Japan: Land of the Rising Sun

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Izanagi and Izanami glided down the
rainbow-striped Floating Bridge of Heaven. They
stared into the oily, primeval ocean of chaos
below. Izanagi dipped his jeweled spear and
stirred the swirling jellyfish-like mass a
glistening droplet fell from his spear point and
turned into an island. Izanagi and Izanami
descended to the island they created and built a
tall, sacred column. Izanagi circled the column
in one direction, Izanami went in the other. When
they met face to face, they married. Izanami then
gave birth to the eight islands of Japan, the
mountains, the seasons, the gods of land and
water and all the forms of nature. After giving
birth to the fire god, Izanami died of a burning
fever. Izanagi was so crazed with grief that he
chased after his wife into the dark Underworld.
He pulled a comb from his hair and lit it, just
to get a glimpse of his beautiful beloved. He
sprang back in horror! Izanami had become a
rotting corpse. She shrieked in rage at being
seen. Izanagi fled his hideous wife and her
horde of demons and devils were at his heels. He
just barely reached the mouth of the Underworld
and rolled a boulder into it. Izanami wailed that
she would kill 1,000 people a day in revenge.
Izanagi vowed that 1,500 people would be born
each day. As they had married from either side of
the column, Izanagi and Izanami divorced from
either side of the boulder. The living and the
dead were separated forever.
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Japans Geography

• 7th Grade History

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Topic

• Japans Geography

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Japans Geography

• Daily Objective
• Students will identify two geographical factors
  which led to Japans isolation from the rest of
  the world
• Students will identify how Japans geographical
  features contributed to the development of the
  Japanese culture

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Prompt

• How did the sea aid in the development of an
  isolated Japanese society?

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Japanese Geography

• Millions of years ago, volcanic islands pushed up
  out of the Pacific Ocean forming Japan

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Japanese Geography

• Japan is made up of four large islands, Hokkaido,
  Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

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Japanese Geography

• Land facts
• Earthquakes and active volcanoes.
• Typhoons, with heavy winds and rains batter its
  coast.
• Less than 20 of Japan can be farmed because it
  is made up of mostly hills and mountains.

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Japanese Geography

• The sea is Japans greatest resource providing
  food, as well as transportation routes.
• The seas act as a natural barrier, keeping Japan
  isolated and shielded from invasion

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Japanese Geography

• Isolation allowed the Japanese to control the
  flow of people and ideas into their country with
  few influences from other countries, other than
  China

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Assessment

• Identify two geographical factors which led to
  Japans isolation from the rest of the world
• Identify how Japans geographical features
  contributed to the development of the Japanese
  culture