session 6 & session 9 readings

[Anonymous]

I learned plenty this last session. Professor Yamashita's explanation on the two types of Japanese castles (mountain and flatland castles) was really interesting. I learned that their primary purpose was for military defense. The Japanese were really strategic about the castles' locations and it makes sense that they were built near rivers and roads to get away from the enemy.

I was able to show pictures of Japanese castles to my 2nd grade students and shared some information that I learned about the two types of Japanese castles. I was amazed on their responses when I asked them what was the reasoning in building them near rivers and roads. They had similar answers to Professor Yamashita's responses such as "easier to get away from the enemy." Showing them pictures and explaining to them the significance and purpose of the castles engaged them and had them thinking and sharing their thoughts.

[Anonymous]

When I was listening to the lecture I was thinking about how I could use it in my classroom for visual art. A few ideas were introducing Japan by asking students to create PowerPoint on the two types of castles and the different types of warriors. Students would then present to class and then create their designs based on their research. Students that choose to research castles they would then be asked to recreate it by using cardboards. Students who research warriors would be ask to recreate the costumes by using twist ties and candy rappers. When I asked a class if they were interested in doing this lesson, they got really excited. Besides the art project they were very interested in learning about Japan since that is a topic that is not often covered in school. This also opened the dialogue about China and Korea because my students love Anime. Its form of cartoons that students love to watch and draw.

[Anonymous]

Professor Yamashita's lecture was interesting and very educational. Japanese art, architecture and its overall culture are all so beautiful. Particularly, the castles were fascinating. I especially enjoyed the photos by Prof Yamashita.

I would definitely like to research more on this topic and present the art aspect to my students. I can collaborate with the history teacher and prepare a new project for my ceramic class. Students can have a group research project based on the castles. They can create their own version of a Japanese castle but with inspirations from their research. This would be an excellent cross curricular assignment. These are great ideas and exposure for my students since they are rarely exposed to the different cultures around them.

[Anonymous]

I have enjoyed learning about Japan and was especially taken with the segment on castles. I have always wanted to go to Europe and explore and see different castles, both for the architecture and history. I think growing up in the USA, we are not taught about or enticed by what Asia has to offer. I thought it was interesting to see the different castles and am excited that they are on display (some) for the public. I also liked how our speaker mapped out where different people lived and their expectation’s and level of importance. For example, the poor peasants were on the outskirts with the least amount of protection, etc. I found the structures themselves to be of interest and I thought it was clever to have two moats, both dry and with water. I was also intrigued by the walls that opened up and dropped rocks on the intruders. This is definitely a topic that I would like to learn more about

Anything Japanese is currently popular with a certain group of teenagers- a lot of these kids are in my Social Learning class. I am a celebrity in my 2nd period class every Tuesday that follows one of my sessions!!

[Anonymous]

Session 6
I learn so much every time I attend a lecture. I confess I did not know that Japan had tombs, and keyhole shaped tombs to boot! I had never viewed pictures of the tombs and was taken by the beauty of the different slides the Professor showed. The size was tremendous and it is surprising the amount of land that is taken up by these sites. I am excited in knowing that when I visit Japan, I will be able to see some of these landmarks. Of course, I will make sure I have more knowledge in this area so I will be able to appreciate what I am seeing and understand the reasoning of such structures.

[Anonymous]

I found Professor Yamashita’s presentation very interesting. I enjoyed the puzzles he created to present the different historical periods of Japan. I was surprised to hear that the Vikings called dwarfs to the Japanese. When Yamashita said that, I thought to myself, that was because the Vikings didn’t know the Mayan people. Mayan people certainly were really short. They were four feet of height. The tallest were five feet of height.
An important fact that called my attention was the Samurai and their diverse origins as well as the tea ritual. I decided to read more about and I did research the subject. Here is the link if you are interested in reading more about it. http://www.ushistory.org/civ/10c.asp

[Anonymous]

I appreciated the clarifications of the role expressed by the professor of the Japanese Warrior, after dismantling the Europeanization of the eastern culture, through literature, television and cinema reveals an idea of a warrior always ready to heroically take his own life, and lay on his sword.

But I got a more complete idea that suicide isn't always a stoic and heroic ending but a belief and idea of completing a circle, this gives a better insight to the idea and customs represented in the philosophies and religions of the Japanese people.

What this discussion also brings to light is the changing of history and the crossing of European culture with most cultures and groups of People of Color.
This for me became a secondary theme when looking at other Asian groups and instances of contact with European persons.

[Anonymous]

I very much enjoyed the lecture by Professor Yamishita. In my many years of schooling, no history teacher had ever touched on the rise and development of warrior society in Japan. I feel as though I really missed out on so much background knowledge and learning but am now caught up!There were many similarities I noticed between Japanese and European feudalism that I took note of during the lecture. The diverse origins of warrior society ranging from men from rural clans, to descendants of the imperial family, an so on was particularly interesting. The organization of both the Kamakura and Ashikaga governments were very telling of the culture and society of the time. The way each controlled territories and became financially autonomous was very telling as well. I also enjoyed learning about the types and purposes of castles which were presented in class. I had never previously given much thought to the design, placement, and layout of how/why they were built nor for whom. The personal honor and sacrifice behind the story of the Forty-Seven Ronin was fascinating as well. The deep personal bond and honor of the Japanese warriors is so vastly different from the way we see soldiers in todays society, which I personally find quite sad. The political and emotional context and connections made in relation to the warriors during this period had a lasting affect on me and very much held my interest.

[Anonymous]

My second grade students learned this year to use PowerPoint, and I also taught them how to cut and paste to incorporate pictures using PowerPoint. From what I learned in Professor Yamashita's lecture, I can incorporate learning about Japanese castles by having my students search pictures of these castles and create a PowerPoint. I can have them present and share details on each castle by having them compare and contrast two castles they researched. This is a great opportunity for students to use technology, learn about Japanese castles, and take away their fear in presenting in front of the class by improving their listening and speaking skills.

[Anonymous]

Session 6

Professor Yamashita

I would like to start off with saying that I absolutely LOVED the way that the professor presented the information to us. The information was awesome but I really enjoyed how he set it up into puzzles for use to figure out. I really would like to spend time trying to figure out a way to incorporate that aspect itself into my teaching, I feel like it had me very engaged and that it would be a very fun way to get my information across to students. Now as for the content I was amazed by what we saw and learned. I thought the set up of the tombs was amazing and I think it would be an awesome comparison to the pyramids of Egypt. I would like to have my students compare and contrast these two. I also found the conversation about the different blood types and finger print patterns beyond interesting! I would like to do even more research on that topic.

Unfortunately I was unable to make it to professor Yamashita's second lecture on warrior Japan. I feel like I really missed a great lecture.

[Anonymous]

Reading about the origins of Japan and the Japanese warriors was a much easier read than the previous session, so I found myself better prepared for lecture. While listening to Professor Yamashita discuss and shared various Puzzles about the Japanese I grew more intrigued. I found that by looking at the origins of the Japanese in puzzles allowed me to understand very separate ideas and concepts that are connected. I really appreciated the first puzzle that dealt with pre-historic evidence because of it's links to the subjects of geography, archaeology, ethnography, etc. This allows for the discussion of where people came from and why they traveled to certain locations in Japan. I think that migration would be an interesting topic of discussion, especially when looking at ancient times and how people were affected. I could also appreciate the timeline of the puzzles and how they lead through the first people, agriculture, tombs and even taxes. I felt that this information can be broken down into a jigsaw activity where students can piece the information together and create a timeline of events by collaborating with one another.

[Anonymous]

This lecture was by far my favorite! The readings were directly tied to the lecture and the learning about Japanese warriors is definitely an exciting topic! I'm used to drawing the parallel from the European feudalism and Japanese feudalism because that's what's in the textbook, but now I'm much more prepared to discuss the samurai and it's Japanese origins. Again, the class was broken down by puzzles and the first was all about the Japanese Warrior. I was fascinated by all the little details he knew and was able to explain. For example, when we looked at an image of Japanese warriors and we analyzed what they were wearing and their weaponry, one thing that didn't catch my eye was the extension of the Japanese Warriors hand. I would have never given it much thought, but it actually depicted how warriors would hold bow and arrows and that was significant to battle. This gives me an idea to teach my students to closely analyze images, just as we would to a close read with text.

Going back to discussing feudalism in Europe vs feudalism in Japan, I feel that I am better prepared as an educator to answer questions about the topics. Most of my knowledge was very Eurocentric and now I feel I can more accurately help my students understand the two (though still not fairly, I have much more to learn). I think I would like to work on an inquiry activity where students search for the similarities and differences. I've found through the years that many students are naturally curious about the topic. I would then like to select specific resources and include some sections of the Japanese warrior readings that hint at the fact that both systems developed in isolation of each other. I think that students can then lead a discussion about their findings and use evidence to back up their findings.

I was so engaged in this lecture because I enjoy castles, warriors, battles, and all those exciting things, but what caught my attention the most towards the end of the lecture was the Japanese vendetta. I found it fascinating that the Japanese used a legal form to carry out vendetta's and that they were reviewed and usually only accepted if there was harm done to a family member. I actually shared this information with my family and colleagues! If I wanted to tie it into a specific lesson I think this would be applicable in my history class as well as my students leadership class. I think this could lead to the development of a peer group to mediate and work with behavioral issues on campus. I still need to develop this idea a bit more, but the wheels are turning.

[Anonymous]

The professor mentioned the Samurai: Japanese Armor exhibit at the LACMA a year or so ago which made me go back into my photos and enjoy the beauty of that exhibit all over again. Of course, experiencing the beauty of it first hand doesn't compare to the photos I took, but it was nice looking over the photos again.

When I visited the LACMA at that time I was not there for this particular exhibit. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if I was going to walk into the building where this exhibit was held and didn't expect much from it. As soon as I walked in, I couldn't believe how amazing the Samurai exhibit was! I was definitely impressed. The texture, small details, colors etc on each piece were absolutely gorgeous! I had no idea how beautiful armor could be. Some of the pieces looked quite heavy- I wonder how heavy they were as the warriors had to wear them during battles? I should probably research how the pieces and armors were made and/or by who.

IF ever this exhibit is in LA or close by, I highly recommend everyone to go!

[Anonymous]

In Session 6, I enjoyed how the professor taught the class with questions posed at the beginning and then had the class critically think and answer them together as we went through the PowerPoint. I was kind of disappointed that we were not looking at the right PowerPoint but I think he did a great job with using the white board. Since I had a computer, I also was able to go online and see some of the images he was talking about and read more about it. In this session I learned that the earliest documentation of Japan came from China and was known as the “Land of the Dwarfs” according to the Chinese. Most likely Chinese people may have observed the Jōmon people who were less evolved then the Yayoi people. Also learned that the top half of Japan is mostly type B and the bottom is mostly type A blood type. Some Japanese also claim to have pure origins but in fact their blood and fingerprints show that they come from countries nearby. Top come from Northeast and bottom half come from southwest countries. I don’t know how I can incorporate this into my curriculum but it is good information to know.

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed Professor Yamashita’s lecture. One of the most fascinating sections of his lecture was the blood type and fingerprint differences within the Japanese people. I wonder if the fingerprint differences are a known fact to the average Japanese person today, and if there is pride in being from one group or the other?

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