[For Elementary Students] Japanese History Quiz Learned in Elementary School

national isolation policy (Sakoku)

The restrictions on foreign ships’ ports of call and controls over trade implemented by the Edo shogunate to enforce its rule over Japan are known as sakoku (national seclusion). In the global context of the time, policies limiting interaction and trade with foreign countries were also adopted by other Northeast Asian states. The period up to the 1854 signing of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan is referred to as the era of sakoku.

Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier is said to have been the first to introduce Christianity to Japan. Born in the Kingdom of Navarre in Spain, he was a missionary and one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus. In addition to Christianity, what he brought to Japan in Kagoshima included firearms and elements of European culture.

Yamataikoku

One of the countries said to have existed around the 2nd to 3rd centuries. Ruled by the queen Himiko, the Yamatai Kingdom is considered to have been the capital of the Wa federation. It is mentioned in the Chinese historical text Records of Wei: Accounts of the Wa People (Wei Zhi Woren Zhuan), and debate continues over which region of the Japanese archipelago it was located in.

Akechi Mitsuhide

On June 2, 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide led his forces in rebellion and attacked his lord, Oda Nobunaga, in the Incident at Honnō-ji. Surrounded at the temple by Mitsuhide’s troops, Nobunaga set the temple ablaze and took his own life. The event is known as the catalyst that brought about the end of the Oda regime.

shell midden

Shell middens where people who lived during the Jomon period discarded food remains such as shells, as well as broken pottery. They were not only regarded like today’s garbage dumps but also functioned as places of worship. They also provide clues when investigating what Jomon people ate and what kinds of pottery and stone tools they used.

Heijō-kyō

Heijō-kyō, established in 710 by Empress Genmei, was a capital city modeled after Chang’an of the Tang dynasty when the court moved from Fujiwara-kyō. It served both as the emperor’s residence and the seat of government. Located in present-day Nara City and Yamatokōriyama City in Nara Prefecture, it is known for representative examples of temple architecture from that era.

civilization and enlightenment

With the end of the isolation policy practiced during the Edo period and the arrival of Perry, Japan concluded the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan. The influx of Western culture in the early Meiji era is called the Civilization and Enlightenment. Various Western items and practices—such as Western clothing and silk hats, Western cuisine, and table manners—were adopted.