REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

NORTHERN NEGROS STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
OLD SAGAY, SAGAY CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
(034)722-4169/www.nonescost.edu.com

COLLEGE OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES
COURSE MODULE IN

ASIAN STUDIES  

1st Semester; A. Y. 2022 -2023

 
 

2
MODUL
E
PHILOSOPHERS CONTRIBUTIONS/ TEACHINGS PHILOSOPHY/ RELIGION
1. Confucius “The Golden Rule”- What you do not want others to do to CONFUCIANISM- an ancient Chinese belief
Kung-Fu-Tzu you, do not do to others. system, which focuses on the importance of
“The Scholar” -Civil Service Exam personal ethics and morality

2. Lao Zi Founder of Daoism (Taoism) TAOISM- holds that humans and animals should
“The Old Scholar” - Daodejing (Way Of Happiness), anyone can find true live in balance with Tao or the Universe. Taoist
happiness by practising virtues of humility, patience and believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit
self-control of the body joins the universe after death
-Acupuncture (needle medicine)
-Feng Shui (Chinese Geomancy)
-The Concept of Ying and Yang

3. Mencius The people had the right to overthrow a bad government

even by violent means.
-People are the most important element in the state. If an
emperor or ruler had lost the mandate of heaven, then he
had no more right to rule.

4. Han Feizi The Hanfeizi, the book named after him, comprises a LEGALISM- The Legalists believed that political
synthesis of legal theories up to his time. institutions should be modeled in response to
the realities of human behaviour and that
human beings are inherently selfish and short-
sighted. The Legalists advocated government by
a system of laws that rigidly prescribed
punishments and rewards for specific
behaviours.
 JAPAN: The Land of The Rising Sun
Japan was significantly
influenced by China and Korea,
the islands were never subject to
foreign political control and so
were free to select those ideas
which appealed to them, adapt
them how they wished, and to
continue with their indigenous
cultural practices to create a
Torii gate is the symbolic gateway between the
unique approach to government, spirit realm and the human world in Japan.
religion, and the arts.
 Japan In Mythology

• In Shinto mythology, the Japanese islands were created by the gods

Izanami and Izanagi when they dipped a jewelled spear into the
primordial sea.
• They also created over 800 kami or spirits, chief amongst which was
the sun goddess Amaterasu, and so created the deities of Shinto, the
indigenous religion of ancient Japan.
• Amaterasu’s grandson Ninigi became the first ruler, and he was the
great-grandfather of Japan’s first emperor, the semi-legendary
Emperor Jimmu (r. 660-585 BCE). Thus, a divine link was established
between all subsequent emperors and the gods.
 The Jomon Period
• The period’s name derives from the distinctive pottery
produced at that time, the oldest vessels in the world,
which has simple rope-like decoration or jomon.
• It is the appearance of this pottery that marks the end
of the previous period, the Paleolithic Age (30,000
years ago), when people crossed now lost land bridges
from mainland Asia to the northern and southern
Japanese islands.
• They then spread to the four main islands of
Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and
eventually to the several hundred smaller islands that
make up Japan.
 The Jomon Period
• The first signs of agriculture appear c. 5000 BCE
• Sannai-Maruyama- the earliest known settlement
dates to c. 3,500 BCE and lasts until c. 2000 BCE.
• Populations seem to have concentrated in coastal
areas and numbered somewhere between 100,000
and 150,000 across the islands.
• Skeletons from the period indicate people of
muscular build with wide square faces and an
average height of 1.52 m (5 ft) for females and 1.60
m (5 ft 3 inches) for males.
• Genetic and cranial studies suggest that Jomon
people are the ancestors of the present-day minority
group, the Ainu.
 The Yayoi Period
• The name derives from the reddish pottery first
found in the Yayoi district of Tokyo, which indicated a
development from the pottery of the Jomon Period.
• Envoys and tribute were sent to the Chinese
commanderies in northern Korea by the Wa, as the
confederation of small states in southern and western
Japan were then known, the most important of which
was Yamato.
• These missions are recorded in 57 and 107 CE. One
Japanese ruler known to have sent embassies to
Chinese territory (238, 243, and c. 248 CE)
 The Yayoi Period
• Queen Himiko. Ruling over 100 kingdoms (or perhaps just the
monarch of the most powerful one), the queen never married and
lived in a castle served by 1,000 women.
• Himiko was also a shamaness, embodying the dual role of ruler
and high priest, which would have been common in the period.
That a woman could perform either of both roles is an indicator of
the more favorable attitude to women in ancient Japan before
Chinese culture became more influential from the 7th century CE.
 Kofun Period
• The Kofun Period covers c. 250 to 538 CE and is named
after the large burial mounds which were constructed
at that time. Sometimes the period is referred to as the
Yamato Period (c. 250-710 CE) as that was then the
dominant state or region, either incorporating rival
regions into its own domain or, as in the case of chief
rival Izumo, conquering through warfare. The exact
location of Yamato is not known for certain, but most
historians agree it was in the Nara region.
• From the 4th century CE there was a significant influx of
people from the Korean peninsula, especially the Baekje
(Paekche) kingdom and Gaya (Kaya) Confederation.
These may have been the horse-riding warriors of the
controversial 'horse-rider theory' which claims that
Japan was conquered by Koreans and was no more than
a vassal state.
Shionjiyama Kofun
The large burial mounds known as kofun are
another link with mainland Asia as they were
built for the elite in various states of the Korean
peninsula. Another feature of kofun was the
placement of large terracotta figurines of
humans, animals, and even buildings called
haniwa around and on top them, probably to
act as guardians.

Haniwa
 
 Asuka Period
• The Asuka Period covers 538 to 710 CE. The name
derives from the capital at that time, Asuka, located
in the northern Nara prefecture. In 645 CE the
capital was moved to Naniwa, and between 694 and
710 CE it was at Fujiwarakyo.
• The most significant ruler was Prince Shotoku who
was regent until his death in 622 CE.
• Shotoku is credited with reforming and centralizing
government on the Chinese model by, amongst
other things, creating his Seventeen Article
Constitution, rooting out corruption and
encouraging greater ties with China.
 Asuka Period
• The next major political event of the Asuka period occurred in 645 CE when
the founder of the Fujiwara clan, Fujiwara no Kamatari, staged a coup
which took over power from the then dominant Soga clan.
• The new government was remodeled, again along Chinese lines, in a series of
lasting reforms, known as the Taika Reforms, in which land was nationalized,
taxes were to be paid in kind instead of labor, social ranks were recategorised,
civil service entrance examinations were introduced, law codes were written,
and the absolute authority of the emperor was established.
• Kamatari was made the emperor’s senior minister and given the surname
Fujiwara. This was the beginning of one of Japan's most powerful clans who
would monopolise government until the 12th century CE.
Asuka Period
• Emperor Temmu (r. 672-686 CE) pruned the extended royal family so
that only direct descendants could claim any right to the imperial
throne in a move which would create more rival clan groups. Temmu
selected Fujiwarakyo as the first proper Japanese capital which had a
palace in the Chinese style and streets laid out in a regular grid pattern.
• Perhaps the most significant development of the Asuka Period was the
introduction of Buddhism to Japan sometime in the 6th century CE,
traditionally in 552 CE. It was officially adopted by Emperor Yomei and
further encouraged by Prince Shotoku who built several impressive
temples such as Horyuji.
 Nara Period

• The Nara Period covers 710 to 794 CE and is so

called because the capital was at Nara (Heijokyo)
during that time and then moved briefly to
Nagaokakyo in 784 CE.
• The capital was built on the Chinese model of
Chang-an, the Tang capital and so had a regular and
well-defined grid layout, and public buildings familiar
to Chinese architecture.
• A sprawling royal palace, the Heijo, was built and the
state bureaucracy was expanded to some 7,000 civil
servants. The total population of Nara may have
been as high as 200,000 by the end of the period.
Nara Period
• The Nara Period produced arguably the two most famous and important
works of Japanese literature ever written: the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki
histories with their creation myths, Shinto gods, and royal genealogies. There
was also the Manyoshu poetry anthology, Japan’s first of many, which was
compiled c. 760 CE.
• The court, besides facing these natural disasters, was low on funds after too
many landed aristocrats and temples were given exemption from tax. Nara,
too, was beset by internal conflicts for favors and positions amongst the
aristocracy and politics was being unduly influenced by the Buddhist temples
dotted around the city. Consequently, Emperor Kammu changed the capital
yet again, a move which heralded the next Golden period of Japanese history.
Heian Period

• The Heian Period covers 794 to 1185 CE

and is named after the capital during that
time, Heiankyo, known today as Kyoto.
The new capital was laid out on a regular
grid plan. The city had a wide central
avenue and, like Nara before it, architecture
followed Chinese models, at least for public
buildings. The city had palaces for the
aristocracy, and a large pleasure park was
built south of the royal palace (Daidairi).
Heian Period
• At court the emperor, although still considered divine, became
sidelined by powerful bureaucrats who all came from one family: the
Fujiwara clan. Further weakening the royal position was the fact that
many emperors took the throne as children and so were governed
by a regent (Sessho), usually a representative of the Fujiwara
family.
• When the emperor reached adulthood, he was still advised by a new
position, the Kampaku, which ensured the Fujiwara still pulled the
political strings of court.
Heian Period
• Emperor Shirakawa (r. 1073-1087 CE) attempted to assert his
independence from the Fujiwara by abdicating in 1087 CE and allowing
his son Horikawa to reign under his supervision.
• This strategy of 'retired' emperors still, in effect, governing, became
known as 'cloistered government' (insei) as the emperor usually
remained behind closed doors in a monastery.
• Goods imported from China included medicines, worked silk fabrics,
books, ceramics, weapons, and musical instruments while Japan sent in
return pearls, gold dust, amber, raw silk, and gilt lacquer ware. Monks,
scholars, students, musicians, and artists were sent to see what they
could learn from the still more advanced culture of China.
 Heian Period
• The period is noted for its cultural achievements, which included
the creation of a Japanese writing (kana) using Chinese
characters, mostly phonetically, which permitted the production
of the world’s first novel, the Tale of Genji by Murasaki
Shikibu (c. 1020 CE), and several noted diaries (nikki) written
by court ladies, including The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon (c.
1002 CE). Another important work was the 905 CE Kokinshu
poem anthology.
• All of this artistic output at the capital was very fine, but in the
provinces, new power-brokers were emerging. Left to their own
devices and fuelled by blood from the minor nobility two
important groups evolved: the Minamoto and Taira clans. With
their own private armies of samurai they became important
instruments in the hands of rival members of the Fujiwara clan’s
internal power struggle, which broke out in the 1156 CE Hogen
Disturbance and the 1160 CE Heiji Disturbance.
The Shogunates
• The shogunate was the hereditary military dictatorship of Japan
• The Taira eventually swept away the Fujiwara and all rivals, but in the Genpei War
(1180-1185 CE), the Minamoto returned victorious, and at the war’s finale, the
Battle of Dannoura, the Taira leader, Tomamori, and the young emperor Antoku
committed suicide.
• The Minamoto clan leader Yoritomo was shortly after given the title of shogun by
the emperor, and his rule would usher in the medieval chapter of Japanese history
with the Kamakura Period (1185-1333 CE), also known as the Kamakura
Shogunate, when Japanese government became dominated by the military.
• During this time, the Mongols attempted invasion but they were said to be saved by
the Divine wind or Kamikaze. Then there’s the Ashikaga Shogunate and the
Tokugawa Shogunate where the three generals emerged such as Oda Nobunaga
(1534-1582) Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536 - 1598) and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
 KOREA: The Hermit Kingdom
Prehistoric Korea
The Korean peninsula was inhabited from 10,000 BCE (or even earlier)
by people who subsisted on hunting, fishing, and gathering. The earliest
known settlements date to c. 6,000 BCE. Megalithic structures from the
2nd millennium BCE still dot the landscape of Korea and number over
200,000. Dolmens were constructed of huge single stones and were
likely used as tomb markers. Other types of burials take the form of
stone-lined cist graves with precious goods such as amazonite jeweler
being buried with the deceased.
 Gojoseon
• Gojoseon (Gochoson), according to Korean
mythology as recounted in the 13th-century CE
Samguk yusa ('Memorabilia of the Three
Kingdoms'), was founded in 2333 BCE by
Dangun Wanggeom (Tangun) who was the
offspring of the god Hwanung and a female
bear transformed into a woman.
• Archaeological evidence suggests that the state
was formed from the alliance of small fortified
towns around the Daedong (Taedong) and Liao
River basins perhaps from the 7th century BCE
and more certainly from the 4th century BCE.
Gojoseon
• Gojoseon prospered due to agricultural improvements (with iron tools introduced
from China) and plentiful natural resources like gold, silver, copper, tin, and zinc. At
this time the famous ondol underfloor heating system was invented and the first
Korean grey stoneware produced.
• However, Gojoseon was weakened by attacks from the neighboring Yan state c.
300 BCE, and a long decline set in.
• Gojoseon finally collapsed in the 2nd century BCE, and its successor, Wiman
Joseon, did not last very long either for in 108 BCE it was conquered by the Han
dynasty of China (206 BCE – 220 CE).
• The Han were interested in natural resources such as salt and iron and they
divided northern Korea into four commanderies directly administered by their
central government.
 Three Kingdoms Of Korea

• Gojoseon's territories would later become Goguryeo (Koguryo)

while the southern part of Korea at this time, often referred to as the
Proto-Three Kingdoms period, was spilt into the Three Hans of
Pyonhan, Mahan, and Chinhan (no connection to the Chinese Han),
which became the three states of Baekje (Paekche), Gaya (Kaya),
and Silla in the subsequent Three Kingdoms period. These
kingdoms benefitted from the sophisticated culture brought by
refugees from the collapsed Gojoseon and defeated Wiman Joseon
states.
Three Kingdoms Of Korea
• Goguryeo, with its capital at Pyongyang, particularly
prospered in the 5th century CE during the reign of
Gwanggaeto the Great(391-413), who lived up to his
other title of 'broad expander of domain,' and
permitted Goguryeo to dominate northern Korea,
most of Manchuria, and a portion of Inner Mongolia.
• Silla, meanwhile, with its capital at Kumsong
(Gyeongju) flourished under the reign of king
Beopheung achieving a much greater degree of
centralization and prospering on the eastern coast
due to agricultural innovations such as oxen-drawn
ploughs and irrigation systems.
Three Kingdoms Of Korea
• Gaya, squeezed between its more powerful neighbors in
the south of the peninsula, never fully developed into a
centralized kingdom.
• Silla captured the Gaya capital Pon Kaya in 532 CE, and
the state collapsed completely a few decades later. Baekje
had done well in the late 4th century BCE under king
Kunchogo and had formed its capital at Hansong (modern
Gwangju).
• An alliance with Silla between 433 and 553 CE brought
some stability, but in 554 CE at a battle at Kwansan-song
Fortress (modern Okchon) Baekje tried to reclaim territory
it had lost to a Silla invasion and their 30,000-strong army
was defeated and the Baekje king Song killed.
 Three Kingdoms Of Korea
• Society was rigidly divided into social ranks, best epitomised by the Silla
sacred bone rank system which was based on birth and dictated one's
work possibilities, tax obligations, and even the clothes one could wear
or the utensils one could use.
 Unified Silla Kingdom

• The Unified Silla Kingdom (668- 935 CE) was the first dynasty to rule
over the whole of the Korean peninsula.
• The state began a slow decline from the 8th century CE, largely due
to the rigidity of its class structure, still based on the bone rank
system, the strict social classification of entitlements and obligations.
Not only did the lack of opportunity to rise above the class of one's
birth create a stagnation of ideas and innovations, but the aristocracy
began, too, to resent the power of the king.
• At the other end of the social ladder, the peasantry grew more and
more resentful of the incessant taxes levied upon them. On top of
that, local landed aristocrats became ever more difficult to control
from the capital. The state was falling apart from within.
 Balhae (698-926 C.E.)
• Dae Joyeong, a former Goguryeo general, founded Balhae in the
northern part of former lands of Goguryeo.
• Balhae controlled the northernmost areas of the Korean Peninsula,
much of Manchuria (with the exception of the Liaodong peninsula
for much of their history), and expanded into present-day Russian
Maritime Province. Balhae styled itself as Goguryeo's successor
state, adapting culture from the Tang Empire, for example in the
layout of its capitals.
• In a time of relative peace and stability in the region, Balhae culture
flourished, especially during the long reign of the third Emperor
Mun (r. 737-793). Like Silla culture, Buddhism strongly influenced
the culture of Balhae. However, Balhae, severely weakened by the
tenth century, fell to the invading Khitan Liao Dynasty army in
926.No historical records from Balhae have survived, and the Liao
left no histories of Balhae.
 Goryeo
• Goryeo (Koguryo) would rule Korea from 918 CE to 1392
CE, and it is the name of this kingdom which is the origin
of the English name for the peninsula, Korea.
• Wang Kon selected the northern city of Songdo
(Modern Kaesong) as his new capital and declared
himself king. For his contribution to creating the new
state he was given the posthumous title King Taejo or
'Great Founder.'
• The new state was not without its external threats, and
the Khitan (Qidan) tribes to the north attacked Goryeo
twice. In 1033 CE they were finally defeated, and a
defensive wall was built stretching right across the
northern Korea border.
Goryeo

• Decades of turbulent in-fighting between all levels of Goryeo society

ensued with more coups, assassinations, and slave rebellions. Worse
was to come, though.
• Genghis Khan, who had unified the Mongol tribes, had swept across
China, and his son Ogedei Khan turned his attention to Korea in 1231
CE. Goryeo was forced to move its capital to Kanghwa Island the
following year. While the ruling elite was safely ensconced on their
island, the rest of the Goryeo population had to face six Mongol
invasions over the next three decades.
Joseon O Yi (1392-1910 C.E.)
• Joseon experienced advances in science and culture, most notably,
the Hangul written alphabet, which King Sejong commissioned a
team of scholars to create in 1443. The Joseon Dynasty has earned
the distinction of having been the longest-lived ruling dynasty in East
Asia during the last millennium.
• Joseon maintained a stable economy during peaceful times. The
economy began to prosper once the Joseon court sat on a firm
foundation, especially during King Sejong's rule. The economy
suffered after the Japanese invasions 1592-1598 and internal court
corruption, bribery, and heavy tax, strained the Korean economy.
Joseon O Yi (1392-1910 C.E.)

• In 1392 the throne sent Korean general, Lee Seonggye, to campaign

against the Ming Dynastyin China, but instead he returned to overthrow
the Goryeo king and stablish a new dynasty. He named it the Joseon
Dynasty in honor of the previous Joseon before (Gojoseon is the first
Joseon. He added "Go" (meaning "old") to distinguish between the two).
• King Taejo moved the new capital to Hanseong (formerly Hanyang;
modern-day Seoul) and built the Gyeongbokgung palace. In 1394 he
adopted Neo-Confucianism as the country's official religion, resulting in
much loss of power and wealth by the Buddhists.
Joseon O Yi (1392-1910 C.E.)
• The king sat at the top of the system, yangban (government officials
and generals) directly below him. Yangbans entered government as
influential scholars during the Joseon Dynasty.
• The middle class consisted of merchants and craftsmen.
• The main economy rested on the lowest classes, the farmers and the
lowest class, the slaves. At one point, slaves comprised 30 percent of
the population.
Joseon O Yi (1392-1910 C.E.)
• Joseon suffered a pair of Japanese invasions
from Toyotomi Hideyoshi from 1592 to
1598]] (Imjin War). That conflict brought fame to
Admiral Yi Sunsin, and the use of Turtle
ships and Hwachas by the Korean military.
• Subsequently, Manchuria invaded Korea in 1627
and again in 1636 after which the Joseon dynasty
recognized the legitimacy of the Qing Empire.
Religions and Philosophies in East Asia
• The two schools differ in orientation—Daoism
stressing mystical experience and the individual’s
harmony with nature and Confucianism
emphasizing the duty of the individual in society
and government—but both have profoundly
influenced Chinese and Chinese-derived culture. 
• Shintō encompasses the indigenous religious beliefs
and practices of the Japanese people.