Japanese painting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Japanese painting ( kaiga
?
) is one of the oldest and most highly refined of the Japanese visual arts,
encompassing a wide variety of genres and styles. As with the history of Japanese arts in general, the long
history of Japanese painting exhiits synthesis and competition etween native Japanese aesthetics and
adaptation of imported ideas.
Contents
[hide]
1 Timeline
o 1.1 Ancient Japan and Asuka period
(until 710)
o 1.2 Nara period (710-7!)
o 1." #eian period (7!-11$%)
o 1.! &amakura period (11$%-1""")
o 1.% 'uromachi period (1"""-1%7")
o 1.( A)uchi-'omo*ama period (1%7"-
1(0")
o 1.7 +do period (1(0"-1$($)
o 1.$ ,re-ar period (1$($-1!%)
o 1. ,ost-ar period (1!%-present)
2 .ee also
" /e0erences
!edit"#imeline
!edit"Ancient Japan and Asuka period (until 710)
#he origins of painting in Japan date well ack into Japan$s prehistoric period. %imple figural representations,
as well as otanical, architectural, and geometric designs are found on J&mon period pottery and 'ayoi
period (()) *+ , ()) A-) dotaku ron.e ells. /uralpaintings with oth geometric and figural designs have
een found in numerous tumuli dating to the 0ofun period and Asuka period (())12)) A-).
Along with the introduction of the +hinese writing system (kanji), +hinese modes of governmental
administration, and *uddhism in the Asuka period, many art works were imported into Japan from +hina and
local copies in similar styles egan to e produced.
!edit"Nara period (710-794)
/ural painting from the #akamatsu.uka #om
With the further estalishment of *uddhism in 3th and 2th century Japan, religious painting flourished and was
used to adorn numerous temples erected y the aristocracy. 4owever, 5ara period Japan is recogni.ed more
for important contriutions in the art of sculpture than painting.
#he earliest surviving paintings from this period include the murals on the interior walls of the 0ond& (
?
) at
the temple 4&ry67i in 8karuga, 5ara 9refecture. #hese mural paintings, as well as painted images on the
important #amamushi %hrine include narratives such as jataka, episodes from the life of the historical *uddha,
%hakyamuni, in addition to iconic images of uddhas, odhisattvas, and various minor deities. #he style is
reminiscent of +hinese painting from the %ui dynasty or the late %ixteen 0ingdoms period. 4owever, y the
mid15ara period, paintings in the style of the #ang dynasty ecame very popular. #hese also include the wall
murals in the #akamatsu.uka #om, dating from around 2)) A-. #his style evolved into the (0ara1e) genre,
which remained popular through the early 4eian period.
As most of the paintings in the 5ara period are religious in nature, the vast ma7ority are y anonymous artists. A
large collection of 5ara period art, Japanese as well as +hinese #ang -ynasty
!:"
is preserved at the%hosoin, an
;th1century repository formerly owned y #odai17i and currently administered y the 8mperial 4ousehold
Agency.
!edit"Heian period (794-1185)
With the development of the <soteric *uddhist sects of %hingon and #endai, painting of the ;th and =th
centuries is characteri.ed y religious imagery, most notaly painted /andala ( mandara
?
). 5umerous
versions of mandala, most famously the Diamond RealmMandala and Womb Realm Mandala at #&7i in 0yoto,
were created as hanging scrolls, and also as murals on the walls of temples. A noted early example is at the
five1story pagoda of -aigo17i, a temple south of 0yoto.
With the rising importance of 9ure >and sects of Japanese *uddhism in the :)th century, new image1types
were developed to satisfy the devotional needs of these sects. #hese include raigo.u (
?
), which
depict Amida *uddha along with attendant odhisattvas 0annon and %eishi arriving to welcome the souls of the
faithful departed to Amida$s Western 9aradise. A noted early example dating from :)?( are painted on the
interior of the 9hoenix 4all of the *yodo1in, a temple in @7i, 0yoto. #his is also considered an early example of
so1called'amato1e (
?
), or AJapanese1style painting,A insofar as it includes landscape elements such as
soft rolling hills that seem to reflect something of the actual appearance of the landscape of western Japan.
%tylistically, however, this type of painting continues to e informed y #ang -ynasty +hinese Alue and green
styleA landscape painting traditions. A'amato1eA is an imprecise term that continues to e deated among
historians of Japanese art.
9anel from the #ale of Ben7i handscroll (detail)
5ight Attack on %an7o 9alace
#he mid14eian period is seen as the golden age of Yamato-e, which were initially used primarily for sliding
doors (fusuma) and folding screens (bybu). 4owever, new painting formats also came to the fore, especially
towards the end of the 4eian period, includingemakimono, or long illustrated handscrolls. Carieties
of emakimono encompass illustrated novels, such as the Genji Monogatari , historical works, such as the Ban
Dainagon Ekotoba , and religious works. 8n some cases, emaki artists employed pictorial narrative conventions
that had een used in *uddhist art since ancient times, while at other times they devised new narrative modes
that are elieved to convey visually the emotional content of the underlying narrative. Genji Monogatari is
organi.ed into discreet episodes, whereas the more lively Ban Dainagon Ekotoba uses a continuous narrative
mode in order to emphasi.e the narrative$s forward motion. #hese two emaki differ stylistically as well, with the
rapid rush strokes and light coloring of Ban Dainagon contrasting starkly to the astracted forms and virant
mineral pigments of the Genji scrolls. #he Siege of te Sanj !ala"e is another famous example of this type of
painting.
E-maki also serve as some of the earliest and greatest examples of the otoko-e(/en$s pictures) and onna-
e (Women$s pictures) styles of painting. #here are many fine differences in the two styles. Although the terms
seem to suggest the aesthetic preferences of each gender, historians of Japanese art have long deated the
actual meaning of these terms, and they remain unclear. 9erhaps most easily noticeale are the differences in
su7ect matter. #nna-e, epitomi.ed y the $ale of Genjihandscroll, typically deals with court life and courtly
romance while otoko-e, often deal with historical andDor semi1legendary events, particularly attles.
!edit"a!akura period (1185-1""")
#hese genres continued on through 0amakura period Japan. E-maki of various kinds continued to e
producedE however, the 0amakura period was much more strongly characteri.ed y the art of sculpture, rather
than painting.
As most of the paintings in the 4eian and 0amakura periods are religious in nature, the vast ma7ority are y
anonymous artists.
!edit"#uro!ac$i period (1"""-157")
4asegawa #&haku !ine $rees, :?=(
>andscape y %esshu #oyo
-uring the :Fth century, the development of the great Gen monasteries in 0amakura and0yoto had a ma7or
impact on the visual arts. Suibokuga, an austere monochrome style of ink painting introduced
from %ung and 'uan dynasty +hina largely replaced the polychrome scroll paintings of the previous period,
although some polychrome portraiture remained , primary in the form of "inso paintings of Gen monks.#ypical
of such painting is the depiction y the priest1painter 0ao of the legendary monk 0ensu (4sien1t.u in +hinese)
at the moment he achieved enlightenment. #his type of painting was executed with Huick rush strokes and a
minimum of detail.
$+atching a +atfish with a Bourd$ (located at #ai.o1in, /yoshin17i, 0yoto), y the priest1painterJosetsu, marks a
turning point in /uromachi painting. 8n the foreground a man is depicted on the ank of a stream holding a
small gourd and looking at a large slithery catfish. /ist fills the middle ground, and the ackground, mountains
appear to e far in the distance. 8t is generally assumed that the Anew styleA of the painting, executed aout
:F:(, refers to a more +hinese sense of deep space within the picture plane
*y the end of the :Fth century, monochrome landscape paintings (sansuiga) had found patronage y the
ruling Ashikaga family and was the preferred genre among Gen painters, gradually evolving from its +hinese
roots to a more Japanese style.
#he foremost artists of the /uromachi period are the priest1painters %h6un and %essh6. %h6un, a monk at
the 0yoto temple of %hokoku17i, created in the painting Reading in a Bamboo Gro%e (:FF3) a realistic
landscape with deep recession into space. %essh6, unlike most artists of the period, was ale to 7ourney to
+hina and study +hinese painting at its source. &ands"a'e of te (our Seasons(Sansui )okanE c. :F;3) is
one of %esshu$s most accomplished works, depicting a continuing landscape through the four seasons.
8n the late /uromachi period, ink painting had migrated out of the Gen monasteries into the art world in general,
as artists from the 0ano school and the Ami school adopted the style and themes, ut introducing a more
plastic and decorative effect that would continue into modern times.
8mportant artists in the /uromachi period Japan includeI
/okkei (c. :J?))
/okuan Keien (died :(F?)
0ao 5inga (e.:Fth century)
/incho (:(?J,:F(:)
Josetsu (:F)?,:FJ()
#ensh& %h6un(died :F3))
%essh6 #&y& (:FJ),:?)3)
0ano /asanou (:F(F,:?())
0ano /otonou (:F23,:??=)
!edit"A%uc$i-#o!o&a!a period (157"-1'0")
%creen detail depicting arrival of a Western ship, attriuted to 0an& 5ai.en (:?2),:3:3).
8n sharp contrast to the previous /uromachi period, the A.uchi /omoyama period was characteri.ed y a
grandiose polychrome style, with extensive use of gold and silver foil, and y works on a very large scale.
#he 0ano school, patroni.ed y Lda 5ounaga, #oyotomi 4ideyoshi, #okugawa 8eyasu, and their followers
and gained tremendously in si.e and prestige. 0ano <itoku developed a formula for the creation of monumental
landscapes on the sliding doors enclosing a room. #hese huge screens and wall paintings were commissioned
to decorate the castles and palaces of the military noility. #his status continued into the suseHuent <do
period, as the #okugawa akufu continued to promote the works of the 0ano school as the officially sanctioned
art for the %hogun, daimyo, and 8mperial court.
4owever, non10ano school artists and currents existed and developed during the A.uchi1/omoyama period as
well, adapting +hinese themes to Japanese materials and aesthetics. Lne important group was the #osa
school, which developed primarily out of the yamato-etradition, and which was known mostly for small scale
works and illustrations of literary classics in ook or emaki format.
8mportant artists in the A.uchi1/omoyama period includeI
0ano <itoku (:?F(,:?=))
0ano %anraku (:??=,:33()
0ano #anyu (:3)J,:32F)
4asegawa #ohaku (:?(=,:3:))
0aiho 'usho (:?((,:3:?)
!edit"(do period (1'0"-18'8)
%croll calligraphy of*odhidharma AGen points directly to the human heart, see into your nature
and ecome *uddhaA, y 4akuin <kaku (:3;? to :23;)
Wind Bod y Lgata 0orin
9art of the series -&shoku sai1e, y 8to Jakuchu
/any art historians show the <do period as a continuation of the A.uchi1/omoyama period. +ertainly, during
the early <do period, many of the previous trends in painting continued to e popularE however, a numer of
new trends also emerged.
Lne very significant school which arose in the early <do period was the Kimpa school, which used classical
themes, ut presented them in a old, and lavishly decorative format. %&tatsu in particular evolved a decorative
style y re1creating themes from classical literature, using rilliantly colored figures and motifs from the natural
world set against gold1leaf ackgrounds. A century later, 0orin reworked %&tatsu$s style and created visually
gorgeous works uniHuely his own.
Another important genre which egan during A.uchi1/omoyama period, ut which reached its full development
during the early <do period was *amban art, oth in the depiction of exotic foreigners and in the use of the
exotic foreigner style in painting. #his genre was centered around the port of 5agasaki, which after the start of
the national seclusion policy of the #okugawa akufu was the only Japanese port left open to foreign trade, and
was thus the conduit y which +hinese and <uropean artistic influences came to Japan. 9aintings in this genre
include 5agasaki school paintings, and also the /aruyama1%hi7o school, which comine +hinese and Western
influences with traditional Japanese elements.
A third important trend in the <do period was the rise of the Bunjinga (literati painting) genre, also known as
the 5anga school (%outhern 9ainting school). #his genre started as an imitation of the works of +hinese
scholar1amateur painters of the 'uan dynasty, whose works and techniHues came to Japan in the mid1:;th
century. >ater bunjinga artists consideraly modified oth the techniHues and the su7ect matter of this genre to
create a lending of Japanese and +hinese styles. #he exemplars of this style are 8ke no #aiga, @ragami
Byokudo, 'osa *uson, #anomura +hikuden, #ani *uncho, and 'amamoto *aiitsu.
-ue to the #okugawa %hogunate$s policies of fiscal and social austerity, the luxurious modes of these genre
and styles were largely limited to the upper strata of society, and were unavailale, if not actually foridden to
the lower classes. #he common people developed a separate type of art, the fu+okuga, in which painting
depicting scenes from common, everyday life, especially that of the common people, kabuki theatre,
prostitutes and landscapes were popular. #hese paintings in the :3th century gave rise to the semi1mass
produced woodcut print, or ukiyoe, which was one of the defining media of the mid1to1late <do period.
8mportant artists in the <do period includeI
#awaraya %&tatsu (died :3F()
Lgata 0orin (:3?;,:2:3)
Bion 5ankai (:322,:2?:)
%akaki 4yakusen (:3=2,:2?J)
'anagisawa 0ien (:2)F,:2?;)
'osa *uson (:2:3,:2;()
8to Jakuchu (:2:3,:;)))
8ke no #aiga (:2J(,:223)
/aruyama Lkyo (:2((,:2=?)
Lkada *eisan7in (:2FF,:;J))
@ragami Byokudo (:2F?,:;J))
/atsumura Boshun (:2?J,:;::)
0atsushika 4okusai (:23),:;F=)
#ani *uncho (:23(,:;F))
#anomura +hikuden (:222,:;(?)
Lkada 4anko (:2;J,:;F3)
'amamoto *aiitsu (:2;(,:;?3)
Watanae 0a.an (:2=(,:;F:)
@tagawa 4iroshige (:2=2,:;?;)
%hiata Geshin (:;)2,:;=:)
#omioka #essai (:;(3,:=JF)
!edit")re*ar period (18'8-1945)
0uroda %eiki, &akeside, :;=2, oil on canvas, 0uroda /emorial 4all, #okyo
Yoritomo in a )a%e y /aeda %eison
#he prewar period was marked y the division of art into competing <uropean styles and traditional indigenous
styles.
-uring the /ei7i period, Japan underwent a tremendous political and social change in the course of
the<uropeani.ation and moderni.ation campaign organi.ed y the /ei7i government. Western style painting
('&ga) was officially promoted y the government, who sent promising young artists aroad for studies, and
who hired foreign artists to come to Japan to estalish an art curriculum at Japanese schools.
4owever, after an initial urst for western style art, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction, and led y art
critic Lkakura 0aku.o and educator <rnest Fenollosa, there was a revival of appreciation for traditional
Japanese styles (5ihonga). 8n the :;;), western style art was anned from official exhiitions and was
severely critici.ed y critics. %upported y Lkakura and Fenollosa, the *ionga style evolved with influences
from the <uropean pre1Kaphaelite movement and <uropean romanticism.
#he '&ga style painters formed the Meiji Bijutsukai (/ei7i Fine Arts %ociety) to hold its own exhiitions and to
promote a renewed interest in western art.
8n :=)2, with the estalishment of the Bunten under the aegis of the /inistry of <ducation, oth competing
groups found mutual recognition and co1existence, and even egan the process towards mutual synthesis.
#he #aish& period saw the predominance of Yga over *ionga. After long stays in <urope, many artists
(including Arishima 8kuma) returned to Japan under reign of 'oshihito, ringing with them the techniHues
of impressionism and early post1impressionism. #he works of +amille 9issarro,9aul +M.anne and 9ierre
Auguste Kenoir influenced early #aish& period paintings. 4owever, ygaartists in the #aish& period also tended
towards eclecticism, and there was a profusion of dissident artistic movements. #hese included the Fusain
%ociety ((yu+ankai) which emphasi.ed styles of post1impressionism, especially fauvism. 8n :=:F,
the *ikakai (%econd -ivision %ociety) emerged to oppose the government1sponsored *unten <xihiition.
Japanese painting during the #aish& period was only mildly influenced y other contemporary <uropean
movements, such as neoclassicism and late post1impressionism.
4owever, interestingly it was resurgent *ionga, towards mid1:=J)s, which adopted certain trends from post1
impressionism. #he second generation of *ionga artists formed the Japan Fine Arts Academy (*ion
Bijutsuin) to compete against the government1sponsored Bunten, and although yamato-e traditions remained
strong, the increasing use of western perspective, and western concepts of space and light egan to lur the
distinction etween *ionga and yga.
Japanese painting in the prewar %h&wa period was largely dominated y 'asui %otaro and @mehara
Kyu.auro, who introduced the concepts of pure art and astract painting to the *ionga tradition, and thus
created a more interpretative version of that genre. #his trend was further developed y >eonard Fou7ita and
the 5ika %ociety, to encompass surrealism. #o promote these trends, the 8ndependent Art Association
(Dokuritsu Bijutsu ,yokai) was formed in :=(:.
-uring the World War 88, government controls and censorship meant that only patriotic themes could e
expressed. /any artists were recruited into the government propaganda effort, and critical non1emotional
review of their works is only 7ust eginning.
8mportant artists in the prewar period includeI
4arada 5ao7iro (:;3(,:;==)
'amamoto 4osui (:;?),:=)3)
Asai +hu (:;?3,:=)2)
0ano 4ogai (:;J;,:;;;)
4ashimoto Baho (:;(?,:=);)
0uroda %eiki (:;33,:=JF)
Wada <isaku (:;2F,:=?=)
Lkada %aurosuke (:;3=,:=(=)
%akamoto 4an7iro (:;;J,:=3J)
Aoki %higeru (:;;J,:=::)
Fu7ishima #ake7i (:;32,:=F()
'okoyama #aikan :;3;1:=?;
4ishida %hunso :;2F1:=::
0awai Byokudo :;2(1:=?2
@emura %h&en (:;2?,:=F=)
/aeda %eison :;;?1:=22
%himomura 0an.an :;2(1:=()
#akeuchi %eiho :;3F1:=FJ
#omioka #essai :;(21:=JF
@emura %hoen :;2?1:=F=
%himomura 0an.an (:;2(,:=())
4ishida %hunso (:;2F,:=::)
8mamura %hiro (:;;),:=:3)
#omita 0eisen (:;2=,:=(3)
0oide 5arashige (:;;2,:=(:)
0ishida Kyusei (:;=:,:=J=)
'oro.u #etsugoro (:;;?,:=J2)
4ayami Byoshu (:;=F,:=(?)
0awaata Kyushi (:;;?,:=33)
#suchida 4akusen (:;;2,:=(3)
/urakami 0agaku (:;;;,:=(=)
'asui %otaro (:;;:,:=??)
%an.o Wada (:;;(,:=32)
@mehara Kyu.auro (:;;;,:=;3)
'asuda 'ukihiko (:;;F,:=2;)
0oayashi 0okei (:;;(,:=?2)
>eonard Fou7ita (:;;3,:=3;)
'u.o %aeki (:;=;,:=J;)
8t& %hinsui :;=;1:=2J
0auraki 0iyokata :;2;1:=2J
#akehisa 'ume7i :;;F1:=(F
!edit")ost*ar period (1945-present)
8n the postwar period, the government1sponsored Japan Art Academy (*ion Geijutsuin) was formed in :=F2,
containing oth nionga andyga divisions. Bovernment sponsorship of art exhiitions has ended, ut has
een replaced y private exhiitions, such as the *itten, on an even larger scale. Although the *itten was
initially the exhiition of the Japan Art Academy, since :=?; it has een run y a separate private corporation.
9articipation in the *itten has ecome almost a prereHuisite for nomination to the Japan Art Academy, which in
itself is almost an unofficial prereHuisite for nomination to the Lrder of +ulture.
#he arts of the <do and prewar periods (:3)(1:=F?) was supported y merchants and uran people. +ounter
to the <do and prewar periods, arts of the postwar period ecame popular. After World War 88,
painters, calligraphers, and printmakers flourished in the ig cities, particularly#okyo, and ecame preoccupied
with the mechanisms of uran life, reflected in the flickering lights, neon colors, and frenetic pace of their
astractions. All the AismsA of the 5ew 'ork19aris art world were fervently emraced. After the astractions of
the :=3)s, the :=2)s saw a return to realism strongly flavored y the AopA and ApopA art movements, emodied
in the :=;)s in the explosive works of @shio %hinohara. /any such outstanding avant1garde artists worked
oth in Japan and aroad, winning international pri.es. #hese artists felt that there was Anothing JapaneseA
aout their works, and indeed they elonged to the international school. *y the late :=2)s, the search for
Japanese Hualities and a national style caused many artists to reevaluate their artistic ideology and turn away
from what some felt were the empty formulas of the West. +ontemporary paintings within the modern idiom
egan to make conscious use of traditional Japanese art forms, devices, and ideologies. A numer of mono-
a artists turned to painting to recapture traditional nuances in spatial arrangements, color harmonies, and
lyricism.
Japanese1style painting (nionga) continues in a prewar fashion, updating traditional expressions while
retaining their intrinsic character. %ome artists within this style still paint on silk or paper with traditional colors
and ink, while others used new materials, such as acrylics.
/any of the older schools of art, most notaly those of the <do and prewar periods, were still practiced. For
example, the decorative naturalism of the rim'a school, characteri.ed y rilliant, pure colors and leeding
washes, was reflected in the work of many artists of the postwar period in the :=;)s art of 4ikosaka 5aoyoshi.
#he realism of /aruyama Nkyo$s school and the calligraphic and spontaneous Japanese style of the
gentlemen1scholars were oth widely practiced in the :=;)s. %ometimes all of these schools, as well as older
ones, such as the 0ano school ink traditions, were drawn on y contemporary artists in the Japanese style and
in the modern idiom. /any Japanese1style painters were honored with awards and pri.es as a result of
renewed popular demand for Japanese1style art eginning in the :=2)s. /ore and more, the international
modern painters also drew on the Japanese schools as they turned away from Western styles in the :=;)s.
#he tendency had een to synthesi.e <ast and West. %ome artists had already leapt the gap etween the two,
as did the outstanding painter %hinoda #oko. 4er old sumi ink astractions were inspired y traditional
calligraphy ut reali.ed as lyrical expressions of modern astraction.
#here are also a numer of contemporary painters in Japan whose work is largely inspired y anime su1
cultures and other aspects of popular and youth culture. #akashi /urakami is perhaps among the most famous
and popular of these, along with and the other artists in his0aikai 0iki studio collective. 4is work centers on
expressing issues and concerns of postwar Japanese society through what are usually seemingly innocuous
forms. 4e draws heavily from anime and related styles, ut produces paintings and sculptures in media more
traditionally associated with fine arts, intentionally lurring the lines etween commercial and popular art and
fine arts.
8mportant artists in the postwar period includeI
Lgura 'uki (:;=?,J))))
@emura %hoko :=)J1J)):
0oiso Kyouhei (:=)(,:=;;)
0aii 4igashiyama (:=);,:===)
!edit"%ee also
>ist of 5ational #reasures of Japan (paintings)
5ihonga
'&ga
4istory of <astern art
!edit"Keferences
:. + #he 8mperial 4ousehold Agency AAout the %hosoinA
This article includes a list o0 re0erences1 related readin2 or e3ternal links1 4ut its
sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. ,lease impro5e this
article 4* introducin2 more precise citations. (September 2009)
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/ason, 9enelope. .istory of /a'anese 0rt . 9rentice 4all (J))?). 8%*5 )1:(1::23)J1:
%adao, #suneko. Dis"o%ering te 0rts of /a'an1 0 .istori"al #%er%ie-. 0odansha 8nternational
(J))(). 8%*5 F122))1J=(=1O
%chaap, Koert, 0 Brus -it 0nimals, /a'anese !aintings, 2344-2564, *ergei7k, %ociety for
Japanese Arts P 4otei 9ulishing, J))2.8%*5 =2;=)2)J:3)2;
%chaarschmidt Kichte. /a'anese Modern 0rt !ainting (rom 2524 . <dition %temmle. 8%*5 (1=);:3:1
;?1: