2. Brief History of Japan
Heavy cultural influence
from China and Korea
(Buddhism, ways of
farming, art, language /
letters)
12th to 19th centuries: Samurai
ruled (Shogun), emperor
was only figure head.
3. 1853: American Commodore
Matthew Perry (with four
warships) “requested” Japan
to begin trading.
1868: After civil war, Shogun
resigns and Emperor restored
to power; once again, he is
truly in charge of Japan.
Emperor begins
modernization of country,
abolishes samurai class and
feudal system.
6. Noh
Simple sets, little or no props
Stage has three sides for
audience, connects to dressing
room (separated by curtain)
Accompanied by music / “chorus”
8. Developed around
1600’s
Stories based on
folklore, history
Highly stylized make
up
Appeals to middle
class audience that
often yells during
performance
Bountiful and
exaggerated
Kabuki
9. K
a
b
u
k
i
Elaborate sets, often using special effects
Extensive use of props, especially the fan
Stage has one side
Accompanied by music / “chorus”
Omnagata: males performing as females
10. Contemporary Influence
of Kabuki & Noh
Japanese anime
(cartoons) and
manga (comic
books)
Costume / make
up design for
modern movies
(such as Star
Wars)
11. Haiku
A form of minimalist Japanese
poetry
Theme: Nature or Seasons
Attempts to be deep or compare
two unlike things
Consists of 3 lines and a certain
number of syllables per line
Haiku has 5-7-5 syllabic structure.
12. Japanese Haiku
the first cold shower
even the monkey seems to want
a little coat of straw.
old pond (fu/ru/i/ke ya)
a frog jumps (ka/wa/zu to/bi/ko/mu)
the sound of water (mi/zu no o/to)
--both by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
14. Yamato/Kofun Period
300-710
Yamato : “Great Kings”
Kofun: giant tomb
mounds
Military aristocracy
Imported Chinese
culture
Via Korea:
Writing
Confucianism
Buddhism
15. Prince Shotoku Kamukara Period
573-621
Prince Shotoku
Prince Shotoku
Kamakura period, early 14th century
Kamakura period, early 14th century
gild bronze
gild bronze
Regent during reign of
Empress Suiko (r. 592628)
Wrote the Seventeen
Article Constitution,
the earliest piece of
Japanese writing and
basis for Japanese
government throughout
history.
Led Japanese court in
adopting Chinese
calendar and
sponsoring Buddhism.
16. Asuka Period 645-710
Capital in the Asuka
District
Establishment of
Imperial Power under
Taika Reform Edict
Temple building and
sculpture introduced
with Buddhism -heavily influenced by
Korean and Chinese
models
Relief Tile with Buddhist Triad
Relief Tile with Buddhist Triad
Asuka period, 7th century
Asuka period, 7th century
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
17. The Naiku
The most respected
of all shrines, the
Naiku, is located at
Ise.
The Naiku
preserves
Amaterasu
Omikami, the
ancestral goddess
of Japan's imperial
house and the great
ancestral holy being
of the Japanese
people.
18. Amaterasu Omikami
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865). Amaterasu Emerges from the Light.
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865). Amaterasu Emerges from the Light.
(colored woodcut, no date).
(colored woodcut, no date).
19. Nara Period: 710-794
First permanent
capital established at
Nara
Emperors embraced
Buddhism leading to its
rapid and dramatic
expansion
Rise in political power
of Buddhist
monasteries led to
capital being moved to
Nagaoka.
20. Nara Fashion
During the Nara and the previous Asuka periods, techniques for
During the Nara and the previous Asuka periods, techniques for
dyeing silk were developed. Clothing consisted of many pieces
dyeing silk were developed. Clothing consisted of many pieces
including upper and lower garments, jackets, aafront skirt, and aa
including upper and lower garments, jackets, front skirt, and
back skirt.
back skirt.
21. Nara --Temple Horyu-ji
Nara Temple Horyu-ji
7th century
7th century
Nara --Temple Chugu-ji
Nara Temple Chugu-ji
7th century
7th century
Buddha Sculptures
22. Earliest Japanese Literature
The Kojiki (Record of Ancient
Matters) -- an anthology of myths,
legends, and other stories
The Fudoki (Records of Wind and
Earth), compiled by provincial officials
describe the history, geography,
products, and folklore of the various
provinces.
Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan) -a chronological record of history.
23. The Kojiki
Japan's first book.
It was written in 712 by the
noble Ono Yasumaru (? - 723)
at the order of Empress
Gemmei (661-721) and is in
three volumes.
It recounts the history of Japan
from its mythological origins
to the era of the Empress
Suiko (554-628).
Kojiki (Record of
Kojiki (Record of
Ancient Matters) ––
Ancient Matters)
album cover
album cover
25. The Manyoshu
(Collection of
Ten Thousand Leaves) 759
Anthology of over 4500 poems
Includes wide variety of
poems: courtly, rustic,
dialectical, military, travel
Identified and anonymous
poets
Syllabic poetry: 5-7-5(Haiku)
Choka: indeterminate number
of lines culminating in a 7syllable (mora) couplet
Tanka: 31 syllable poem:
5,7,5,7, 7
26. Heian Japan (794-1185)
Capital at Heian:
present-day Kyoto
Highly formalized
court culture
Aristocratic
monopoly of power
Literary and artistic
flowering
Ended in civil wars
and emergence of
samurai culture
27. The Kokinshu
(Collection of Ancient & Modern Times)
Anthology commissioned by Emperor
Daigo (897-930 )
1111 Tanka poems in 20 books
Books divided by subject: love, seasons,
felicitations, parting, travel, names of
things, etc.
Renga(linked verse): pairs or groups of
poets would compose jointly, with one poet
supplying the initial 5-7-5 of a verse and
another the concluding 7-7,
A confused array
A confused array
of redleaves in the
leaves
often building up to hundred of redcurrent in the
current
of Tatsuta River.
of Tatsuta River.
verse sequences.
Were I Ito cross,
Were to cross,
I Iwould break the fabric of
would break the fabric of
aarich brocade
rich brocade
36. Today, 1200 years later, the Imperial household still uses the costumes of the Heian period
Today, 1200 years later, the Imperial household still uses the costumes of the Heian period
for the formal occasions of coronations and weddings. To protect against high humidity,
for the formal occasions of coronations and weddings. To protect against high humidity,
buildings had elevated floors made of tatami mats. The convention of sitting on the floor
buildings had elevated floors made of tatami mats. The convention of sitting on the floor
became an important part of the life style. Clothing became stiffer and more voluminous.
became an important part of the life style. Clothing became stiffer and more voluminous.
This layered dressing is called "juni-hito" which literally means "12 layers." The layered
This layered dressing is called "juni-hito" which literally means "12 layers." The layered
color pattern reflected many things including seasons, directions, virtues, and elements of
color pattern reflected many things including seasons, directions, virtues, and elements of
the earth as they related to spirits of nature.
the earth as they related to spirits of nature.
37. Heian Style
A culture more
independent of
Chinese influence
Emphasis on the
exquisite and
evanescent
Literary: poems,
letters, pillow books
Extreme sensitivity to
nature
Nocturnal
Importance of
convention and fashion
41. Heian Literature
Men continued to
write Chinese-style
poetry.
Women began to
write in Japanese
prose.
First novel: Genji
Monogatari by
Lady Murasaki
Shikibu
Diaries:
The Pillowbook
by Sei
Shonagan
As I Crossed a
Bridge of
Dreams by
Lady Sarashina
42. Adapted from Chinese
calligraphy, but a totally
different language.
Kanji: ideogrammatic use
of Chinese characters.
Manyo-kana:
ideogrammatic and
syllabic
Kana: syllabic
Hiragana (women’s
writing)- cursive,
doesn’t require
knowledge of Chinese
Katakana- cursive,
derived from Chinese
Japanese
Writing
43. Murasaki Shikibu
From aaseries of the 36
From series of the 36
Immortal Poets
Immortal Poets
Katsukawa Shunsho 18ththc.
Katsukawa Shunsho 18 c.
44. The Tale of
Genji
Lady Murasaki
Picture of life at the
10th c. Heian court.
Relates the lives
and loves of Prince
Genji and his
children and
grandchildren.
Unesco Global
Heritage Pavilion:
The Tale of Genji
45. Artist Unknown, Chapter 12 Suma, Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji).
Artist Unknown, Chapter 12 Suma, Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji).
About mid-18th century, Color on Paper
About mid-18th century, Color on Paper
46. The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji has 54 chapters and over 1,000
pages of text in its English translation.
The novel has three gradual stages:
1. The experience of a youth (Chapters 1-33): Love
and romance
2. The glory and the sorrow (Chapters 34-41): A
taste of power and the death of Genji’s beloved wife
3. The descendants (Chapters 42-54): After the
death of Genji
The Tale of Genji depicts a unique society of ultrarefined and elegant aristocrats whose vital
accomplishments were skill in poetry, music,
calligraphy, and courtship.
The novel is permeated with a sensitivity to human
emotions and the beauties of nature.
Among the most important figures in Japanese history, Prince Shotoku (r. 593-622) adopted Chinese and Korean policies and doctrines for Japan, and instigated major cultural, religious, economic, and political reforms. He introduced Buddhism, a foreign religion that successfully coexisted with native Shinto beliefs. He Japanized foreign systems and beliefs, in the process clarifying a notion of Japaneseness. For this, Shotoku was venerated as a national hero during his lifetime, and deified after his death. The cult of Shotoku resulted in the proliferation of his images, which were placed in temples as well as domestic shrines.
The period from 592 to 710 is called the Asuka Era, because the capital was in the Asuka district during this time. It was the beginnings of the Imperial dynasty in establishing its sovereignty. Buddhism was brought from China: 538Buddhism was not only a religion but also a vast tome of deep knowledge about everything in those days. Japanese learned various knowledge from Chinese Buddhist priests. Buddhism was also a powerful weapon for court politics. In the days of the house Soga, many people were converted to Buddhism. Taika no Kaishin: 645 In the early 6th century, a noble house Soga raised its power. They held important posts in the government. Eventually, they began to intervene in the Imperial succession. They assassinated Prince Yamashiro-no-Oe in 645. During this crisis, Prince Naka-no-Oe allied with another noble, Nakatomi-no-Kamatari, and broke a coupe d'etat in 645. They assassinated Soga-no-Iruka, the leader of house Soga, at a banquet. They prepared the coupe d'etat plan very well, and all members of the house Soga were soon deported. Today, the coupe d'etat is called "Taika-no-Kaishin". Prince Naka-no-Oe ruled the government, and became the next Emperor Tenji in 668. Natatomi-no-Kamatari renamed himself Fujiwara-no-Kamatari. His house, Fujiwara, came to have major power in the government, and finally ruled the government in the Heian Era. The Battle of Jinshin : 672 When Emperor Tenji died in 671, he had two apparent successors. One was his eldest son, Prince Otomo. The other was his elder brother, Prince Oama. Tenji had named Prince Otomo as his successor two years before. So Prince Oama retired from the government and become a Buddhist priest. If he had remained in government, he would likely have been killed by some supporter of Prince Otomo. So he had escaped to a temple in the Yoshino mountains. When Emperor Tenji died, the two Princes began a battle for the throne. Prince Oama finally won, and Prince Otomo comitted suicide. Prince Oama became the new Emperor Tenmu. This battle is called "the Battle of Jinshin".
The Kojiki is considered the earliest historical record of Japan. It was completed in 712 but purportedly records the events dating back to 660 bce and the creation of the Japanese Imperial line. The writing of the Kojiki was a particularly tricky task because the Japanese language did not have a written script. Yasumaro, the scribe charged with recording what had heretofore been committed to memory by Hieda no Are and other kataribe, describes the challenges of trying to find a way to use Chinese characters to represent Japanese words. Refer to pages 12-13 of The Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1 (Columbia University Press, 1958). As a result, the Kojiki is written in a strange mixture of Chinese used both ideographically, phonetically, and otherwise to create Japanese. There was little apparent logic to Yasumaro's selection, and the Kojiki was soon to be illegible until Nativist Scholars unraveled the cumbersome readings in the later centuries.
The Kojiki ("Record of Ancient Matters") is considered the earliest remaining record written by the Japanese. It is an account of Japanese history as viewed by seventh and eighth century Yamato aristocracy. The early accounts are considered a myth, while later accounts hold some historical accuracy.
The compilation of the Kojiki was first commissioned by emperor Tenmu (reigned 673-686), but it was completed only twenty five years and three emperors later in the year 712, during the reign of Empress Genmei. The completion of the Kojiki a year after the establishment of the capital in Nara indicates that the Yamato court was making a significant step forward towards justifying its claim to supreme authority over the Japanese people.
The writing in the Kojiki is based on Chinese characters and employs the kambun, the manyogana, and the hybrid kambun style. The kambun style is basically Chinese writing with a pure Chinese vocabulary and sentence structure. This type of writing comprises the preface of the Kojiki and is the style of the majority of extant early Japanese works. Manyogana consists of Chinese ideographs used phonetically, devoid of their original lexical meanings. The largest portion of the Kojiki however, is written in the hybrid kambun style where words are written phonetically or ideographically in Chinese writing, but read in Japanese. So, the Kojiki announced the adoption of a written form of the Japanese language.
The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) is traditionally viewed as Japan's first book. It was written in 712 by the courtier O no Yasumaro (? - 723) at the behest of Empress Genmei (661-721) and is in three volumes. The Kojiki recounts the history of Japan from its mythological origins to the era of the Empress Suiko (554-628) in the Yamoto era and includes myths, legends, Imperial geneology, history, and poetry.
O no Yasumaru's work was based on the oral recitations of Hieda no Are who had been commanded to memorize and maintain this body of work by Emperor Tenmu (622-686).
This book is extremely significant because in its sections on the "Age of Gods" and the "Age of Emperors", it set the standard framework for the measurement of Japanese history and imperial power.
Waka were first composed, before the advent of writing in Japan, to celebrate victories in battle and love, or for religious reasons, and this tradition of poetry for public occasions carried through to the first great age of written waka in the seventh and eighth centuries, with highly wrought nagauta 'long poems', consisting of alternating 'lines' of five and seven syllables, being composed for performance on public occasions at the imperial court. At the same time, tanka 'short poems', consisting of five 'lines' in the pattern of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables, became a useful shorthand for private communication between friends and lovers, and the ability to compose a tanka on a given topic became an essential skill for any gentleman or lady at court. Over time, the tanka became the premier poetic form for the Japanese aristocracy and nobles competed to produce ever better examples of the art in poetry competitions, while critics formulated elaborate critiques and definitions of what was 'acceptable' poetry.
Eventually, the tanka of the court became ossified, and the vitality of waka was transferred to a new form, renga 'linked verse' which pairs or groups of poets would compose jointly, with one poet supplying the initial 5-7-5 of a verse and another the concluding 7-7, often building up to hundred verse sequences. Finally, the initial 5-7-5 of a renga became a poetic form on its own, the haiku, and great poets came to be found among the samurai warriors and the townsfolk of early modern Japan.
The Kokinshû also has two prefaces: a Japanese one written by Ki no Tsurayuki and a Chinese one by Ki no Yoshimochi. Tsurayuki's preface is regarded as being the first work of Japanese poetic criticism, setting out criteria for judging poems, giving terminology and making suggestions about poets who were to be regarded as superior. In particular, he mentions the 'Six Poetic Sages' (rokkasen): Archbishop Henjô, Ariwara no Narihira, Fun'ya no Yasuhide, The Monk Kisen, Ono no Komachi and Ôtomo no Kuronushi.
The principal poets of the collection (those with more that 5 poems included) are: Tsurayuki (102), Mitsune (60), Tomonori (46), Tadamine (36), the Monk Sosei (36), Narihira (30), Ise (22), Fujiwara no Tomoyuki (19), Komachi (18), Henjô (17), Kiyowara no Fukayabu (17), Fujiwara no Okikaze (17), Ariwara no Motokata (14), Ôe no Chisato (10), Sakaoue no Korenori (8).
Today, 1200 years later, the Imperial household still uses the costumes of the Heian period for the formal occasions of coronations and weddings.
During the Heian period, the japanese expressed their perception color and color changes of the four seasons through costume. Their deep love of artistic beauty and colors were reflected in the kimono of this period.
To protect against high humidity, buildings had elevated floors made of tatami mats. The convention of sitting on the floor became an important part of the life style. Clothing became stiffer and more voluminous. Court women wore 10, 12, 15 or even 20 layers at a time. This layered dressing is called "juni-hito" which literally means "12 layers." The layered color pattern reflected many things including seasons, directions, virtues, and elements of the earth as they related to spirits of nature. The multiple layers also helped in staying warm in winter.
It wasn't until the Heian period (794-1185) that the visual arts began to change. Paramount among these changes was the development of yamato-e, or Japanese painting. The yamato-e depicted Japanese subjects and scenes from Japanese life. Once this genre of painting was created it also created retrospectively the genre of kara-e, or "Chinese painting." While yamato-e would not have the same prestige as kara-e, the depiction of Japanese scenes required a different visual imagination. This development in the Japanese visual imagination was a highly gendered one. In the Heian court culture, women's communities were the most significant culturally creative centers of Japanese society. In addition to literature, women also influenced the nature of painting until two distinct painting styles were recognized: otoko-e, or "men's paintings," and onna-e, or "women's paintings
Onna-e was characterized by rich colors and subtle outlines. The onna-e was the medium for communicating, or courtliness, appropriate to the literature of miyabi, such as The Tale of Genji. The most interesting aspect of onna-e is the "cutaway" painting, in which interior scenes are painted by "cutting away" the roof. The viewer seems to be looking down into a house or room from which the roof has been removed. This unique illustrative device points out the dominant aspect of onna-e: it is primarily concerned with the Japanese life that goes on inside the court or house, while the otoko-e is primarily concerned with the public life outside the court or house. Both of these painting styles emerged as a means to represent specifically Japanese subjects and the cultural ideas represented in these subjects.
." Otoko-e was characterized by strong calligraphic outlines on figures with washed colors so that these strong lines would not be overwhelmed by the color—the illustration below, from the illustrated manuscript Shigisan engi emaki , beautifully represents the style of otoko-e. The otoko-e was the medium for action subjects involving war or conflict;
The Japanese literary genre of engi is a narrative that chronicles the founding of a Buddhist establishment, in this case, Chogosonshiji, founded by Myoren. The painting style is in otoko-e , or "men's pictures." This style is characterized by active movement; the artist uses strong ink calligraphic lines and weak color pigments so that the colors don't overwhelm the black or gray lines. All the emakimono were classified as yamato-e , or "Japanese painting," in distinction to kara-e , or "Chinese painting." The main criterion for differentiation was the yamato-e concerned subjects drawn from Japanese culture and life while the kara-e were based on Chinese themes or subjects.
The greatest artistic medium of these new painting styles was the illustrated manuscript, or emakimono, developed in the late 900's. The emakimono ("painted scrolls") were really scrolls that one rolled out. Illustrations would occupy the full height of the scroll; beside the illustration would be the story. The greatest of these scrolls is the Genji monogatari emaki , an illustrated scroll of The Tale of Genji from the early 1100's.
Writing was introduced into Japan in the sixth and seventh centuries AD. Like so much else in early Japanese culture, it was a direct import from China. Since the Japanese had no native writing system, the introduction of literacy involved writing first in Chinese using Chinese characters. However, since knowledge of Chinese was limited, the Japanese soon adapted the Chinese style of writing to the Japanese language—by the seventh century AD, the Japanese were writing Japanese using the Chinese style of writing. Japanese, however, was an exponentially different language than Chinese —they are not even in the same language family—so the development of Japanese writing involved ingenious but complex reconfigurations of Chinese writing When the Japanese exported Chinese writing, they first exported Chinese writing phonetically. That is, if you needed to write the word, "onna," meaning woman, early Japanese writing would write first a Chinese character that in Chinese represents the word "on" or something close to it and then another Chinese ideogram that translates into the Chinese word "na." After a while, the Japanese began to use the characters ideogrammatically, that is, they'd use the character that corresponded not to the sound but to the meaning of the Chinese word with which it was associated. So, in later Japanese writing, when one wanted to write the word "onna," one would use the Chinese character for "woman." This style of writing, which characterized all Japanese writing until the late seventh century, is called kanji. By the seventh century, both methods were used whenever one wrote Japanese using Chinese characters In the seventh and eighth centuries, the Japanese invented another writing technology based on Chinese characters called kana , which means "borrowed words." There are two types of kana , hiragana (which the early Japanese called onna-de , or "women's writing"), and katakana . The most important innovation in Japanese writing occurred with the introduction of hiragana or completely syllabic writing in the Heian period. In Japanese historiography, hiragana was introduced by the Buddhist, Kobo Daishi, who had studied Sanskrit, a phonetic alphabet, in India. The alphabet that he invented was a syllabic alphabet—in part based on Chinese writing, hiragana is made of simple, cursive strokes in which each character represents a single syllable. Not only is hiragana easier and faster to write, it also doesn't require a knowledge of Chinese characters. In the Heian period, hiragana was called onna-de , or "women's writing" and made possible the great works of Japanese literature composed by women such as Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon. Through these works and the court culture produced by women's communities, hiragana eventually became the dominant writing system in Japan. A little later, Buddhists developed yet one more writing system, katakana . Like hiragana , katakana is a syllabic alphabet derived from Chinese characters. Hiragana , however, was produced by drawing Chinese characters in quick, cursive, fluid strokes—they are curvy and simple renditions of the Chinese characters from which they were derived. Katakana , however, takes Chinese characters and draws only one part of the character, a kind of shorthand.