6.27 The far east: a.d. 1301 to 1400  (Page 2/2)

Chaulmoogra Oil was used for leprosy in this century, but even the Chinese seemed to find no solution for the plague. Tuberculosis may have occurred and venereal disease, although not well defined, was present and treated with a variety of therapies, including metals. (Ref. 12 , 125 )

Japan

After their victory over the Mongols, which was detailed in the last chapter, the Japanese fought among themselves and the role of the Shoguns in Kamakura deteriorated. In 1333 the Hojos power came to an end as Go Daigo got the rival Minamoto and Ashikaga clans rallied to him to defeat the degenerated Hojos and make him emperor. The Ashikagas then turned on Go Daigo, however, and established their own puppet emperor, Kogon, organizing the Ashikaga Shogunate which was to rule for 250 years of chaos and civil war. In this period in Japan, skill at arms, rather than family pedigree, was the best way to win and hold land.

There were two imperial courts from 1339 to 1392, a southern and a northern one. True Shintoists considered the former to be the true court because it had the imperial regalia - the mirror, sword and necklace. Actually, by the rules of primogeniture, the northerners had the better claim, but in 1392 they accepted a big financial settlement and ended the schism by returning to Kyoto. But settling the schism brought no lasting peace and civil wars raged on continuously in the next century. (Ref. 12 )

Korea

Surviving a short period of Mongolian overlordship, the Koryo Dynasty continued through most of this century as in the previous one, subject, however, to Ming overlordship after 1369. In 1392 General Yi Song-gye, with the help of the Mings, overthrew the Koryos and took over the throne in Songdo (Kaesong), which is now in North Korea. He then changed his capital to Hansong (present day Seoul) and ruled as king of the Yi Dynasty, one which was to dominate Korea for the next 500 years. Yi Song-gye later became known as King Taejo, which means "great original ancestor". This new dynasty rejected Buddhism in favor of Chinese Confucianism. (Ref. 113 , 45 )

Southeast asia

In the area of Burma several independent states emerged - the Burmese proper about Ava in the north and Mons about the city of Pegu in the south, but other peoples were evolving slowly, also. In Siam, the Thai political center moved south to Aijutthaya about 1350 and formed the modern state of Thailand. The Thai converted to Buddhism, but the Moslems won the coasts. The Khmers now had abandoned Ankor and retreated to the Mekong. Pagan declined after the Mongol invasion and Shan princes assumed rule over the northern portions. The Shans were Theravada Buddhists who lived with a distinctive structure of feudal states. The men wore turbans and were of ten heavily tattooed. In Vietnam, the Chinese lost their hold and a new kingdom, Dai-Viet, appeared and absorbed the Kingdom of Champa. (Ref. 175 )

Islam had pretty well won the contest of religions in the southern island empires. On Sumatra, Malacca took the place of Srivijaya and Islam began to spread into the archipelago to be halted only two centuries later by the Spanish seizure of Manila. The Empire of Majapahit continued as the greatest of the Indo-Javanese kingdoms and Arabs and Persians came there to trade. The Malays, who settled the peninsula named after them, came in this century from Sumatra. (Ref. 8 )

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