Premodern Japanese Culture
Course code
HIL6596.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Jaapani vanem kultuur
Course title in English
Premodern Japanese Culture
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2025/2026 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Brief description of the course
The course provides a systematic overview of Japanese cultural history from prehistory to the end of the Edo period (1868). The curriculum focuses on the development of worldviews (Shintō, Buddhism, Confucianism), literature, and art, as well as their interrelationships across different eras. Key cultural phenomena, such as Heian period court culture, medieval warrior ethics, and the flourishing of Edo period urban society, are examined. The course helps students understand the fundamental values and aesthetic principles of traditional Japanese culture within their historical development.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- identifies the major periods, events, and cultural monuments of Japanese history from antiquity to the mid-19th century;
- understands the role of worldviews, religious systems, and aesthetic canons in the formation of Japanese society and culture;
- analyzes examples of traditional Japanese literature and art, placing them within their appropriate historical and social contexts;
- engages in discussion about the nature of traditional Japanese culture and present analysis results both orally and in writing.
- identifies the major periods, events, and cultural monuments of Japanese history from antiquity to the mid-19th century;
- understands the role of worldviews, religious systems, and aesthetic canons in the formation of Japanese society and culture;
- analyzes examples of traditional Japanese literature and art, placing them within their appropriate historical and social contexts;
- engages in discussion about the nature of traditional Japanese culture and present analysis results both orally and in writing.
Teacher
Alari Allik, Miikael Lotman
Study programmes containing that course