Art history

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Japanese art history

General

Japanese Art Main Page Categories Architecture - Calligraphy Lacquer - Painting - Pottery Prints - Sculpture - Swords

Historical Periods

Jōmon and Yayoi periods Yamato period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period Edo period Meiji period 20th century Contemporary Japanese art

Japanese Artists

Artists (chronological) Artists - Calligraphers Geisha - Painters Sculptors - Architects Photographers - Printmakers

Schools, Styles and Movements

Schools category Buddhist art Kanō - Kyoto - Nanga Rinpa - Tosa - Ukiyo-e

The Art World

Art museums

Anime and Manga

Anime - Manga - Animators Illustrators - Manga artists

Japan WikiProject

Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper, and a myriad of other types of works of art. Art history is the Academic study of objects of Art in their Historical development and stylistic contexts i Eastern art history is devoted to the arts of the Far East and includes a vast range of influences from various cultures and religions has as long a history as any other aspect of Japanese culture. is a form of Calligraphy, or artistic Writing, used for writing the Japanese language. In a general sense lacquer is a clear or coloured Varnish, that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard durable finish in any is one of the oldest and most highly refined of the Japanese arts encompassing a wide variety of genre and styles Woodblock printing in Japan (木版画 moku hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the Ukiyo-e artistic genre however it was The sculpture of Japan started from the clay figure Japanese sculpture received the influence of the Silk Road culture in the 5th century and received a strong influence from Chinese Japanese prehistoric art is a wide-ranging category spanning the Jōmon (c This list is intended to encompass Japanese who are primarily fine artists Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Gautama Buddha, 6th to 5th century BCE and thereafter evolved by contact with The is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. It was founded by Kanō Masanobu (1434–1530 a contemporary of Sesshū and student The Kyoto school (京都派 -ha) was a collection of several styles and schools of Japanese painting of the late Edo period. Rimpa (琳派 also romanized as Rinpa, is one of the major historical schools of Japanese decorative Painting. The Tosa school of Japanese painting was founded in the 15th century and was devoted to the Yamato-e, which are paintings specializing in subject matter and techniques "pictures of the floating world" is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or Woodcuts) and Paintings produced between the 17th It also has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

Historically, Japan has been subject to sudden invasions of new and alien ideas followed by long periods of minimal contact with the outside world. Over time the Japanese developed the ability to absorb, imitate, and finally assimilate those elements of foreign culture that complemented their aesthetic preferences. The earliest complex art in Japan was produced in the 7th and 8th centuries A. D. in connection with Buddhism. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices In the 9th century, as the Japanese began to turn away from China and develop indigenous forms of expression, the secular arts became increasingly important; until the late 15th century, both religious and secular arts flourished. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National After the Ōnin War (1467-1477), Japan entered a period of political, social, and economic disruption that lasted for over a century. The was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan. In the state that emerged under the leadership of the Tokugawa shogunate, organized religion played a much less important role in people's lives, and the arts that survived were primarily secular. The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of

Painting is the preferred artistic expression in Japan, practiced by amateurs and professionals alike. Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e Until modern times, the Japanese wrote with a brush rather than a pen, and their familiarity with brush techniques has made them particularly sensitive to the values and aesthetics of painting. "Paintbrush" redirects here For other uses see Paintbrush (disambiguation. A pen (Latin pinna, feather is a Writing instrument used to apply Ink to a surface usually Paper. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called With the rise of popular culture in the Edo period, a style of woodblock prints called ukiyo-e became a major artform and its techniques were fine tuned to produce colorful prints of everything from daily news to schoolbooks. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 For the use of the technique in art see Woodcut on the technique and Old master print for the history in Europe and Woodblock printing in Japan. "pictures of the floating world" is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or Woodcuts) and Paintings produced between the 17th The Japanese, in this period, found sculpture a much less sympathetic medium for artistic expression; most Japanese sculpture is associated with religion, and the medium's use declined with the lessening importance of traditional Buddhism. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos

Japanese ceramics are among the finest in the world and include the earliest known artifacts of their culture. Japanese pottery and porcelain (陶芸 Jp tōgei also 焼きもの Jp In architecture, Japanese preferences for natural materials and an interaction of interior and exterior space are clearly expressed. has as long a history as any other aspect of Japanese culture.

Today, Japan rivals most other modern nations in its contributions to modern art, fashion and architecture, with creations of a truly modern, global, and multi-cultural (or acultural) bent.

Contents 1 History of Japanese art 1.1 Jōmon art 1.2 Yayoi art 1.3 Kofun art 1.4 Asuka and Nara art 1.5 Heian art 1.6 Kamakura art 1.7 Muromachi art 1.8 Azuchi-Momoyama art 1.9 Art of the Edo period 1.10 Meiji art 1.11 Postwar period 1.12 Modern art in Japan 2 Performing arts 3 Aesthetic concepts 4 Artists 4.1 Art schools 4.2 Private sponsorship and foundations 5 Notes 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

History of Japanese art

Jōmon art

The first settlers of Japan, the Jōmon people (c 11000?–c 300 BC), named for the cord markings that decorated the surfaces of their clay vessels, were nomadic hunter-gatherers who later practiced organized farming and built cities with population of hundreds if not thousands. The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14000 BC to 400 BC. A rope is a length of Fibers twisted or Braided together to improve strength for pulling and Connecting. They built simple houses of wood and thatch set into shallow earthen pits to provide warmth from the soil. They crafted lavishly decorated pottery storage vessels, clay figurines called dogu, and crystal jewels. Dogū (土偶 Dogū, "clay idol/figurine" are small humanoid and animal Figurines made during the late Jōmon period (14000 BC to 400 BC

Yayoi art

The next wave of immigrants was the Yayoi people, named for the district in Tokyo where remnants of their settlements first were found. The is an era in the history of Japan from about 500 BC to 300 AD. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. These people, arriving in Japan about 350 BC, brought their knowledge of wetland rice cultivation, the manufacture of copper weapons and bronze bells (dōtaku), and wheel-thrown, kiln-fired ceramics. are Japanese bells smelted from relatively thin Bronze and richly decorated

Kofun art

The third stage in Japanese prehistory, the Kofun, or Tumulus, period (c AD 250–552), represents a modification of Yayoi culture, attributable either to internal development or external force. are megalithic Tombs or tumuli in Japan, constructed between early 3rd century and early 7th century. A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves The is an era in the history of Japan from about 500 BC to 300 AD. In this period, diverse groups of people formed political alliances and coalesced into a nation. Typical artifacts are bronze mirrors, symbols of political alliances, and clay sculptures called haniwa which were erected outside tombs. The are Terra cotta clay figures which were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th century AD of the History

Asuka and Nara art

During the Asuka and Nara periods, so named because the seat of Japanese government was located in the Asuka Valley from 552 to 710 and in the city of Nara until 784, the first significant invasion by Asian continental culture took place in Japan. In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta The, was a period in the History of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592-645 although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺 or Learning Temple The, was a period in the History of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592-645 although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The of the History of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.

The transmission of Buddhism provided the initial impetus for contacts between China, Korea and Japan. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Japanese recognized the facets of Chinese culture that could profitably be incorporated into their own: a system for converting ideas and sounds into writing; historiography; complex theories of government, such as an effective bureaucracy; and, most important for the arts, new technologies, new building techniques, more advanced methods of casting in bronze, and new techniques and media for painting. The Culture of China (traditional Chinese 中國文化 simplified Chinese 中国文化 is home to one of the world's oldest and most complex Civilizations covering a history Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus

Throughout the 7th and 8th centuries, however, the major focus in contacts between Japan and the Asian continent was the development of Buddhism. Not all scholars agree on the significant dates and the appropriate names to apply to various time periods between 552, the official date of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan, and 784, when the Japanese capital was transferred from Nara. The most common designations are the Suiko period, 552–645; the Hakuho period, 645–710, and the Tenpyō period, 710–784.

The earliest Japanese sculptures of the Buddha are dated to the 6th and 7th century. ^[1] They ultimately derive from the 1st-3rd century CE Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, characterized by flowing dress patterns and realistic rendering, on which Chinese and Korean artistic traits were superimposed. Greco-Buddhist art is the artistic manifestation of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural Syncretism between the Classical Greek culture and Buddhism Gandhāra ( Sanskrit: गन्धार Urdu: گندھارا Gandḥārā; also known as Waihind in Persian is the name of an ancient ^[2]These indigenous characteristics can be seen in early Buddhist art in Japan and some early Japanese Buddhist sculpture is now believed to have originated in Korea, particularly from Baekje, or Korean artisans who immigrated to Yamato Japan. ^[3] Particularly, the semi-seated Maitreya form was adapted into a highly developed Korean style which was transmitted to Japan as evidenced by the Koryu-ji Miroku Bosatsu and the Chugu-ji Siddhartha statues. Although many historians portray Korea as a mere transmitter of Buddhism, the Three Kingdoms, and particularly Baekje, were instrumental as active agents in the introduction and formation of a Buddhist tradition in Japan in 538 or 552. ^[4] They illustrate the terminal point of the Silk Road transmission of Art during the first few centuries of our era. Many artistic influences transited along the Silk Road, especially through the Central Asia, where Hellenistic, Iranian Indian and Chinese Other examples can be found in the development of the iconography of the Japanese Fujin Wind God,^[5] the Nio guardians,^[6] and the near-Classical floral patterns in temple decorations. Kongōrikishi (金剛力士 or Niō (仁王 are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean ^[7]

The earliest Buddhist structures still extant in Japan, and the oldest wooden buildings in the Far East are found at the Hōryū-ji to the southwest of Nara. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺 or Learning Temple First built in the early 7th century as the private temple of Crown Prince Shotoku, it consists of 41 independent buildings. also known as, was a Regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan. The most important ones, the main worship hall, or Kondo (Golden Hall), and Goju-no-to (Five-story Pagoda), stand in the center of an open area surrounded by a roofed cloister. A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered Tower with multiple Eaves common in China, Japan, Korea The Kondo, in the style of Chinese worship halls, is a two-story structure of post-and-beam construction, capped by an irimoya, or hipped-gabled roof of ceramic tiles. Chinese Buddhism ( Pinyin fójiào refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China proper since ancient times

Inside the Kondo, on a large rectangular platform, are some of the most important sculptures of the period. The central image is a Shaka Trinity (623), the historical Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas, sculpture cast in bronze by the sculptor Tori Busshi (flourished early 7th century) in homage to the recently deceased Prince Shotoku. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta Tori Busshi (止利仏師 was a Japanese sculptor active in the late 6th and early 7th century At the four corners of the platform are the Guardian Kings of the Four Directions, carved in wood around 650. In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four guardian gods each of whom watches over one Cardinal direction of the world Also housed at Hōryū-ji is the Tamamushi Shrine, a wooden replica of a Kondo, which is set on a high wooden base that is decorated with figural paintings executed in a medium of mineral pigments mixed with lacquer. is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺 or Learning Temple Chrysochroa fulgidissima or tamamushi in Japanese ( Japanese Kanji: 玉虫、吉丁虫 Katakana:タマムシ）is

Temple building in the 8th century was focused around the Tōdai-ji in Nara. is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Constructed as the headquarters for a network of temples in each of the provinces, the Tōdaiji is the most ambitious religious complex erected in the early centuries of Buddhist worship in Japan. Appropriately, the 16. 2-m (53-ft) Buddha (completed 752) enshrined in the main Buddha hall, or Daibutsuden, is a Rushana Buddha, the figure that represents the essence of Buddhahood, just as the Tōdaiji represented the center for Imperially sponsored Buddhism and its dissemination throughout Japan. Only a few fragments of the original statue survive, and the present hall and central Buddha are reconstructions from the Edo period. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868

Clustered around the Daibutsuden on a gently sloping hillside are a number of secondary halls: the Hokkedo (Lotus Sutra Hall), with its principal image, the Fukukenjaku Kannon (the most popular bodhisattva), crafted of dry lacquer (cloth dipped in lacquer and shaped over a wooden armature); the Kaidanin (Ordination Hall) with its magnificent clay statues of the Four Guardian Kings; and the storehouse, called the Shosoin. Guanyin (觀音 pinyin guānyīn, Wade-Giles kuan-yin) is the Bodhisattva of compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four guardian gods each of whom watches over one Cardinal direction of the world The is the treasure house that belongs to Tōdai-ji, Nara The building is in the azekura log-cabin style with a raised floor This last structure is of great importance as an art-historical cache, because in it are stored the utensils that were used in the temple's dedication ceremony in 752, the eye-opening ritual for the Rushana image, as well as government documents and many secular objects owned by the Imperial family.

Heian art

In 794 the capital of Japan was officially transferred to Heian-kyo (present-day Kyoto), where it remained until 1868. (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. The term Heian period refers to the years between 794 and 1185, when the Kamakura shogunate was established at the end of the Genpei War. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The Kamakura shogunate ( Japanese: 鎌倉幕府 Kamakura bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship in Japan headed by the Shoguns from The ( 1180 &ndash 1185) were a Conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late- Heian period Japan. The period is further divided into the early Heian and the late Heian, or Fujiwara era, the pivotal date being 894, the year imperial embassies to China were officially discontinued. The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-shi) descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of Regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions

Early Heian art: In reaction to the growing wealth and power of organized Buddhism in Nara, the priest Kūkai (best known by his posthumous title Kōbō Daishi, 774-835) journeyed to China to study Shingon, a form of Vajrayana Buddhism, which he introduced into Japan in 806. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Kūkai (ja 空海 or also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (ja 弘法大師 774&ndash835 CE was a Japanese monk, Scholar Shingon Buddhism (眞言 真言 " true words " is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and is the other branch of Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and At the core of Shingon worship are mandalas, diagrams of the spiritual universe, which then began to influence temple design. Mandala ( Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड "essence" + ल "having" or "containing" Japanese Buddhist architecture also adopted the stupa, originally an Indian architectural form, in its Chinese-style pagoda. A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist

The temples erected for this new sect were built in the mountains, far away from the Court and the laity in the capital. The irregular topography of these sites forced Japanese architects to rethink the problems of temple construction, and in so doing to choose more indigenous elements of design. Cypress-bark roofs replaced those of ceramic tile, wood planks were used instead of earthen floors, and a separate worship area for the laity was added in front of the main sanctuary.

The temple that best reflects the spirit of early Heian Shingon temples is the Muro-ji (early 9th century), set deep in a stand of cypress trees on a mountain southeast of Nara. The wooden image (also early 9th c. ) of Shakyamuni, the "historic" Buddha, enshrined in a secondary building at the Muro-ji, is typical of the early Heian sculpture, with its ponderous body, covered by thick drapery folds carved in the hompa-shiki (rolling-wave) style, and its austere, withdrawn facial expression. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder

Fujiwara art: In the Fujiwara period, Pure Land Buddhism, which offered easy salvation through belief in Amida (the Buddha of the Western Paradise), became popular. The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-shi) descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of Regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions Pure Land Buddhism ( Jìngtǔzōng; 浄土教 Jōdokyō; Korean: ko-Hang 정토종 jeongtojong; Vietnamese: 浄土宗 vi Amitābha ( Sanskrit: अमिताभ Amitābha (wordstem pronunciation; Chinese: 阿彌陀佛 Ēmítuó Fó; Tibetan: འོད་དཔག་མེད་ This period is named after the Fujiwara family, then the most powerful in the country, who ruled as regents for the Emperor, becoming, in effect, civil dictators. The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-shi) descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of Regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions In Japan, Sesshō (摂政 was a title given to a Regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his Coming of age, or an Concurrently, the Kyoto nobility developed a society devoted to elegant aesthetic pursuits. So secure and beautiful was their world that they could not conceive of Paradise as being much different. They created a new form of Buddha hall, the Amida hall, which blends the secular with the religious, and houses one or more Buddha images within a structure resembling the mansions of the nobility.

The Ho-o-do (Phoenix Hall, completed 1053) of the Byodoin, a temple in Uji to the southeast of Kyoto, is the exemplar of Fujiwara Amida halls. For the Arena in Debrecen Hungary see Fonix Hall. For the replica temple in Hawaii see Byodo-In Temple. is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It consists of a main rectangular structure flanked by two L-shaped wing corridors and a tail corridor, set at the edge of a large artificial pond. Inside, a single golden image of Amida (c. 1053) is installed on a high platform. The Amida sculpture was executed by Jocho, who used a new canon of proportions and a new technique (yosegi), in which multiple pieces of wood are carved out like shells and joined from the inside. Jōchō (定朝　d 1057 also known as Jōchō Busshi, was a Japanese sculptor of the Heian period. is a type of traditional Japanese Parquetry which originated in Japan’s culturally rich Edo Period. Applied to the walls of the hall are small relief carvings of celestials, the host believed to have accompanied Amida when he descended from the Western Paradise to gather the souls of believers at the moment of death and transport them in lotus blossoms to Paradise. Raigo paintings on the wooden doors of the Ho-o-do, depicting the Descent of the Amida Buddha, are an early example of Yamato-e, Japanese-style painting, and contain representations of the scenery around Kyoto. A ("welcoming approach" is an appearance of Amida Buddha on a purple cloud at the time of one's death Yamato-e (大和絵 is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang dynasty paintings and developed in the late Heian period.

E-maki: In the last century of the Heian period, the horizontal, illustrated narrative handscroll, the e-maki, came to the fore. often simply called, is a horizontal illustrated narrative form created during the 11th to 16th centuries in Japan. Dating from about 1130, the illustrated 'Tale of Genji' represents one of the high points of Japanese painting. is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century around the peak of the Heian Period Written about the year 1000 by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Akiko, the novel deals with the life and loves of Prince Genji and the world of the Heian court after his death. Murasaki Shikibu ( 紫[[wikt 式|式]] 部; c 973&ndashc 1014 or 1025 or Lady Murasaki as she is sometimes known in English was a Japanese Akiko is the name of a black and white American Comic book series written and drawn by Mark Crilley and published by Sirius Entertainment. The 12th-century artists of the e-maki version devised a system of pictorial conventions that convey visually the emotional content of each scene. In the second half of the century, a different, livelier style of continuous narrative illustration became popular. The Ban Dainagon Ekotoba (late 12th century), a scroll that deals with an intrigue at court, emphasizes figures in active motion depicted in rapidly executed brush strokes and thin but vibrant colors. Ban Dainagon Ekotoba (伴大納言絵詞 or The Tale of Great Minister Ban, is an Emakimono (handscroll painting depicting the events of the

E-maki also serve as some of the earliest and greatest examples of the otoko-e (Men's pictures) and onna-e (Women's pictures) styles of painting. There are many fine differences in the two styles, appealing to the aesthetic preferences of the genders. But perhaps most easily noticeable are the differences in subject matter. Onna-e, epitomized by the Tale of Genji handscroll, typically deals with court life, particularly the court ladies, and with romantic themes. Otoko-e, on the other hand, often recorded historical events, particularly battles. The Siege of the Sanjō Palace (1160), depicted in the painting "Night Attack on the Sanjō Palace" is a famous example of this style. The Siege of the Sanjō Palace was the primary battle of the 1159 Heiji Rebellion.

Kamakura art

In 1180 a war broke out between the two most powerful warrior clans, the Taira and the Minamoto; five years later the Minamoto emerged victorious and established a de facto seat of government at the seaside village of Kamakura, where it remained until 1333. is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Unkei (運慶 1151 – 1223 was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. For other uses of the word Taira see Taira (disambiguation The was a major Japanese clan in historical Japan was one of the honorary surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan of the Heian Period ( 794 – 1185 AD on those of their sons and grandsons who were not is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 km south-south-west of Tokyo. With the shift of power from the nobility to the warrior class, the arts had to satisfy a new audience: men devoted to the skills of warfare, priests committed to making Buddhism available to illiterate commoners, and conservatives, the nobility and some members of the priesthood who regretted the declining power of the court. Thus, realism, a popularizing trend, and a classical revival characterize the art of the Kamakura period. The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura Shogun

Sculpture: The Kei school of sculptors, particularly Unkei, created a new, more realistic style of sculpture. Unkei (運慶 1151 – 1223 was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. The two Niō guardian images (1203) in the Great South Gate of the Tōdai-ji in Nara illustrate Unkei's dynamic suprarealistic style. Kongōrikishi (金剛力士 or Niō (仁王 are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. The images, about 8 m (about 26 ft) tall, were carved of multiple blocks in a period of about three months, a feat indicative of a developed studio system of artisans working under the direction of a master sculptor. Unkei's polychromed wood sculptures (1208, Kōfuku-ji, Nara) of two Indian sages, Muchaku and Seshin, the legendary founders of the Hosso sect, are among the most accomplished realistic works of the period; as rendered by Unkei, they are remarkably individualized and believable images. is a Buddhist Temple in the city of Nara, in Nara prefecture, Japan. Dharma-character school (Chinese 法相宗 Pinyin fa xiang zong, Japanese Hossō is the pejorative name for a stream of thought that represented the Indian

Calligraphy and painting: The Kegon Engi Emaki, the illustrated history of the founding of the Kegon sect, is an excellent example of the popularizing trend in Kamakura painting. For the Japanese waterfall see Kegon Falls. Kegon (華厳 ( or in some dialects) is the name of the Japanese transmission The Kegon sect, one of the most important in the Nara period, fell on hard times during the ascendancy of the Pure Land sects. Pure Land Buddhism ( Jìngtǔzōng; 浄土教 Jōdokyō; Korean: ko-Hang 정토종 jeongtojong; Vietnamese: 浄土宗 vi After the Genpei War (1180-1185), Priest Myōe of Kōzan-ji temple sought to revive the sect and also to provide a refuge for women widowed by the war. The ( 1180 &ndash 1185) were a Conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late- Heian period Japan. Myōe (明恵 (1173 &ndash 1232 was a Japanese Buddhist monk active during the Kamakura period who also went by the name Kōben (高弁 or, is an Omuro Buddhist Temple located in Ume-ga-hata Toganoo-chō Ukyō Ward Kyoto, Japan. The wives of samurai had been discouraged from learning more than a syllabary system for transcribing sounds and ideas (see kana), and most were incapable of reading texts that employed Chinese ideographs (kanji). A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate Syllables which make up Words A symbol in a syllabary typically represents an optional Kana is a general term for the syllabic Japanese scripts Hiragana (ひらがな and Katakana (カタカナ as well as the old system are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana Thus, the Kegon Engi Emaki combines passages of text, written with a maximum of easily readable syllables, and illustrations that have the dialogue between characters written next to the speakers, a technique comparable to contemporary comic strips. The plot of the e-maki, the lives of the two Korean priests who founded the Kegon sect, is swiftly paced and filled with fantastic feats such as a journey to the palace of the Ocean King, and a poignant love story.

A work in a more conservative vein is the illustrated version of Murasaki Shikibu's diary. The Murasaki Shikibu Diary (紫式部日記 Murasaki Shikibu Nikki) is a record of the daily life of Lady Murasaki Shikibu, the author of the Tale of Genji E-maki versions of her novel continued to be produced, but the nobility, attuned to the new interest in realism yet nostalgic for past days of wealth and power, revived and illustrated the diary in order to recapture the splendor of the author's times. One of the most beautiful passages illustrates the episode in which Murasaki Shikibu is playfully held prisoner in her room by two young courtiers, while, just outside, moonlight gleams on the mossy banks of a rivulet in the imperial garden.

Muromachi art

During the Muromachi period (1338-1573), also called the Ashikaga period, a profound change took place in Japanese culture. The Muromachi period ( Japanese: 室町時代 Muromachi-jidai, also known as the Muromachi era, the Muromachi bakufu, the Ashikaga era The Ashikaga clan took control of the shogunate and moved its headquarters back to Kyoto, to the Muromachi district of the city. The was a prominent Japanese Samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573 With the return of government to the capital, the popularizing trends of the Kamakura period came to an end, and cultural expression took on a more aristocratic, elitist character. Zen Buddhism, the Ch'an sect　traditionally thought to have been founded in China in the 6th century CE, was introduced for a second time into Japan and took root. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan.

Painting: Because of secular ventures and trading missions to China organized by Zen temples, many Chinese paintings and objects of art were imported into Japan and profoundly influenced Japanese artists working for Zen temples and the shogunate. Not only did these imports change the subject matter of painting, but they also modified the use of color; the bright colors of Yamato-e yielded to the monochromes of painting in the Chinese manner, where paintings generally only have black and white or different tones of a single color. Ink and wash painting is an East Asian type of Brush painting also known as wash painting or by its Japanese name sumi-e (墨絵

Typical of early Muromachi painting is the depiction by the priest-painter Kao (active early 15th century) of the legendary monk Kensu (Hsien-tzu in Chinese) at the moment he achieved enlightenment. Kao (active early 15th century was a Japanese priest-painter whose work is considered typical of early Muromachi painting Kensu is a Village in Kyrgyzstan. This type of painting was executed with quick brush strokes and a minimum of detail. 'Catching a Catfish with a Gourd' (early 15th century, Taizo-in, Myoshin-ji, Kyoto), by the priest-painter Josetsu (active c. Myōshin-ji ( 妙心寺) is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan. Josetsu (如拙 fl ( 1405 &ndash 1423) was one of the first Suiboku style Zen Japanese painters in the Muromachi 1400), marks a turning point in Muromachi painting. Executed originally for a low-standing screen, it has been remounted as a hanging scroll with inscriptions by contemporary figures above, one of which refers to the painting as being in the "new style. " In the foreground a man is depicted on the bank of a stream holding a small gourd and looking at a large slithery catfish. Mist fills the middle ground, and the background mountains appear to be far in the distance. It is generally assumed that the "new style" of the painting, executed about 1413, refers to a more Chinese sense of deep space within the picture plane.

The foremost artists of the Muromachi period are the priest-painters Shubun and Sesshu. Tensho Shubun (周文 (1414 &ndash 1463 was a Japanese painter in the Muromachi period and a Zen Buddhist monk and - for some time - abbot at the or often also simply Sesshū, 1420-1506 was one of the most prominent masters of Suibokuga (ink painting and a Rinzai Zen Buddhist Shubun, a monk at the Kyoto temple of Shokoku-ji, created in the painting 'Reading in a Bamboo Grove' (1446) a realistic landscape with deep recession into space. more fully entitled the Mannen-zan Shōkoku Shōten Zenji, is a Buddhist temple in northern Kyoto founded in 1382 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Sesshu, unlike most artists of the period, was able to journey to China and study Chinese painting at its source. 'The Long Handscroll' is one of Sesshu's most accomplished works, depicting a continuing landscape through the four seasons.

Azuchi-Momoyama art

Main article: Art of the Momoyama period

In the Momoyama period (1573-1603), a succession of military leaders, such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, attempted to bring peace and political stability to Japan after an era of almost 100 years of warfare. Kanō Eitoku (狩野 永徳 February 16, 1543 - October 12, 1590) was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place ( June 23, 1534 &ndash June 21, 1582) was a major Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history  was the founder and first Shogun  of the Tokugawa shogunate Oda, a minor chieftain, acquired power sufficient to take de facto control of the government in 1568 and, five years later, to oust the last Ashikaga shogun. Hideyoshi took command after Oda's death, but his plans to establish hereditary rule were foiled by Ieyasu, who established the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of

Painting: The most important school of painting in the Momoyama period was that of the Kanō school, and the greatest innovation of the period was the formula, developed by Kano Eitoku, for the creation of monumental landscapes on the sliding doors enclosing a room. The is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. It was founded by Kanō Masanobu (1434–1530 a contemporary of Sesshū and student Kanō Eitoku (狩野 永徳 February 16, 1543 - October 12, 1590) was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period The decoration of the main room facing the garden of the Juko-in, a subtemple of Daitoku-ji (a Zen temple in Kyoto), is perhaps the best extant example of Eitoku's work. Daitoku-ji is one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen, founded in 1315 or 1319 by Shuho Myocho and located in A massive ume tree and twin pines are depicted on pairs of sliding screens in diagonally opposite corners, their trunks repeating the verticals of the corner posts and their branches extending to left and right, unifying the adjoining panels. Eitoku's screen, 'Chinese Lions', also in Kyoto, reveals the bold, brightly colored style of painting preferred by the samurai.

Hasegawa Tohaku, a contemporary of Eitoku, developed a somewhat different and more decorative style for large-scale screen paintings. was a Japanese painter and founder of the Hasegawa school of Japanese painting during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history. In his 'Maple Screen', now in the temple of Chishaku-in, Kyoto, he placed the trunk of the tree in the center and extended the limbs nearly to the edge of the composition, creating a flatter, less architectonic work than Eitoku, but a visually gorgeous painting. His sixfold screen, 'Pine Wood', is a masterly rendering in monochrome ink of a grove of trees enveloped in mist. Ink and wash painting is an East Asian type of Brush painting also known as wash painting or by its Japanese name sumi-e (墨絵

Art of the Edo period

The Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period gained undisputed control of the government in 1603 with a commitment to bring peace and economic and political stability to the country; in large measure it was successful. was a Japanese Ukiyo-e artist and one of the last great artists in that tradition The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 The shogunate survived until 1867, when it was forced to capitulate because of its failure to deal with pressure from Western nations to open the country to foreign trade. One of the dominant themes in the Edo period was the repressive policies of the shogunate and the attempts of artists to escape these strictures. The foremost of these was the closing of the country to foreigners and the accoutrements of their cultures, and the imposition of strict codes of behavior affecting every aspect of life, the clothes one wore, the person one married, and the activities one could or should not pursue.

In the early years of the Edo period, however, the full impact of Tokugawa policies had not yet been felt, and some of Japan's finest expressions in architecture and painting were produced: Katsura Palace in Kyoto and the paintings of Tawaraya Sōtatsu, pioneer of the Rimpa school. ( fl. early 1600s was a Japanese Artist and also the co-founder of the Rimpa school of Japanese painting. Rimpa (琳派 also romanized as Rinpa, is one of the major historical schools of Japanese decorative Painting.

Architecture: Katsura Detached Palace, built in imitation of Prince Genji's palace, contains a cluster of shoin buildings that combine elements of classic Japanese architecture with innovative restatements. The, or Katsura Detached Palace, is a Villa with associated Gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (in Nishikyo-ku is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century around the peak of the Heian Period The whole complex is surrounded by a beautiful garden with paths for walking.

Painting: Sōtatsu evolved a superb decorative style by re-creating themes from classical literature, using brilliantly colored figures and motifs from the natural world set against gold-leaf backgrounds. One of his finest works is the pair of screens The Waves at Matsushima in the Freer Gallery in Washington, D. The Freer Gallery of Art is the Smithsonian Institution 's museum of East Asian art including Art from East Asia ( China, Korea C. A century later, Korin reworked Sōtatsu's style and created visually gorgeous works uniquely his own. Perhaps his finest are the screen paintings of red and white plum blossoms.

Sculpture The Buddhist monk Enkū carved 120,000 Buddhist images in a rough, individual style. (1632–1695 was a Japanese Buddhist monk and sculptor during the early Edo period.

Woodblock prints and Bunjinga: The school of art best known in the West is that of the ukiyo-e paintings and woodblock prints of the demimonde, the world of the kabuki theater and the brothel district. "pictures of the floating world" is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or Woodcuts) and Paintings produced between the 17th For the use of the technique in art see Woodcut on the technique and Old master print for the history in Europe and Woodblock printing in Japan. is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate Make-up worn by some of its performers Ukiyo-e prints began to be produced in the late 17th century, but in 1764 Harunobu produced the first polychrome print. Print designers of the next generation, including Torii Kiyonaga and Utamaro, created elegant and sometimes insightful depictions of courtesans. This article is about the ukiyo-e artist for the samurai named Kiyonaga see Naito Kiyonaga and Koriki Kiyonaga. (ca 1753 - 1806 (his name was archaically romanized as Outamaro) was a Japanese Printmaker and painter and is considered one of the greatest In the West, erotic woodblock "prints" became popular because the material was not otherwise available. In that sense, such niche prints did more to promote Japanese art in the West than art studies.

In the 19th century the dominant figure was Hiroshige, a creator of romantic and somewhat sentimental landscape prints. was a Japanese Ukiyo-e artist and one of the last great artists in that tradition The odd angles and shapes through which Hiroshige often viewed landscape, and the work of Kiyonaga and Utamaro, with its emphasis on flat planes and strong linear outlines, had a profound impact on such Western artists as Edgar Degas and Vincent van Gogh.

Another school of painting contemporary with ukiyo-e was Bunjinga, a style based on paintings executed by Chinese scholar-painters. Just as ukiyo-e artists chose to depict figures from life outside the strictures of the Tokugawa shogunate, Bunjin artists turned to Chinese culture. The exemplars of this style are Ike no Taiga, Yosa Buson, Tanomura Chikuden, and Yamamoto Baiitsu. Ike no Taiga (池大雅(1723–1776 was a Japanese painter and calligrapher born in Kyoto during the Edo period. Yosa Buson, or Yosa no Buson (与謝蕪村 1716 &ndash December 25, 1784) was a Japanese Poet and painter from the Tanomura Chikuden ( July 14, 1777 - October 20, 1835) was a Japanese painter of the Edo period.

Meiji art

In the years after 1867, when Emperor Meiji ascended the throne, Japan was once again invaded by new and alien forms of culture. The (3 November 1852 — 30 July 1912 or Meiji the Great was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession reigning from 3 February The introduction of Western cultural values led to a dichotomy in Japanese art, as well as in nearly every other aspect of culture, between traditional values and attempts to duplicate and assimilate a variety of clashing new ideas. This split remained evident in the late twentieth century, although much synthesis had by then already occurred, and created an international cultural atmosphere and stimulated contemporary Japanese arts toward ever more innovative forms.

By the early 20th century, European art forms were well introduced and their marriage produced notable buildings like the Tokyo Train Station and the National Diet Building that still exist today. is a Train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the The is the place where both houses of the Diet of Japan meet It is located at 1-chome Nagatachō, Chiyoda Tokyo.

Manga were first drawn in the Meiji period, influenced greatly by English and French political cartoons. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or Comic strip containing a political or Social message that usually

Painting: The first response of the Japanese to Western art forms was open-hearted acceptance, and in 1876 the Technological Art School was opened, employing Italian instructors to teach Western methods. The second response was a pendulum swing in the opposite direction spearheaded by Okakura Kakuzo and the American Ernest Fenollosa, who encouraged Japanese artists to retain traditional themes and techniques while creating works more in keeping with contemporary taste. Okakura Kakuzō (岡倉覚三 February 14, 1862 - September 2, 1913; also known as 岡倉 天心 Okakura Tenshin) was a Japanese Ernest Francisco Fenollosa (February 18 1853 – September 21 1908 was an American professor of Philosophy and Political economy at Tokyo Imperial University Out of these two poles of artistic theory developed Yōga (Western-style painting) and Nihonga (Japanese painting), categories that remain valid to the present day. or literally "Japanese-style paintings" is a term used to describe Paintings that have been made in accordance with Japanese traditional artistic conventions techniques

Postwar period

After World War II, many artists began working in art forms derived from the international scene, moving away from local artistic developments into the mainstream of world art. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including But traditional Japanese conceptions endured, particularly in the use of modular space in architecture, certain spacing intervals in music and dance, a propensity for certain color combinations and characteristic literary forms. The wide variety of art forms available to the Japanese reflect the vigorous state of the arts, widely supported by the Japanese people and promoted by the government.

American art and architecture greatly influenced Japan. Though fear of earthquakes severely restricted the building of a skyscraper, technological advances let Japanese build larger and higher buildings with more artistic outlooks.

As Japan has always made little distinction between 'fine art' and 'decorative art', as the West is first beginning to do, it is important to note Japan's significant and unique contributions to the fields of art in entertainment, commercial uses, and graphic design. Cartoons imported from America led to anime that at first were derived exclusively from manga stories. (anime in Japanese, Today, anime abounds, and many artists and studios have risen to great fame as artists; Hayao Miyazaki and the artists and animators of Studio Ghibli are generally regarded to be among the best the anime world has to offer. is a is a Japanese Animation Film studio, and previously was a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten. Japan also flourishes in the fields of graphic design, commercial art (e. g. billboards, magazine advertisements), and in video game graphics and concept art. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device.

Modern art in Japan

Japanese modern art takes as many forms and expresses as many different ideas as modern art in general, worldwide. It ranges from advertisements, anime, video games, and architecture as already mentioned, to sculpture, painting, and drawing in all their myriad forms.

Many artists do continue to paint in the traditional manner, with black ink and color on paper or silk. Some of these depict traditional subject matter in the traditional styles, while others explore new and different motifs and styles, while using the traditional media. Still others eschew native media and styles, embracing Western oil paints or any number of other forms.

In sculpture, the same holds true; some artists stick to the traditional modes, some doing it with a modern flair, and some choose Western or brand new modes, styles, and media. Yo Akiyama is just one of countless modern Japanese sculptors. He works primarily in clay pottery and ceramics, creating works that are very simple and straightforward, looking like they were created out of the earth itself. Another sculptor, using iron and other modern materials, built a large modern art sculpture in the Israeli port city of Haifa, called Hanabi (Fireworks). For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with

Takashi Murakami is arguably one of the most well-known Japanese modern artists in the Western world. is a prolific contemporary Japanese artist who works in both Fine arts media such as painting as well as digital and commercial media Murakami and the other artists in his studio create pieces in a style, inspired by anime, which he has dubbed "superflat". Superflat is a Postmodern art movement founded by the artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by Manga and Anime His pieces take a multitude of forms, from painting to sculpture, some truly massive in size. But most if not all show very clearly this anime influence, utilizing bright colors and simplified details.

Performing arts

A remarkable number of the traditional forms of Japanese music, dance, and theater have survived in the contemporary world, enjoying some popularity through reidentification with Japanese cultural values. Traditional music and dance, which trace their origins to ancient religious use - Buddhist, Shintō, and folk - have been preserved in the dramatic performances of Noh, Kabuki, and bunraku theater. The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods namely the Nara period (up to 784 the Heian period (794–1185 and the post-Heian period is the native religion of Japan and was once its State religion. Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances mostly of European origin that tend to share the following attributes originally danced in about the or is a major form of classic Japanese musical Drama that has been performed since the 14th century is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate Make-up worn by some of its performers also known as Ningyō jōruri (ja 人形浄瑠璃 is a form of traditional Japanese Puppet theater founded in Osaka in 1684 Ancient court music and dance forms deriving from continental sources were preserved through Imperial household musicians and temple and shrine troupes. Some of the oldest musical instruments in the world have been in continuous use in Japan from the Jōmon period, as shown by finds of stone and clay flutes and zithers having between two and four strings, to which Yayoi period metal bells and gongs were added to create early musical ensembles. The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14000 BC to 400 BC. The flute is a Musical instrument of the Woodwind family Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is a Reedless wind instrument that produces its The zither is a musical String instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine The is an era in the history of Japan from about 500 BC to 300 AD. A bell is a simple Sound -making device The bell is a Percussion instrument and an Idiophone. This article is about the Internet Protocol Television channel By the early historical period (sixth to seventh centuries CE), there were a variety of large and small drums, gongs, chimes, flutes, and stringed instruments, such as the imported mandolin-like biwa and the flat six-stringed zither, which evolved into the thirteen-stringed koto. The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are Musical instruments in the percussion family The biwa ( 琵琶) is a Japanese short-necked fretted Lute, and a close variant of the Chinese Pipa. The koto ( 琴 or 箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed Musical instrument derived from the Chinese Zither ( Guzheng These instruments formed the orchestras for the seventh-century continentally derived ceremonial court music (gagaku), which, together with the accompanying bugaku (a type of court dance), are the most ancient of such forms still performed at the Imperial court, ancient temples, and shrines. Gagaku (ja [[wiktionary雅 雅]][[wiktionary楽 楽]] literally "elegant music" is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial court Buddhism introduced the rhythmic chants, still used, that underpin Shigin, and that were joined with native ideas to underlay the development of vocal music, such as in Noh. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Shigin (詩吟 is a form of Japanese poetry, which is usually chanted either individually or within a group or is a major form of classic Japanese musical Drama that has been performed since the 14th century

Aesthetic concepts

Main article: Japanese aesthetics

Japanese art is characterized by unique polarities. Biography Contemporary accounts There are two known extant accounts written by contemporaries of Bodhidharma Hakuin Ekaku (白隠 慧鶴 Hakuin Ekaku, 1686-1769 or 1685-1768 was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. The study of Japanese aesthetics involves the standards of what is considered tasteful or beautiful in Japanese culture In the ceramics of the prehistoric periods, for example, exuberance was followed by disciplined and refined artistry. Another instance is provided by two 16th-century structures that are poles apart: the Katsura Detached Palace is an exercise in simplicity, with an emphasis on natural materials, rough and untrimmed, and an affinity for beauty achieved by accident; Nikkō Tōshō-gū is a rigidly symmetrical structure replete with brightly colored relief carvings covering every visible surface. The, or Katsura Detached Palace, is a Villa with associated Gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (in Nishikyo-ku is a city located in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. is a Shinto shrine located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Japanese art, valued not only for its simplicity but also for its colorful exuberance, has considerably influenced 19th-century Western painting and 20th century Western architecture. The History of architecture traces the changes in the History of Architecture through various countries and dates

Japan's aesthetic conceptions, deriving from diverse cultural traditions, have been formative in the production of unique art forms. Over the centuries, a wide range of artistic motifs developed and were refined, becoming imbued with symbolic significance. Like a pearl, they acquired many layers of meaning and a high luster. A pearl is a hard roundish object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled Mollusk. Japanese aesthetics provide a key to understanding artistic works perceivably different from those coming from Western traditions.

Within the East Asian artistic tradition, China has been the acknowledged teacher and Japan the devoted student. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Nevertheless, several Japanese arts developed their own style, which can be differentiated from various Chinese arts. The monumental, symmetrically balanced, rational approach of Chinese art forms became miniaturized, irregular, and subtly suggestive in Japanese hands. Miniature rock gardens, diminutive plants (bonsai), and ikebana (flower arrangements), in which the selected few represented a garden, were the favorite pursuits of refined aristocrats for a millennium, and they have remained a part of contemporary cultural life. A, sometimes called a Zen garden, is an enclosed shallow Sandpit containing Sand, Gravel, rocks and occasionally grass Bonsai (盆栽 literally "potted plant" is the art of Aesthetic miniaturization of Trees by growing them in containers is the Japanese art of Flower arrangement, also known as. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement

The diagonal, reflecting a natural flow, rather than the fixed triangle, became the favored structural device, whether in painting, architectural or garden design, dance steps, or musical notations. Odd numbers replace even numbers in the regularity of a Chinese master pattern, and a pull to one side allows a motif to turn the corner of a three-dimensional object, thus giving continuity and motion that is lacking in a static frontal design. Japanese painters used the devices of the cutoff, close-up, and fade-out by the twelfth century in yamato-e, or Japanese-style, scroll painting, perhaps one reason why modern filmmaking has been such a natural and successful art form in Japan. Yamato-e (大和絵 is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang dynasty paintings and developed in the late Heian period. Suggestion is used rather than direct statement; oblique poetic hints and allusive and inconclusive melodies and thoughts have proved frustrating to the Westerner trying to penetrate the meanings of literature, music, painting, and even everyday language.

The Japanese began defining such aesthetic ideas in a number of evocative phrases by at least the tenth or eleventh century. The courtly refinements of the aristocratic Heian period evolved into the elegant simplicity seen as the essence of good taste in the understated art that is called shibui. Shibumi is also the name of a book by Trevanian. (adjective or (noun is a Japanese word which refers to a particular aesthetic of simple Two terms originating from Zen Buddhist meditative practices describe degrees of tranquility: one, the repose found in humble melancholy (wabi), the other, the serenity accompanying the enjoyment of subdued beauty (sabi). Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. represents a comprehensive Japanese World view or Aesthetic centered on the acceptance of Transience. represents a comprehensive Japanese World view or Aesthetic centered on the acceptance of Transience. Zen thought also contributed a penchant for combining the unexpected or startling, used to jolt one's consciousness toward the goal of enlightenment. In art, this approach was expressed in combinations of such unlikely materials as lead inlaid in lacquer and in clashing poetic imagery. Unexpectedly humorous and sometimes grotesque images and motifs also stem from the Zen koan (conundrum). Although the arts have been mainly secular since the Tokugawa period, traditional aesthetics and training methods, stemming generally from religious sources, continue to underlie artistic productions. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868

Artists

Traditionally, the artist was a vehicle for expression and was personally reticent, in keeping with the role of an artisan or entertainer of low social status. The calligrapher, a member of the Confucian literati class, or noble samurai class in Japan, had a higher status, while artists of great genius were often recognized in the Kamakura period by receiving a name from a feudal lord and thus rising socially. is a form of Calligraphy, or artistic Writing, used for writing the Japanese language. Confucianism ( is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the fifth century B is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura Shogun The performing arts, however, were generally held in less esteem, and the purported immorality of actresses of the early Kabuki theater caused the Tokugawa government to bar women from the stage; female roles in Kabuki and Noh thereafter were played by men. is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate Make-up worn by some of its performers The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of

After World War II, artists typically gathered in arts associations, some of which were long-established professional societies while others reflected the latest arts movement. The Japan Artists League, for example, was responsible for the largest number of major exhibitions, including the prestigious annual Nitten (Japan Art Exhibition). The P.E.N. Club of Japan (P. For the "Postsecondary Education Network International" see PEN-International International PEN, the worldwide association of E. N. stands for prose, essay, and narrative), a branch of an international writers' organization, was the largest of some thirty major authors' associations. Actors, dancers, musicians, and other performing artists boasted their own societies, including the Kabuki Society, organized in 1987 to maintain this art's traditional high standards, which were thought to be endangered by modern innovation. By the 1980s, however, avant-garde painters and sculptors had eschewed all groups and were "unattached" artists.

Art schools

There are a number of specialized universities for the arts in Japan, led by the national universities. The most important is the Tokyo Arts University, one of the most difficult of all national universities to enter. Another seminal center is Tama Arts University in Tokyo, which produced many of Japan's late twentieth- century innovative young artists. Traditional training in the arts, derived from Chinese traditional methods, remains; experts teach from their homes or head schools working within a master-pupil relationship. A pupil does not experiment with a personal style until achieving the highest level of training, or graduating from an arts school, or becoming head of a school. Many young artists have criticized this system as stifling creativity and individuality. A new generation of the avant-garde has broken with this tradition, often receiving its training in the West. Avant-garde (avɑ̃gaʁd in French) means "advance guard" or "vanguard In the traditional arts, however, the master-pupil system preserves the secrets and skills of the past. Some master-pupil lineages can be traced to the Kamakura period, from which they continue to use a great master's style or theme. Japanese artists consider technical virtuosity as the sine qua non of their professions, a fact recognized by the rest of the world as one of the hallmarks of Japanese art. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please do NOT add the Battlestar Galactica episode

The national government has actively supported the arts through the Agency for Cultural Affairs, set up in 1968 as a special body of the Ministry of Education. The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT The, also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government. The agency's budget for FY 1989 rose to ￥37. 8 billion after five years of budget cuts, but still represented much less than 1 percent of the general budget. The agency's Cultural Affairs Division disseminated information about the arts within Japan and internationally, and the Cultural Properties Protection Division protected the nation's cultural heritage. The Cultural Affairs Division is concerned with such areas as art and culture promotion, arts copyrights, and improvements in the national language. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities It also supports both national and local arts and cultural festivals, and it funds traveling cultural events in music, theater, dance, art exhibitions, and filmmaking. Special prizes are offered to encourage young artists and established practitioners, and some grants are given each year to enable them to train abroad. The agency funds national museums of modern art in Kyoto and Tokyo and the Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, which exhibit both Japanese and international shows. The agency also supports the Japan Academy of Arts, which honors eminent persons of arts and letters, appointing them to membership and offering ￥3. 5 million in prize money. Awards are made in the presence of the Emperor, who personally bestows the highest accolade, the Cultural Medal. The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Private sponsorship and foundations

Arts patronage and promotion by the government are broadened to include a new cooperative effort with corporate Japan to provide funding beyond the tight budget of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Many other public and private institutions participate, especially in the burgeoning field of awarding arts prizes. A growing number of large corporations join major newspapers in sponsoring exhibitions and performances and in giving yearly prizes. The most important of the many literary awards given are the venerable Naoki Prize and the Akutagawa Prize, the latter being the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize in the United States. The Naoki Prize is a Japanese Literary award presented semiannually The is a Japanese Literary award presented semi-annually It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism,

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In 1989 an effort to promote cross-cultural exchange led to the establishment of a Japanese "Nobel Prize" for the arts, the Premium Imperiale, by the Japan Art Association. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature The Praemium Imperiale ( jap 高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞 Takamatsu no miya denka kinen sekai bunka-shō lit This prize of US$100,000 was funded largely by the mass media conglomerate Fuji-Sankei and was awarded on a worldwide selection basis.

A number of foundations promoting the arts arose in the 1980s, including the Cultural Properties Foundation set up to preserve historic sites overseas, especially along the Silk Road in Inner Asia and at Dunhuang in China. The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the Dunhuang ( also written as 燉煌 till early Qing Dynasty; is a City (pop China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Another international arrangement was made in 1988 with the United States Smithsonian Institution for cooperative exchange of high-technology studies of Asian artifacts. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of The government plays a major role by funding the Japan Foundation, which provides both institutional and individual grants, effects scholarly exchanges, awards annual prizes, supported publications and exhibitions, and sends traditional Japanese arts groups to perform abroad. The was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became The Arts Festival held for two months each fall for all the performing arts is sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Major cities also provides substantial support for the arts; a growing number of cities in the 1980s had built large centers for the performing arts and, stimulated by government funding, were offering prizes such as the Lafcadio Hearn Prize initiated by the city of Matsue. is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. A number of new municipal museums were also providing about one-third more facilities in the 1980s than were previously available. In the late 1980s, Tokyo added more than twenty new cultural halls, notably, the large Cultural Village built by Tokyo Corporation and the reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. William Shakespeare ( baptised The Globe Theatre was a Theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. All these efforts reflect a rising popular enthusiasm for the arts. Japanese art buyers swept the Western art markets in the late 1980s, paying record highs for impressionist paintings and US$51. Impressionism was a 19th-century Art movement that began as a loose association of Paris -based Artists exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s 7 million alone for one blue period Picasso. The Blue Period (Periodo Azul of Picasso is the period between 1900 and 1904 when he painted essentially monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and blue-green Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973

Notes

See also

• National treasures of Japan
• Culture of Japan
  • Eastern art history
  • History of painting
  • Buddhist art
  • Japanese architecture
  • Japanese calligraphy
  • Japanese lacquerware
  • Japanese painting
  • Japanese pottery and porcelain
  • Japanese sculpture
  • Japanese theater
  • Woodblock printing in Japan
• Art Galleries
  • Japan
    • Tokyo National Museum, est. The Ministry of Education Culture Sports Science and Technology of the government of Japan designates the most famous of the nation's cultural properties as National The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millenia from the country's prehistoric Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture which combines influences from Asia Eastern art history is devoted to the arts of the Far East and includes a vast range of influences from various cultures and religions The history of Painting reaches back in time to artifacts from pre-historic humans and spans all cultures Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Gautama Buddha, 6th to 5th century BCE and thereafter evolved by contact with has as long a history as any other aspect of Japanese culture. is a form of Calligraphy, or artistic Writing, used for writing the Japanese language. Japanese Lacquerware is a broad category of fine and decorative arts as Lacquer has been used in paintings, prints, and on a wide is one of the oldest and most highly refined of the Japanese arts encompassing a wide variety of genre and styles Japanese pottery and porcelain (陶芸 Jp tōgei also 焼きもの Jp The sculpture of Japan started from the clay figure Japanese sculpture received the influence of the Silk Road culture in the 5th century and received a strong influence from Chinese Traditional Japanese Theatre includes Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku. Woodblock printing in Japan (木版画 moku hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the Ukiyo-e artistic genre however it was Established 1872 the, or TNM, is the oldest and largest Museum in Japan. 1872
    • Kyoto National Museum, est. The is one of the three formerly imperially-mandated Art museums in Japan. 1889
    • Nara National Museum, est. The is one of the pre-eminent national art Museums in Japan. Introduction The Nara National Museum is located in Nara, which was the capital 1889
    • Kyushu National Museum, est. The opened on October 16, 2005 in Dazaifu near Fukuoka -- the first new national museum in Japan in over 100 years and the first to elevate the focus 2005
  • United States
    • Freer Gallery of Art, est. The Freer Gallery of Art is the Smithsonian Institution 's museum of East Asian art including Art from East Asia ( China, Korea 1923
    • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

• Japanese artists category

References

• This article was originally based on material from WebMuseum Paris - Famous Artworks exhibition [2]. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States attracting over one million visitors a year
• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA) freely available for use by researchers The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone - Japan
• "The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity" by John Boardman (Princeton University Press, 1994) ISBN 0-691-03680-2
• "Alexander the Great: East-West Cultural contacts from Greece to Japan" (NHK and Tokyo National Museum, 2003)
• "De l'Indus à l'Oxus, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale", Osmund Bopearachchi, Christine Sachs, ISBN 2-9516679-2-2
• "The Crossroads of Asia, Transformation in image and symbols", 1992, ISBN 0-9518399-1-8

External links

• The Art of Bonsai Project

• Japanese Art Introduction. English Article by Sanaz Mohadesi
• Tokyo National Museum: Photographs from Japan Collection. Comprehensive collection from all periods.
• Introduction of Japanese Crafts
• Ukiyo-e in the "A World History of Art"
• Japan Cultural Profile - national cultural portal for Japan created by Visiting Arts/Japan Foundation
• Knowing of Japanese Crafts
• Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art Collection, online collection of images from the Online Archive of California/University of California Merced
• Music Culture — Japanese Music (Japanese)/(English)

Osmund Bopearachchi is an historian and numismatist who has been specializing in the coinage of the Indo-Greek and Greco-Bactrian kingdoms

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