Reflections on Classical Japan (11/13)

[Anonymous]

The first Japanese were the Jomons and the Jomon's pottery is part of the world's oldest pottery tradition. Their potery was a coil pot.The Jomon were hunters and gatherers. They hunted for game that included boar, deer, and bears. Mostly,they hunted boar and deer because they were the most common. Also, they fished for fish and shellfish that were close to the shore and those farther out. This was learned because of what was left in their garbage dumps. They harvested acorns.They lived in groups of 50 to 100. They lived in pit dwellings with thatched roofs and hearth for a stone floor. In Korea there are similar pit dwellings. Jomon society was highly egalitarian. Men and women hunted and fished. There wasn't a specialization of labor. The people were animists. It was thought that they moved every two years but a new theory suggest Jomon Sedition. Some of the Jomon food ways are in "20 Ways to Store Nuts" exist from the Jomon period today.

[Anonymous]

After listening to Professor Yamashita, I am interested in incorporating the Shinto Religion into my curriculum. I did not know much about it until now, but I think it an opportunity for students to explore Japanese culture, while studying Shinto.

[Anonymous]

I agree, aside from the great lecture and amount of information; one thing that I will walk away with from this lecture is the tales of Genji. Students will be engaged, and eager to read more. By using the Tales of Genji, I will not just be teaching about literature, but also about the culture. I am thinking I can have a entire unit on this topic where students can create sketches, create pictures, paintings, etc. Great lecture.

[Anonymous]

it is amazing how Japanese are able to trace back to where they come from by identifying the blood types. This topic will create a great class discussion. Many of our students (Latin American descend) do not have a clear idea of where they come from; unfortunately, our students are not very proud of their roots. This could be a great lesson to help them understand the importance of learning about those before us to understand our rituals better.

[Anonymous]

The most interesting part of this lecture to me was at the beginning. I got hooked on how they used the blood type and patterns of fingerprints to pint point where Japanese originated from. The discussion of north vs south left me thinking about evolution. I wonder if I can use this with my Biology students? The Geological aspect can also be used to teach the fundamentals of Natural Selection. I am seriously considering using this information to plan one of the Lesson plans.

[Anonymous]

I want to take issue with the implication that a historian discussing his own ethnic group's history is likely to be biased. I don't see any evidence of that, but if it were true it would disqualify most historians since people tend to study their own world. We live in a nation with hundreds of colleges filled with American historians studying American history. If it were likely that they were all biased, we wouldn't be able to trust the history being taught in our colleges. In my experience most historians are able to criticize their own countries if that is the measure of lack of bias. In fact, however, historians shouldn't be criticizing or praising anything but just presenting and analyzing the historical evidence.

[Anonymous]

In this last discussion many students were commenting that they wished that they were able to trace their ancestory as clearly as the Japanese can. I want to assure them that they can. The Mormon Church has been helping both Mormons and Non-Mormons do these searches for centuries. It is very important to the Mormon religion that everyone knows who they came from. So any added details you find helps to complete someone else's search. In their files they have paid special attention to races that have been dispersed due to some historical event. African-Americans, Native Americans , Japanese-Americans and Jewish all come under that category. However their are many other enteries.
All you have to do is find your local junior college or four year college and ask where is the Mormon Institute of Religion, and then ask for the library of records. Someone will get you started and help you when you request it. No- one will try to convert you because they want you to use their services. There is no charge for this. You can also do this on-line but then you won't get the personal help and there are lots of files to go through. It is nice to know where you came from.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Dear Colleagues,

Please write your reflections for Classical Japan below.

Yingjia

[Author]

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