Chapter 28: Japan After 1336

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Chapter 28Japan After 1336
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Muromachi Period (1336-1573)

• The Muromachi period (1336-1573) marked the
  beginning of the rise of Zen Buddhism along with
  the traditional continuation of Pure Land and
  Esoteric Buddhism. This period encouraged trading
  with the Chinese and in due course, Muromachi
  paintings closely abided to Chinese works,
  although displaying a great variety in the styles
  and subjects of the pieces of art. One of the
  styles depicted in this period is the Haboku
  (splashed ink) style developed by monks where the
  image was visualized and applied onto the paper
  with broad, rapid strokes, sometimes even with
  ink dripping onto the paper. A style contrary to
  this is the Kano style where ink is applied in
  bold outlines and occasional light colors with
  precision to create a sharp effect.

3
Zen

• Zen is a Buddhist tradition in the 14th century
  that taught that everyone has the potential for
  enlightenment, but worldly knowledge and mundane
  thought patterns suppress it. Meditation was
  stressed as a long-term practice leading to
  Enlightenment. Zen emphasized rigorous discipline
  and personal responsibility. By cultivating
  discipline and intense concentration, Buddhists
  can release themselves from the mundane world.
  Zen teachings view mental calm, lack of fear, and
  spontaneity as signs of a persons advancement on
  the path to enlightenment. Zen training for monks
  takes place at temples, some of which have
  gardens designed in accord with Zen principles.
  For example, Saihojis gardens center on a pond
  in the shape of a Japanese character for mind
  or spirit, which is the perfect setting for
  monks to meditate.

4
Tosa vs. Kano School

• The Tosa school, which dates from the early 15th
  century, specialized in traditional yamato-e
  style painting. Tosa paintings often used
  subjects taken from classical literature such as
  the celebrated Heian-period work, Genji
  monogatari (Tale of Genji). The use of gold and
  bright colors was one characteristic of Tosa
  paintings.
• The Kano School pioneered a new style of ink
  painting that made creative use of empty space
  while at the same time displaying a knack for
  refined brushwork. Artwork displayed precision in
  applying ink in bold outlines and applying light
  colors and items to direct the focus onto certain
  items within the work.

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Unification of Japan in the Momoyama period

• After four decades of constant warfare, Tokugawa
  Leyasu, a warlord, seized power and achieved
  unification. Warlords constructed large castles
  to reinforce their power and commissioned lavish
  decorations characterized by a robust, opulent
  and dynamic style, with gold lavishly applied to
  architecture, furniture, paintings and garments.
  Lions became associated with power and bravery,
  fitting for a leader. On the other hand, there
  was also support for rustic simplicity.

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Tea Ceremony

• The Tea Ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is
  a Japanese cultural activity that involves the
  ceremonial preparation and presentation of
  powdered tea. It was influenced greatly by Zen
  Buddhism and Chinese culture and resulted in a
  huge impact in the art, architecture and culture
  of Japan. Tea houses, places where the Tea
  Ceremony took place, were built with tatomi
  (strong straw mats) and tokonoma (an alcove).
  They were usually painted with dark walls and
  were small in size to encourage intimacy between
  the guests and the host. Guests and hosts were
  also expected to enter the teahouse by crawling
  on ones knees. This behavior exhibited humility
  and eliminated any social status differences.
  Art in teahouses was also affected by Chinese
  objects. The Kogan, a tea ceremony water jar,
  was painted with casual decorations and were
  glazed, and exhibited influences of the Zen
  culture.

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Rimpa School

• The traditional school of painting (Kano school)
  favored a strict transmission of style from
  teacher to student, unlike the Rimpa school.
  Artists came from merchant families and since
  they were supported by nobility, most works
  incorporated literary themes. Works of art
  originating from this school featured vivid
  colors, extensive use of gold and silver and
  different intricate designs.

Fig 28-10 HONAMI KOETSU, Boat Bridge, writing
box, Edo period, early 17th century Koetsus
Writing Box is an early work of the Rimpa School
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Traditional Art with Crafts

• The two artists, Honami Koetsu and Sotatsu, both
  drew on ancient traditions of painting and craft
  decoration to create their artwork. They ignored
  any set definitions for art and craft and by
  ignoring the boundaries between the two different
  types of art, they developed a style that shared
  characteristics from both.

Fig. 28-11 YOSA BUSON, Cuckoo Flying over New
Verdure, Edo period, late 18th century.
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Urban Population of Japan

• The increase of an urban, educated population led
  to restlessness among commonersand less ranked
  samurai. People sought new ideas and images and
  their attention was directed primarily to China,
  but also to the west. Literati artists pursued
  painting as a proper function of an educated and
  civilized person. Urbanization also led to an
  increase in sensual pleasure/entertainment.
  Developments in the printing industry allowed for
  the mass production of books and printed images.
  Participants in the Ukiyo-e, or the pictures of
  the floating world were admirers of literature,
  music and art.

10
Westernization

• Near the end of the 1870s, Japans Tokugawa
  shogunate fell due to its inability to open up
  Japan to the Western world. Socereingity was
  restored to the imperial throne, but with an
  emperors cabinet holding most of the power. This
  cabinet, consisting of many leaders, hoped to
  catch up with the modern world and aimed to be a
  Wester civilized nation.
• During this time (Mejia Period 1868-1912), oil
  painting became a major genre. It was a Western
  import and had a drastic change to the old
  Japanese art. As seen by the picture on the next
  slide, many aspects of Japanese art were lost do
  to oil painting.

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Westernization (con.)

• In the Oiran, the garments of the women were
  still portrayed as abstract, but the portraiture
  failed to emphasize the features of the figure
  (as ukiyo-e artists did). Instead, it focused
  more on the analytical aspect of the future and
  resembled the paintings of Western portraiture.

Fig. 28-14 TAKAHASHI YUICHI, Oiran (Grand
Courtesan), Mejia Period, 1872.
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Resistance to Westernization

• Despite the enthusiasm for Westernization of
  Japan, many were concerned about the loss of
  Japan identity and culture. American professor,
  Ernest Fenollasa, and his student, Okakura
  Kakuzo, founded a university, as a result, that
  encouraged the usage of Western techniques in
  Japanese style paintings. This style became known
  as nihonga (Japanese painting) unlike yoga
  (Western painting).

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Folk Art and Refined Rusticity

• The philosopher Yanagi Soetsu portrayed and ideal
  of beauty inspired by the JapaneseTea Ceremony,
  that it can only be achieved by making functional
  objects made of natural materials by anonymous
  artists. Hamada Shoji gained international fame
  due to the production of his pottery. He traveled
  to England in 1920 and established a community of
  ceramists dedicated to the mingei aesthetic. This
  further extended the concept of Japanese
  ceramics. Rusticity is the texture and form of
  the particular ceramic piece. This was a
  technical brilliance of the Chinese consistent
  with Zen concepts and it had begun to take value
  in Japanese and Korean wares, an important
  philosophical and aesthetic component in the
  development of ceramic works in the Muromachi
  period.

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• N Evening Bell at the Clock
• D ca. 1765
• P/S Edo Period
• A Suzuki Harunobu
• M/T Woodblock Print
• F Prints for house embellishment, aesthetic
  pleasure
• C Found in the series of Eight Views of the
  Parlor
• DT flatness of depicted objects, rich color like
  traditional court paintings, black outlines
  separating distinct colors, typical elevated
  viewpoint of Japanese women
• Idea Image incorporates the refined techniques
  characteristic of nishiki-e

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• N Dish
• D 1962
• P/S Showa Period
• A Hamada Shoji
• M/T stoneware darker/coarser than porcelain
• F Collected as traditional Japanese pottery
• C N/A
• DT black trails on translucent glaze, less
  decoration than porcelain, coarser, darker, and
  heavier than porcelain, casual slip designs
• Idea Showed the mingei aesthetic from Japans
  folk art movement

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• N Chinese Lions
• D late 16th century
• P/S Momoyama period
• A Kano Eitoku
• M/T color, ink, gold leaf, six-panel screen
• F Decorated the interior of castles
• C Possibly created for Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• DT Chinese lions represented power and bravery
  for a Momoyama warlord, boldly outlined forms on
  a gold ground, minimal setting elements,
  powerfully muscled bodies defined by broad
  contour lines
• Idea Chinese lions were an important symbolic
  motif, fitting for military leaders.

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• Hades Abducting Persephone (Macedonian Court Art
  mid-fourth century BC)
• Wall painting in tomb 1 (Vergina, Greece)
• 3 3 1/2
• Use of foreshortening and shading 3/4 views of
  both figures and the chariot short dark brush
  strokes
• Appears to be bursting out into the viewers
  space
• Depicts Hades holding the terrified, seminude
  Persephone and steering his chariot
• Reference to the story which explained the
  reason for summer and winter

Kutsugen by Yokoyama Taikan (Meiji Period 1898)
Silk Scroll painting 4 4 x 96 Combines a
low horizon line and subtle shading effects taken
from Western painting and traditional East Asian
techniques, including strong ink brushwork,
washes of water/glue based pigments, and heavy
mineral pigment applications Composition in one
main corner Depicts a Chinese poet who had
fallen out of favor with the Emperor and
committed suicide. He is standing strong against
the strong winds behind him. Analogy to a
real-life situation Okaru, an artist, was being
persecuted because of his artistic principles.
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• Winice Hui
• Hillary Thi
• Christina Duong
• Mayuresh Mujumdar
• Period 4 APAH