FA 210 Art of the World Several lectures' worth of information - early Japanese culture, Japanese ceramics, Zen Buddhism, Samurai, the Edo period Ukiyo-e woodcuts

1. Japan
Jomon
culture
(ca.
8000
–
300
BCE)
Neolithic
Earthenware
bowl
w/
sculptural
rim

2. Jomon Dogu – female figurines

3. “Prominence romanticism to"
the Jomon people...”

4. Haniwa – burial figures

5. Sueki or Sue Ware

6. Heian period (794 – 1185 AD)
• Top,
Sansai
ware
(3
color
glazes)
• BoDom,
Sanage
ceremonial
jar,
800
-­‐900
AD

7. Temple Garden, Heian, Tenriu-ji Kyoto

8. Heian Period Gardens, 794 – 1185 AD
• Reflect
Buddhist
beliefs
(but
not
Zen)
• Replicate
Japanese
natural
landscapes
• Ponds
and
islands
are
central
features
• Deciduous
trees
preferred
due
to
their
ever-­‐
changing
nature,
reflecQng
impermanence.
• Flowers
and
plants
widely
uQlized;
their
fleeQng
existence
references
the
uncertainty
of
life
in
a
period
of
war.

9. Kamakura Period (1185 – 1333)
• Start
of
Shogun
era
• Zen
Buddhism
a
major
force
• Austere
tastes
emerge
• Tsubo
jar
–
typical
shape

10. Myoan Eisai
• Buddhist
monk
–
brought
Zen
Buddhism
to
Japan
from
China,
1191
• Grew
and
served
tea
for
religious
and
health
purposes
• Taught
grinding
and
whisking
of
tea
• Adopted
by
Kamakura
shogunate

11. Wabi-Sabi
Japanese
philosophy
and
aestheQc,
derived
from
Zen
Buddhism
and
Shinto
ideals
• Wabi:
inner
spiritual
experience
• Wabi
means
loneliness
of
living
in
nature;
rusQc
simplicity,
or
understated
elegance
• Sabi:
outer,
material
life
• Sabi
means
“worn”,
“decayed”;
beauty
that
comes
with
age,
impermanence;
embracing
imperfecQon
ulQmately
means
accepQng
oneself
her
and
now,
just
as
one
is.
• Visually,
elements
such
as
asymmetry,
texture,
simplicity,
modesty
and
imperfecQon
represent
the
ideals
of
wabi-­‐sabi:
flawed
beauty.

12. Muromachi Period (1392 – 1573)
• Height
of
shogunate
• Zen
Buddhism
comes
to
prominence:
its
emphasis
on
self-­‐
discipline
and
ritual
aDracQve
to
daimyo
(regional
warlords)
and
their
samurai
(warriors)
• Simple,
spartan
aestheQc
predominates
in
art
forms
Tea
bowl
Tea
bowl

13. Zen Garden Ryoan-ji, Kyoto, 1400s

14. Ginkaku-ji -
Temple of the
Silver Pavilion
• Muromachi
Period
• 1490s

15. Principles of Zen Gardens
• Muromachi
Zen
gardens
template
for
all
future
Zen
gardens.
• Japanese
word
for
garden
originally
meant
“ritual
space.”
Gardens
meant
to
enable
meditaQon
and
physical
work,
pathways
to
enlightenment
• RejecQon
of
changeability
and
embrace
of
the
permanent.
• Rocks
and
sand
symbolize
real
world
elements,
such
as
mountains,
sea,
islands,
bridges
and
even
animals.
Zen
garden
is
minimalist
image
of
universe,
while
simultaneously
reminding
us
of
the
illusion
of
the
world.

16. Homemade
mini
Zen
gardens!

17. Momoyama Period (1573 – 1615)
• Period
of
unificaQon;
described
as
“brief
but
brilliant”
Qme.
• Duality
of
opulence
in
daimyo
fortresses
and
decoraQons
–
gold
applied
to
architecture,
clothing,
painQngs
and
furnishing
–
and
rusQc
simplicity
as
exemplified
in
unpretenQous
tea
ceremony.

18. Sen no Rikyu (1522 – 1591)
• Tea
Master
for
daimyo
Hideyoshi
Toyotomi
• In
accordance
w/Zen
philosophy
(concept
of
wabi),
simplified
and
democraQzed
The
Way
of
Tea.
• Created
the
tradiQon
of
minimal
and
simple
utensils
and
seengs
for
the
tea
ceremony
as
a
symbolic
withdrawal
from
the
ordinary
world.
• Among
his
innovaQons:
a
Qny
tea
house,
separate
tea
room
where
utensils
are
washed,
two
entrances
(one
for
host,
one
for
guests)
and
a
doorway
low
enough
to
make
the
guests
bend
down
in
humility
• QualiQes
to
be
exemplified
in
a
tea
ceremony:
harmony,
respect,
purity
and
tranquility.
• When
ordered
by
daimyo
to
commit
ritual
suicide,
he
held
a
lavish
tea
ceremony.
At
the
end,
he
gihed
a
utensil
and
a
wall
scroll
to
each,
but
destroyed
the
tea
bowl.
Then
he
killed
himself.
Hideyoshi
later
regreDed
his
rash
acQon.

19. Taian Teahouse, Japanese
National Treasure

20. Taian Teahouse, originally built "
• The
house
measures
just
3.3
square
meters,
half
the
normal
size
for
the
Qme.
Host
entrance
at
back

22. Taian teahouse
• Alcove
(tokonoma)
• Contains
aestheQc
objects
for
contemplaQon:
flower
arrangement,
calligraphy
scroll,
incense,
wriQng
box,
etc.

23. Raku Chojiro (1516 - 1592)
• At
the
direcQon
of
Sen
no
Rikyu,
developed
raku,
a
type
of
low-­‐fire
ceramic.

24. Kintsugi
• This
art
form
presumably
began
in
1400s
• Example
of
wabi-­‐
sabi
aestheQc

26. Kintsugi
• hDps://dicklehman.wordpress.com/
2013/04/18/kintsugi-­‐gold-­‐repair-­‐of-­‐ceramic-­‐
faults-­‐2/

27. Yobitsugi
• Repair
process
in
which
shards
of
different
poDery
are
combined
in
new
configuraQons
(with
or
without
kintsugi)
to
create
a
new
piece.
• Wabi-­‐sabi
aestheQc

28. “Momo” cup
• Fabricated
in
1936
from
11
shards
of
various
16th
century
teabowls

29. Kimamori tea bowl
• Made
in
1934
from
single
surviving
shard
of
Sen
no
Rikyu’s
tea
bowl
made
by
Chojiro

30. Edo (Tokugawa) Period 1615 - 1868
• Country
unified
under
Tokugawa
family,
creaQng
Qme
of
peace
and
prosperity
• Figurehead
emperor
bestowed
Qtle
of
Shogun
• Strict
4
class
social
order:
Shogun
and
daimyo
(military
lords);
samurai
(soldiers
and
officials);
farmers
(rice
crop
taxed
to
support
the
ruling
class);
arQsans;
merchants.
Although
merchants

31. Katana and wakizashi (long and short
swords)
Japanese
Sword
Museum
Muromachi
Period,
Ca.
1333
-­‐
1573
BriQsh
Museum

32. Complicated
construcQon
of
samurai
swords
–
considered
an
art
form
Hardest
steel
on
cueng
edge;
soher
steel
on
outside
to
keep
blade
flexible.
Difficult
manufacturing
process!

33. Samurai
• Class
of
highly
skilled
warriors,
emerged
during
feudal
Qmes
between
646
-­‐
1867;
similar
to
European
knights.
Family
members
or
mercenaries
of
daimyo,
provincial
warlords.
• Samurai
code
of
Bushido
(“The
Way
of
the
Warrior”)
included
4
principles:
frugality,
loyalty,
mastery
of
marQal
arts,
honor
unQl
death
(or
“freedom
from
fear
of
death”).
• Disregard
for
death
led
to
tradiQon
of
seppuku,
ritual
suicide
with
honor.

34. Samurai
armor
• Warrior
class
of
the
Shogunate
era
(Kamakura,
Muromachi,
Momoyama
and
Edo
periods)
• Typically
made
of
steel,
leather,
wood

38. • hDp://www.lacma.org/samurai#video
• Trailer
for
Kurosawa
film,
Kagemusha:
• hDps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NIw1obsIPyw

39. Edo (Tokugawa) Period (1615 – 1868)
• Country
unified
under
Tokugawa
family,
final
shogunate
• Strict
social
hierarchy,
Confucian
social
order
• StarQng
in
1633,
shogunate
evicted
nearly
all
Europeans,
and
restricted
Chinese
and
Koreans;
Japanese
people
forbidden
from
construcQng
ocean-­‐
building
ships.
IsolaQonist
approach
unQl
fall
of
shogunate
in
1868.
• Catholics
seen
as
destabilizing
influence
and
so,
were
persecuted.
• Samurai
lost
their
lands
to
regional
daimyo,
forced
to
work
for
them.
In
turn,
daimyo
forced
to
relocate
families
to
Edo
(modern
Tokyo)
while
they
moved
back
and
forth
annually
between
their
province
and
Edo.

40. Confucian-influenced Social Order
• Officially:
• Daimyos
and
samurai
• Farmers
• ArQsans
• Merchants
BUT…
Tokugawa
Ieyasu

41. Ukiyo “Floating World”
Yoshiwara
Pleasure
District,
detail,
ca.
1660
-­‐80

42. Woodcut, 1740, N. Shigenaga
• Merchants
were
limited
in
ways
to
spend
their
money,
so
they
acquired
lavish
goods
and
enjoyed
expensive
pleasures.

43. Inro

44. Netsuke
• Snail
and
bucket,
wood,
19th
century
• Baku
-­‐
monster
that
eats
dreams
–
ivory,
18th
century

45. • Wood,
metal,
ivory
• 19th
century

46. 18th
and
19th
century

47. Ukiyo-e “Pictures of the Floating World
• Since
merchants,
despite
being
the
wealthiest
segment
of
the
populaQon,
were
in
the
lowest
posiQon
in
the
social
hierarchy,
they
turned
to
art
and
culture.
• Ukiyo-­‐e,
a
type
of
genre
art,
was
a
way
to
aDain
cultural
status.
• Originally,
ukiyo-­‐e
was
considered
“low”art
(early
pop
culture),
but
in
fact
ohen
was
of
extremely
high
quality
and
depth
–
referencing
classicial,
literary
and
historical
sources
along
with
daily
life
and
even
pornography.
• The
most
common
art
form
was
the
woodblock
relief
print;
since
it
could
be
produced
in
mulQples
it
was
relaQvely
low-­‐cost.
• In
1765,
new
technology
made
it
possible
to
print
in
a
whole
range
of
colors.
Courtesans
and
kabuki
actors
were
favored
subjects.

48. Japanese Woodblock Prints
Process
required
4
people:
• Idea
conceived
by
publisher
• Designer
drew
image
on
paper
• Carver
chiseled
image
as
negaQve
• Master
printer
applies
ink
and
prints
• Polychrome
prints
made
by
using
a
separate
carved
block
for
each
color
–
someQmes
up
to
20
per
print!
SomeQmes
more
than
1000
prints
could
be
made
from
same
set
of
blocks,
unQl
they
became
too
worn.
• Kozo
paper
(made
from
inner
bark
of
mulberry
trees)
favored.

49. Otani
Oniji
II,
1794
Toshusai
Sharaku
• Famed
kabuki
actor
in
role
as
evil
manservant
• ArQst
sought
psychological
realism

50. Kitagawa Utamaro 1753 - 1806

51. Best
known
for
images
of
beauQful
courtesans,
he
also
produced
images
of
eroQca
popular
with
me
of
the
Qme.

52. Evening Snow at Kanbara, 1834
Ando Hiroshige
One
of
a
series
of
scenic
views
on
road
from
Kyoto
to
Edo

53. Hokusai Katsushika: 36 views of Mt. Fuji
• hDps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2dqtcu2NN8

54. • hDps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=t8uF3PZ3KGQ
• ReprinQng
of
a
Utamaro
woodblock
by
a
master
printer