The document summarizes how Japanese arts adapted and reflected different periods of history. It discusses two artworks - Sesson Shūkei's "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" from the Muromachi Period and Katsushika Hokusai's "The Katakura Tea Plantation in Suruga Province" from the Edo Period. It explains that "Seven Sages" drew from Chinese art and aimed to provide an escape from political turmoil, while "The Katakura Tea Plantation" was part of Hokusai's series promoting domestic travel during Japan's isolation under the Tokugawa shogunate. Both works reflected how art addressed social and political circumstances facing common people during their

1. Ken Guinto
San Diego Miramar College
Artf 125
Arts of the Asian Continents
Professor Josh Alley

2. 1Guinto
Adaptions to New Periods of Time with the Arts of Japan
Through various periods of times in history, Japanese culture has flourished and impacted
its society as a whole. Over time, the societies in Japan have formed a strong union alongside
with each other. These unions have been exposed to foreign influences, which have strengthened
their arts and culture, such as China. When learning about Japan’s multiple periods of time, such
as the Muromachi Period and Edo Period, a researcher can compare and contrast the arts that
have been left behind and have marked these eras in Japan’s timeline. From the Muromachi
Period of Japan (1392 – 1573), a researcher can view the arts of Sesson Shūkei (雪村周継) and
understand the Muromachi Period’s developing samurai culture (Keene). On the other hand, if a
researcher would like to view the art from the time where Tokyo’s former city flourished with
promising plantations, they can examine the arts from the Edo Period of Japan (1600 – 1868)
(Nishiyama, Matsunosuke, and Gerald Groemer). In particular, Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎)
is known as one of the greatest artist that has lived during this era of Japan. With the knowledge
gained from the arts of Japan, critical thinkers can understand how Japanese citizens solved
problems during these different eras. This is useful to know because understanding the past
provides a foundation that can develop solutions to current world problems and help anticipate
potential problems in the near future. With the arts of Sesson and Katsushika, researchers can
conclude that when a nation transitions from one period of time to another, advancements in
technology and lifestyles are made, and this growth in civilization establishes a more stable
community.
The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove drawn by Sesson Shūkei during the Muromachi
Period of Japan was a symbolic art piece that can be linked back to China’s Western Jin Dynasty
(265 – 589) and Three Kingdoms (220 – 280) and was created to bring harmony in Japan’s

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society during this era (Neave 147). It is important to understand the mix between political
movements and social dynamics that were performed in China during the Western Jin Dynasty in
order to fully comprehend Sesson’s intention when creating the Seven Sages of the Bamboo
Grove. In the original art piece of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groove and Rong Qiqi from
China, seven sages known as historical figures and members of the literati gathered around a
field of bamboo (Neave 149). In this location, all the literati members drank wine, played
musical instruments, sang, and danced (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). This form of
gathering and spontaneous behavior served as a way to escape from the sufferings of everyday
life and enter a more peaceful scene (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). In addition, the acts of
spontaneous behavior can also be traced to the Chinese Southern Chan Buddhism, where monks
believed that enlightenment could arrive suddenly and spontaneously instead of arriving after a
long period of meditation and studying (Neave 184). Similar to the Seven Sages of the Bamboo
Groove and Rong Qiqi, Sesson who studied both Chinese and Japanese paintings, attempts to
recapture the escape from the political world and into a more pleasant environment in his art
piece in hopes that the Japanese can also escape the unpleasant everyday life and enjoy a more
peaceful scene. During the Muromachi Period, Shoguns of the Ashikaga Family rose to power,
and at times created turmoil in society by their constant shifts in power within family members in
order to maintain power (Keene). Therefore, Sesson creates the Seven Sages of the Bamboo
Grove where old men, women, and children have gathered and are enjoying their presence by
playing drums, drinking wine, dancing to the soothing sounds, and singing marvelous music (The
Metropolitan Museum of Art). Thus, a recreation of China’s Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groove
and Rong Qiqi can be seen in Sesson’s Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groove.

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The Katakura Tea Plantation in Suruga Province drawn by Katsushika Hokusai during
the Edo Period of Japan (1600 – 1868) is one out of thirty six in his famous series, Thirty-Six
Views of Mount Fuji, from the point of view from the Katakura Tea Plantation in the Suruga
Province. During the Edo Period of Japan, shogunate Tokugawa Ieyasu rose to power and
established his capital at Edo, Japan (Neave 355). Believing that it was for the best interest of his
Japanese citizens, Tokugawa decides to eliminate all rivals by adopting a form of Neo-Confucian
ideology, which demanded loyalty to the shogunate and the state under all circumstances with no
questions asked (Neave 355). Furthermore, Japan closed their doors from the outside world and
prevented foreigners from entering the country, except for Japan’s trading neighbors, such as the
Dutch, Chinese, and Koreans (Neave 355). As a result, the country was able to grow
independently, and cities such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo prospered and these new developments
in cities yielded a popular urban culture that appealed to the merchants and townspeople (Neave
364). Popular forms of entertainment included Kabuki Theater, ukiyo-e prints (浮世絵), and
sumo wrestling rings that existed in Japan’s multiple entertainment districts (江戸時代の文化と
生活). In particular, ukiyo-e representations of landscape became a popular form of art work
because of their exposure to different locations in Japan and that encouraged travel within the
country for the Japanese citizens (Neave 366). Katsushika Hokusai was very passionate about
drawing, and his interest for Western techniques and materials compelled him to draw different
perspectives of Mount Fuji in order to be able to experiment with bright colors, bold lines,
unusual points of views, and asymmetrical designs in his works (Neave 367). In The Katakura
Tea Plantation in Suruga Province, Mount Fuji can be seen in the background of a tea plantation,
where Japanese citizens are working together to make their land prosper with furtive plantations.
Katsushika’s asymmetrical designs can be seen in multiple sections, such as the roof tops of the

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plantation houses, the hay that is placed in the fields, and the attire worn by the Japanese people.
Moreover, different strengths of blue are used to demonstrate the sky and body of Mount Fuji.
Although The Katakura Tea Plantation in Suruga Province is not as popular as The Great Wave
off Kanagawa, all of the paintings in the series promote his intention to increase travel. In The
Great Wave off Kanagawa, sometimes also referred to as the The Great Wave, Mount Fuji is
seen in between two waves. In this view, “disaster is about to strike three narrow boats with their
cargo of fish, caught in the trough of a giant wave” (Neave 367). In The Great Wave, we can also
see vivid colors of blue and even today, The Great Wave can be recognized as a symbol of
trademark of Japan.
The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove from the Muromachi Period served as a reminder
to escape the everyday life and focus on more pleasant moments, while the The Katakura Tea
Plantation in Suruga Province from the Edo Period served as an encouragement to travel due to
the exposure of a different landscapes out of many that are visible when admiring Mount Fuji.
Although the purposes of these two unlike arts are different, it was important for their message to
be articulated and understood by the people viewing them during the time periods that they were
created. This way, the people viewing them can focus less on the activities of the country that
involved actions from people with higher power, and focus more on their own desires and
happiness, which is a factor that can be control directly by the townspeople’s own actions. For
example, the Muromachi Period’s major highlights, such as the building of the luxurious
Takakura Palace or the introduction of tea to Japan from China as part of the widespread
adoption of the continent’s superior culture, revolved entirely on the Ashikaga Family and
people with power and ignored townspeople with little power (Keene 84 and 140). This created a
need for people who felt oppressed to concentrate less on their sufferings and more on what they

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can control. On the other hand, during the Edo Period of Japan, civilization flourished drastically
by the advancements in construction, water canals, and the creations of multiple, busy complexes,
such as the Merchant District and Pleasure Quarters (Naitō 26, 74, 83, and 92). However, the
outside world was eclipsed by the boundaries of the country due to shogunate Tokugawa’s
decision to close all doors from foreign access. Therefore, the Japanese people were limited to
the world’s scenery, not just by their country’s location, but as a law. Katsushika’s arts made it
clear that new sceneries can be observed when a new perspective on a familiar scene is reveal,
and this catered to the Japanese people for them to travel and in the process, form a unity due to
the precious shared resources within the home country.
Transitions in time periods mean shifts in lifestyles and improvements in technology.
Therefore, people should be informed of previous time periods to welcome new ones and be able
to adapt to new technologies. As the Japanese gave more attention to their own actions rather
than the shogunates’ affairs, they were able to escape their sufferings and welcome happiness
during the Muromachi Period. As former shogunates were more interested in pleasing the
members of their family and maintaining rule over their nation, the last of the shogunates from
the Edo Period favored his actions more to the interest of his people. Although shogunate
Tokugawa’s decisions over his nation may be seen as an inconvenient to a particular audience, a
change of lifestyle occurred when someone with power put in consideration the lives of the
people with less power. As a result, technology, arts, and culture were able to grow profoundly.
Therefore, it is necessary for people, even today, to examine the arts of the current time period in
order to give attention to historical events. Since the identification of problems provides a step
forwards towards finding a solution, researchers should consider studying more arts from the
past to obtain more knowledge about technology, art, and culture.

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Works Cited
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"Katsushika Hokusai | Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura), Also Known
as The Great Wave, from the Series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku
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Art, I.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.
Keene, Donald. Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion: The Creation of the Soul of Japan. New
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Naitō, Akira, Kazuo Hozumi, and H. Mack. Horton. Edo, the City That Became Tokyo: An
Illustrated History. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2003. Print.
Neave, Dorinda, Lara C. W. Blanchard, Marika Sardar, and Miranda Bruce-Mitford. Asian Art.
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Nishiyama, Matsunosuke, and Gerald Groemer. Edo Culture: Daily Life and Diversions in
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"Sesson Shūkei | Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove | Japan | Muromachi Period (1392–1573) |
The Met." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 10
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"The Katakura Tea Plantation in Suruga Province." Katsushika Hokusai. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct.
2016.