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AnonymousI have always been fascinated with the period in Japan when shoguns ruled and samurai spottings were the norm. I don't know if it was because the time period seemed so orderly. Everything had a place, a reason, and a purpose. Perhaps it was because I was first introduced to that time period through the work of mystery writers Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler in their work, The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. Their representation of Japan's samurai period is pretty accurate, which is probably why I like the series so much.
I have to say, though, when I think about urban growth, the 17th century is not what comes to mind...particularly in Japan - I don't know why. But I find it fascinating that urban residents paid for services that were once provided by servants. "There was an increased demand for greater variety of goods..." I can't help but wondering where this attitude came from. Is it typical of every society to go through this, wanting a wider variety of things faster and sooner?
AnonymousBeing an English teacher in this course is both a blessing and a curse. It's easy to see how the subject matter can be integrated into the various history courses that are taught. In years past, I have tried to take a creative approach to the material when integrating it into my English class. Last year, my class explored the author's role as historian when reading literature about China's Cultural Revolution. This year, because I am teaching the same students that learned about the Cultural Revolution, I wasn't quite sure where to go next...and then I stumbled upon Chikamatsu Monzaemon, regarded as "The Japanese Shakespeare." There is a description of one play that he wrote for puppet theater, where a young man falls in love with a prostitute and wants to by her contract. To do so, however, would cause "irreparable harm to his family's business." While it's not quite the story of Romeo and Juliet, this author is definitely someone worth exploring for my class. I want my students to dig a little deeper as they read so that they come up with more than just, "this story is similar to this because __, or this play reminds me of __ because ___." That's a great start, but I want the conversation to even explore authors' influence on one another, and their influence on the thinking of the time...
It looks like we all will have some reading to do.
AnonymousForty-six men break in to Moronao's mansion to kill him and avenge the death of their master/lord. They finally find him hiding in the woodshed and behead him, placing his head before the memorial tablet of his late master. However, Moronao's brother's men come after them, so they decide to flee to Lord Enya's family temple and kill themselves there. I believe.
I have to just summarize, I cannot use this story with early elementary students.
AnonymousA movie just came out called "Silence" which depicts some of this period in Japan from 1603-1651, but from a Jesuit Priest's point of view. The article's summary describes 200 years of peace, with the Shogunate restricting foreign trade, but in the lecture, Japan was described as a place, for a time, where men generally carried head bags for either their head or yours. He said that Japan closed itself to foreign trade to push out the Christians and Catholics, and those left were humiliated or martyred. They allowed the Dutch to remain on a small island. Japan wished to remain autonomous and not be overly influenced by outsiders, and that remained true for a long time.
AnonymousSession 4
When I was involved with the Spring Seminar, I became familiar with the lecture style of Professor Sam Yamashita, and looked forward to hearing him again. Professor Yamashita has a lot of knowledge in the area of Japan but he also goes over points of interest and ties them in with interesting stories and pictures. I was very disappointed last summer when I was not able to attend the summer seminar that included the topics of food and art. Professor Yamashita is the perfect person to lead these discussions and topics and I was reminded of my missed opportunity when he asked me about wasabi. Some of my favorite things that he talks about are castles and Samurai Warriors. For the last seminar that I was involved with, I decided to do my lesson plan using Samurai Warriors as the topic and taught the class using a “job wanted” theme. My students enjoyed this lesson and have brought it up several times as we talk about different career clusters.
AnonymousI also enjoyed this lecture and anything about the Samurai Warriors. I like how you compared it with the English Knights, which sparked an idea for a lesson plan. My work skills class is a group of students who most likely will go straight into the workforce. Social skills in addition to a good work ethic will be key factors in their success. Using English Knights and Samurai Warriors as a guide in teaching these skills will be a way to hold the students' interests while giving them useful information. I never considered English Knights and no matter how old we become, we are all intrigued by these historic characters.
AnonymousThere are plenty of lesson plans comparing the Samurai with European Knights because of the similarities between the feudal systems and code of conducts. However, in learning the history of the Tokugawa order, I saw a similar process with Cardinal Richelieu in France, consolidating power, having a politically impotent head of state. I believe this would make a great DBQ.
Question: Compare the political developments of Tokugawa in Japan and Cardinal Richelieu in France.
