美しい芸術
Utsukushii geijutsu
“Beautiful Art”
An article By Kayla Head
Traditional Japanese art forms have been a source of inspiration and creativity for centuries. It evolved unique techniques, traditions and aesthetics now used around the world. The increasing interaction between the Japanese and other cultures has also expanded the diverse categories of visual arts. It is simply just one of the greatest treasures of the artistic world.
The Kamakura Period
As Japan shifted from the Kamakura Period to the Maromachi Period, there was an expansion of the practice of cultural Chinese zen. The Kamakura Period favored a realistic and naturalistic art
style, exemplified by the sculpture of the Kei School, a style of buddhist sculpture.
This was also an era of Buddhism and samurai warriors, which also contributed to their beautiful story-telling paintings. Around the same time period, the Genpei War between the Heike and the Genji families began and continued throughout Japan’s Central Island from 1180 to 1185 A.D. This caused mass destruction of important temples and monuments. This also opened doors for more to be created.
Illustrations
The Kegon Engi Emaki, an illustrated history, created as a combination of passages written in syllables and illustrations with dialog in between. The Emaki was used as a tool for samurai wives, as most of them couldn't read or understand the texts in Chinese ideographs. It was designed to demonstrate the founding of the Kegon sect, a school of Chinese Buddhism. This sect was one of the most significant in the Nara Period.
It soon began to fall after the dominance of the Pure Land sects. Soon after the Genpei War, Myōe, a priest of the Kōzan-ji temple sought to revive the deteriorating sect. He wanted to turn the newly rebuilt sect into a safe place for women that were widowed by the war. The Emaki was a story about the two founders of the Kegon sect who traveled to the Ocean King’s palace and encountered a plethora of extraordinary accomplishments. This was also a saddening story of star-crossed lovers. These illustrations successfully draw their viewers in.
Architecture
Shortly after Buddhism began to grow in wealth and power, the priest Kukai traveled to China to study Shingon, a form of Buddhism. Shingon’s core of worship were mandalas and were said to be diagrams of spiritual worship, which later began to impact temple design. The stupa, originally an indian architectural form, was also adopted. The temples built for this sect were constructed in the mountains, away from other civilization.
This irregular location forced the architects to rethink the structural concerns of the temple. Doing this caused them to choose more indigenous designs that would protect against the environment. Ceramic tile was replaced by cypress-bark roofs, wooden planks were substituted for earthen floors, and another worship area was added to the front of the main sanctuary.
Ink Painting
Suiboka-ga, otherwise known as Sumi-e is a form of Japanese painting using ink. It is also called monochrome ink painting. It was first developed in China in the Sung Dynasty (960-1274) and was brought into Japan by Zen Buddhist monks during the mid-14th century. It eventually reached its height in the Maromachi Period (1338-1573) because of artists such as Sesshu Toyo, one of the greatest masters of Japanese art and Sesson Shukei.
Bold black ink strokes were used to manipulate the movement of the ink, allowing the artist to do anything they wanted to. The View of Amanohashidate (left) is a perfect example of the use of large brush strokes and imitationalism.
Origami
Like most things, origami is said to have its slight origins in China. The earliest record known to man of the practice of “paper folding” dates back to around 794 C.E.
It was around this same time period that Japan began to have its outbreak of artistic and cultural advances. Paper was folded into complex shapes for formal occasions such as weddings and funerals.
Pottery
Japanese pottery, made with hardened clay and porcelain, was not always a huge cultural aspect in Japan. However, there was a revival in the Kamakura period after a visit from the potter Katō Shirōzaemon to China in 1227. This is where he learned to make pottery. The early pieces were mainly for rituals. However, as the Kamakura period ended and the Maromachi period began, jars, tea bowls and plates were being made for everyday use.
There are significant differences in the designs of pottery between the two periods. Kamakura pottery was decorated with precise designs or with applied ornaments. Maromachi pottery, on the other hand, was very plain bust also emphasized rustic simplicity. The pieces from both of these periods have a similar feldspathic glaze, but those from the Muromachi period are more even in quality. A huge factor to the revival of pottery were kilns; huge furnace or oven for burning, baking or drying.
The Six Ancient Kilns of Japan were the most important and frequently used kilns in this time period. They go by the names Seto, Echizen, Tokoname, Shiigaraki, Tanba, and Bizen. They share an important contribution to the development of ceramics.
Japanese art covers a wide array of media and styles. The study of the origins of Japanese art styles is truly a fascinating endeavor. There are so many categories of visual arts that we have Japanese artists to thank for. Whether it be ink wash paintings, origami, or calligraphy, there is always something mesmerizing in the time, effort and care that these artists put into their masterpieces.
Works Cited
Japanese Sculpture, www.art-and-archaeology.com/japan/kei1.html.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Suiboku-Ga.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/suiboku-ga.
Green, Jen. Nations of the World, Japan. Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2001.
“JAPAN HERITAGE PORTAL SITE.” Six Ancient Kilns, japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/en/stories/story050/.
“Japanese Art.” Japanese Art - New World Encyclopedia, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Japanese_art.
Kalman, Bobbie. Japan, the Culture(JN). Crabtree, 2001.
“Kamakura Period.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-art/Kamakura-period.
“Legends of the Kegon Sect: 京都国立博物館: Kyoto National Museum.” Legends of the Kegon Sect | 京都国立博物館 | Kyoto National Museum, www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/kaiga/43kegon.html.
Munsterberg, Hugo. “Sesshū.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 Aug. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Sesshu.
“Muromachi Period.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-art/Muromachi-period.
“Origami.” Japanese Culture - Arts - Origami, www.japan-zone.com/culture/origami.shtml.
Savage, George. “Japanese Pottery.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-pottery#ref283216.
Toki. “Origami, the Japanese Tradition of Paper Folding.” TOKI, TOKI, 4 Apr. 2016, www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2016/4/4/origami-the-japanese-tradition-of-paper-folding.
Witherick, Michael. Japan. Heinemann Library, 2000.
Extremely well written! I appreciate the research and writing that went into this article. It demonstrates excellence throughout the piece. Picture and text work together very well.
I loved reading this article. I found it very informative and I loved the images
I enjoyed reading your article. I like how you talked about several different art styles and included bits of their history.
This was a good article. Very informational and the pictures are good.
I like the pictures and the effort put into this work, you have a very bright future.