual purity before entering any religious temple D) that religious observance was separate from class and political authority

Japanese government during the Nara and Heian periods differed from China because A) All of these answers are correct. B) there were major struggles between clans. C) there were no eunuchs. D) there was little tension between emperor and bureaucracy.

The text suggests that Korea and Vietnam had a stronger Chinese imprint than Japan because A) All of these answers are correct. B) Korea and Vietnam were closer to China for longer periods of time. C) Japan had almost no contact with China. D) Korea and Vietnam were conquered and absorbed by China.

The governmental system in the Kamakura era is best described as a/an A) shamanistic aristocracy. B) Islamic theocracy. C) centralized meritocracy. D) decentralized military government.

The twin centers of Japanese culture in the Nara and Heian periods were A) Buddhist monasteries and the imperial court. B) colonies of Korean exiles and government bureaucrats. C) Hindu yogis and samurai estates. D) secular schools of philosophy and European missionaries.

The Records of Japan tell of A) the destruction of the Mongol fleet on the shores of Japan. B) the deeds and misdeeds of the gods and their adventures on earth or in the underworld. C) the deeds and exploits of the samurai warriors in the 13th century. D) the great wars between Japan and Korea.

After the "equal field system" failed in Japan, what taxation system was adopted? A) quota system B) graduated income tax C) direct taxation D) All of these answers are correct.

As a ruler of Japan in the 7th century C.E., Temmu is famous for his A) adoption of Daoism. B) democratization of government. C) use of Chinese ideas and practices to consolidate his rule. D) cruelty and oppressive rule.

Which of the following is a correct statement about the way in which the late twelfth century marked a turning point in Japanese history? A) All of these statements are correct. B) It began the shift towards rule by military houses. C) It saw the emergence of the shōgun as the de facto ruler of Japan. D) It initiated changes in family and social organization.

The two great new Buddhist sects of the Heian era were A) Sutra and Zen. B) Tendai and Shingon. C) Saicho and Kuka. D) Kyoto and Hiei.

Who was responsible for the first bakufu? A) Yoritomo B) Joei C) Kamakura D) Fujiwara

Samurai warriors were recruited from A) the local nobility. B) royal family. C) royal bodyguards. D) common peasants of ability.

The Japanese language was not easily expressed in Chinese characters because A) Chinese characters use calligraphy. B) Chinese characters could not express adjective forms. C) Chinese characters were solely phonetic. D) Chinese characters express mostly ideographic ideas.

Kiyomori secured rule by A) seizing power from the Fujiwara during a time of crisis. B) ruling as regent for his grandchildren. C) eliminating all familial rivals to the throne. D) reestablishing concubines at court.

"Shintō" in the Japanese language means A) "divine wind." B) "those who serve." C) "tent government." D) "the way of the gods."

New offices outside the Chinese system at Kyoto included A) police commissioners. B) All of these answers are correct. C) bureau of archivists. D) audit officers.

Buddhism in Japan was A) given tax support. B) All of these answers are correct. C) given official government support. D) assigned a quota of monks and nuns.

Which criterion of feudalism did not appear in Japan until the late fifteenth century? A) fiefs in return for military service B) lord/vassal relationship C) None of these answers are correct. D) warrior ethic

Which of the following was not a stage in Japan's cultural relationship with China? A) In the 11th and 12th centuries it rejected Chinese models. B) In the 7th century it studied China. C) In the 8th century it imported Chinese ideas and practices. D) In the 9th and 10th centuries it adapted Chinese institutions to Japanese needs.

The emperors of the Nara and Heian courts were both A) Zen and Confucian rulers. B) Confucian and Shintō rulers. C) Buddhist and Shintō rulers. D) Daoist and Confucian rulers.

According to Chinese chronicles, Pimiko was A) the major instigator of the Jomon revolution. B) a Japanese painting technique. C) a shaman who ruled in Japan in the 3rd century C.E.. D) a kind of mystery drama.

The Yayoi revolution included A) the agricultural, financial, and iron revolutions. B) the agricultural, bronze, and iron revolutions. C) the agricultural, cultural, and iron revolutions. D) the agricultural, iron, and industrial revolutions.

The first writers of Japanese literature in the Japanese language were A) Korean diplomats. B) Chinese scholars. C) women. D) Japanese legal scholars.

The Shintō religion of Japan is best described as A) the first native monotheistic religion in Asia. B) a type of animistic nature worship. C) a school of Buddhism that saw the emperor as a Buddha on earth. D) a Japanese version of neo-Confucianism.

Compared to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, the China-influence grouping made up of Manchuria, Mongolia, Central Asia, and Tibet A) had harsher climates. B) had, by necessity, more advanced agricultural techniques. C) None of these answers are correct. D) encouraged a more settled lifestyle.

The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu around 1000 C.E. is famous A) for introducing Buddhist travel literature into Japan. B) for its perfection of the Chinese model of stylized story-telling. C) as the world's first novel with sophisticated delineation of individual characters. D) in its use of historical documents to narrate the rise and fall of the Yamoto Dynasty.

In the Nara and Heian eras the most militarized region of Japan was A) the southern regions closest to Korea. B) the western regions exposed to attacks by Filipino pirates. C) None of these answers is correct. D) the eastern regions, which were the staging ground for campaigns against tribal peoples in the north.

Confucianism and Buddhism both arrived in Japan in what century? A) 8th century C.E. B) 3rd century C.E. C) 6th century C.E. D) 2nd century B.C.E.

Mahayana, or "Greater Vehicle" Buddhism is practiced in all of the following areas except A) Thailand. B) Japan. C) Tibet. D) China.

The Records of Ancient Matters were A) Chinese chronicles that mention Japanese events in the 5th century C.E.. B) accounts of popular political movements under the Yamato "great kings." C) among the earliest Japanese accounts of its own history. D) a record of Shintō spells and rituals.

The daimyo were A) the highest category of government bureaucrats in the Heian era. B) guilds of craftsmen who dominated urban life in medieval Japan. C) Japanese Buddhist monks who helped convert Korea. D) powerful regional warlords who ruled much of the Japanese countryside.

"Kana" can best be defined as A) a Chinese literary dialect. B) the samurai's oath of loyalty. C) a syllabic script used to express Japanese language. D) the most powerful nature spirit in the Shinto pantheon of deities.

The most important clan that became preeminent from 986-1086 was the A) Kiyomori. B) Fujiwara. C) Taira. D) Minamoto.

The writings of the courtiers of the Heian period A) advocated a social welfare system. B) None of these answers is correct. C) reflected great sympathy for the lower class. D) scorned the lower classes.

Which of the following is a correct statement about the way in which the late twelfth century marked a turning point in Japanese history? A) It began the shift towards rule by military houses. B) It initiated changes in family and social organization. C) All of these statements are correct. D) It saw the emergence of the shōgun as the de facto ruler of Japan.

Give the correct chronological order for the different periods in Japanese history: A) Nara/Heian, Taira, Kamakura, Ashikaga B) Taira, Nara/Heian, Ashikaga, Kamakura C) Kamakura, Taira, Nara/Heian, Ashikaga D) Nara/Heian, Taira, Ashikaga, Kamakura

Around 500 C.E., Japanese geography can best be described as A) a mountainous peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. B) an empire including Silla on the Korean peninsula. C) a unified empire controlled by Silla on the Korean peninsula. D) a group of mountainous islands.

Nara and Heian Japan refers to an age where A) Japan degenerated culturally amidst constant civil war. B) Japan became isolationist and turned away from the world. C) Japan became isolationist and turned away from the world, and also degenerated culturally amidst constant civil war. D) Japan made contact with China and adopted Chinese culture.

How was the second invasion of Japan by the Mongols of Kublai Khan repulsed? A) successful use of greyhounds by the Japanese B) samurai successes C) Japanese tactics of fierce individual combat D) a powerful storm or 'divine wind' sank much of the invasion fleet

From the Nara period to the 19th century, most histories of Japan were written in A) Japanese. B) Chinese. C) Cantonese. D) Altaic.

According to Darkness and the Cave of High Heaven, Shintō gods can best be described as A) concerned about status and prone to bickering. B) equally concerned with humans and nature. C) interested in saving the world from evil forces. D) carefree and detached from the lives of humans.

In The Pillow Book, Sei Shōnagon suggests that courtly romance A) requires males to remain romantic throughout a private encounter. B) should always involve gifts of flowers. C) is shallow and artificial. D) is a hateful thing.

The basic unit of Yamato aristocratic society was A) None of these answers are correct. B) the administrative relationship in the bureaucracy. C) the extended family or clan. D) the lord/vassal relationship.

The most important attraction of Buddhism to ordinary Japanese during the Nara and Heian eras was its A) philosophical perspectives. B) colorful and elaborate rituals. C) preoccupation with meditation. D) promise of a socially progressive society.

The Ashikaga shogunate that emerged from the chaos of the early 1300s is best described as A) a regional multi-state system centered in Kyoto. B) a dual monarchy. C) the Hojo monopoly. D) a unified autocracy under one shogun.