REPRESENTATIVE EARLY EAST ASIAN ART: JAPAN

EUGENIA LANGANMATER ACADEMY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOLHIALEAH GARDENS, FLORIDA

THEME:

I I IINNOVATIVE IMITATIVE ISLANDS

TO RECALL THAT JAPANESE CIVILIZATION AND ART (LIKE ALL EAST ASIAN CIVILIZATION) IMITATES CHINESE CIVILIZATION, BUT JAPAN, PERHAPS BECAUSE IT IS AN ISLAND NATION, INNOVATED AND CREATED A DISTINCTLY AND UNIQUELY JAPANESE CIVILIZATION AND ART

AP EXAM GOALS:

THE USUAL ONES FOR NON-WESTERN ART (KNOW MAJOR EXAMPLES FOR MC QUESTIONS, EXAMPLES FOR EACH THEME FOR ESSAYS)

PAY ATTENTION TO DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF JAPANESE PAINTING AND WOODCUTS THAT WILL GREATLY INFLUENCE MODERNIST WESTERN ART

ART HISTORY GOALS:

EXAMINE EARLY INDIGENOUS JAPANESE VISUAL ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE (PRE-BUDDHIST)

UNDERSTAND THE ARRIVAL AND DEVELOPMENT OF BUDDHISM AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ARCHITECTURE AND ART.

EVALUATE THE FORMS OF JAPANESE TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION.

UNDERSTAND THE FORMS AND STYLES OF HEIAN JAPANESE COURT ART.

EXAMINE THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS ART OF THE KAMAKURA PERIOD.

QUICK CONTEXT:

PREHISTORICAL:

© 10,500 – 300 B.C.E.: JOMON PERIOD (NEOLITHIC)

© 300 B.C.E. – 300 C.E.: YAYOI PERIOD – NAR, BRONZE AGE (VILLAGES) MUST HAVE BEEN SOME CONTACTS WITH KOREA AND CHINA

© 300 – 552: KOFUN PERIOD (STILL BRONZE AGE)

SHINTO = ANIMISM

DEFINITE TRADE WITH CHINA, PERHAPS INTRODUCTION OF CHINESE KANJI (WRITING)

© 552 - 685: ASUKA PERIOD = ARRIVAL OF BUDDHIST MISSIONARIES IN JAPAN (FROM KOREA?) CIVILIZATION = SINIFICATION = INTRODUCTION OF CHINESE CULTURE, INCLUDING RELIGION, CONFUCIANISM, WRITING, WORDS, ART AND ARCHITECTURE

710 – 795: NARA PERIOD – DELIBERATE SINIFICATION BUDDHIST EMPERORS AND EMPRESSES AT NARA (PATTERNED AFTER XIAN, CHINA), DEVELOPMENT OF JAPANESE SCRIPT. OFFICIAL BUDDHISM TO BOOST AUTHORITY OF EMPERORS

794 – 1185: HEIAN PERIOD – JAPANESE GOLDEN AGE - EMERGENCE OF DISTINCTLY JAPANESE CULTURE

1185 – 1332: KAMAKURA SHOGUNATE (FORMAL FEUDALISM)

PREHISTORIC NEOLITHIC AND BRONZE AGES

(JOMON, YAYOI, KOFUN)

ONLY FOR PURPOSE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT INDIGENOUS

JAPANESE ART WAS LIKE BEFORE

SINIFICATION

DOTAKU WITH INCISED FIGURAL MOTIFS, FROM KAGAWA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, LATE YAYOI PERIOD, 100–300 C.E. BRONZE, 1'4 7/8"HIGH. TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM

TUMULUS OF "EMPEROR NINTOKU", SAKAI, OSAKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, KOFUN PERIOD, LATE 4TH TO 5TH CENTURY, AND HANIWA WARRIOR, FROM GUNMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, KOFUN PERIOD, 5TH TO MID-6TH CENTURY. LOW-FIRED CLAY, 4' 3 ¼" HIGH. NATIONAL MUSEUM, TOKYO

MAIN HALL, AMATERASU SHRINE, ISE, MIE PREFECTURE, JAPAN, KOFUN PERIOD OR LATER; REBUILT EVERY 20 YEARS, LAST REBUILT 1993 (REBIRTH, PURIFICATION) – SO WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT ORIGINALLY LOOKED LIKE – HOWEVER, NOT CHINESE

MORTISE-AND TENON CONSTRUCTION, CHIGI, KATSUGOI

ASUKA AND NARA PERIODS

SINIFICATION

TORI BUSSHI, SHAKA TRIAD, KONDO, HORY-U-JI, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, ASUKA PERIOD, 623. BRONZE, CENTRAL FIGURE 5' 9 ½" HIGH.

BUDDHA TRIAD = BUDDHA = 2 BODDHISATVAS

NOTE MUDRA, MANDORLA (EASTERN OR WESTERN?), OVERLAPPING FLOWING, PATTERNED DRAPING

YAKUSHI TRIAD, KONDO, YAKUSHIJI, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, NARA PERIOD, LATE 7TH OR 8TH . BRONZE, CENTRAL FIGURE 8' 4" HIGH, INCLUDING BASE AND MANDORLA. NOTE TINY BUDDHAS IN MANDORLAS

AERIAL VIEW, TEMPLE COMPLEX, HORY-U-JI, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, 7TH CENTURY

KONDO (ABOVE) AND AERIAL VIEW OF THE HORY-U-JI TEMPLE COMPLEX, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, NARA PERIOD, © 680. PRIOR TO ALTERATIONS, VERY CHINESE

AMIDA TRIAD, WALL PAINTING FORMERLY IN THE KONDO, HORY-U-JI, © 710. INK AND COLORS, 10' 3" X 8' 6". HORY-U-JI TREASURE HOUSE, NARA.

18TH CENTURY, SMALLER REPLICA OF 8TH CENTURY NARA DAIBUTSUDEN, TODAIJ

POWER AND AUTHORITY

HEIAN PERIOD

JAPANESE!

TAIZOKAI (WOMB WORLD) MANDARA, KYOOGO-KOKU-JI (TOJI), KYOTO, JAPAN, HEIAN PERIOD, SECOND HALF OF NINTH CENTURY. HANGING SCROLL, COLOR ON SILK, 6' X 5' 5/8".

PHOENIX HALL, BYODOIN, UJI, KYOTO PREFECTURE, JAPAN, HEIAN PERIOD, 1053. CHINESE/ JAPANESE

GENJI VISITS MURASAKI, FROM THE MINORI CHAPTER, TALE OF GENJI, HEIAN PERIOD, 1ST HALF OF 12TH CENTURY. HAND SCROLL, INK AND COLOR ON PAPER, 8 5/8"HIGH. GOTO ART MUSEUM, TOKYO.

JAPANESE! "IMPRESSIONIST"

“THE FLYING STOREHOUSE”, FROM LEGENDS OF MOUNT SHIGI, HEIAN PERIOD, LATE 12TH CENTURY. HANDSCROLL, INK AND COLORS ON PAPER, 1' ½" HIGH. CHOGOSONCHI-JI, NARA.

DETAIL, “FLYING STOREHOUSE”

KAMAKURA SHOGUNATE

PORTRAIT STATUE OF THE PRIEST SHUNJOBO CHOGEN, TODAIJI, NARA, JAPAN, KAMAKURA PERIOD, EARLY 13TH CENTURY. PAINTED CYPRESS WOOD, STATUE 2' 8 3/8" HIGH; DETAIL 1'9"HIGH.

NOTE NATURALISM AND ROCK-CRYSTAL EYES

NIGHT ATTACK ON THE SAN-JO PALACE, FROM EVENTS OF THE HEIJI PERIOD, KAMAKURA PERIOD, 13TH CENTURY. HANDSCROLL, INK AND COLORS ON PAPER, 1' 4 ¼" HIGH; COMPLETE SCROLL 22' 10" LONG. MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON.

DETAIL, NIGHT ATTACK ON SAN-JO PALACE

DETAIL, NIGHT ATTACK ON SAN-JO PALACE

AMIDA DESCENDING OVER THE MOUNTAINS, KAMAKURA PERIOD, 13TH CENTURY. HANGING SCROLL, INK AND COLORS ON SILK, 4' 3 1/8" X 3' 10 ½". ZENRIN-JI, KYOTO.