“Japanese Culture”

A Research Paper Presented To

The Class Of Mrs. Simonette Melchor

Commonwealth High School

In Partial Fulfillment

Of The Requirements for the Subject

English 10

By

Icy Francisco

Gr. 10-Sardonyx

December 3, 2019
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Mrs. Simonette

Melchor as well as our principal Dr. Diego Amid who gave a golden opportunity to do
this wonderful project on the topic Japanese Culture, which also helped me in doing this
Research and i came to know about so many new things I am really thankful to them.

I am over helmed in all humbleness and gratefulness to acknowledge my depth to all

those who have helped me to put these ideas, well above the level of simplicity and into
something concrete.

I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this
project within the limited time frame.

Thank you,

Icy Francisco

10-Sardonyx
 DEDICATION NAME

I humbly dedicate this research to my parents and siblings, Irene Francisco and Juvy
Francisco. To all of my friends who lived here in Philippines. To my cousins, my uncles
and aunts, to all of my teachers I knew since kindergarten until now to all people that
supporting everyday in my activities, this topic Japanese Culture, I will dedicate this to
you to earn some knowledge and learning about some facts and to know what is inside
of this controversial place in this world.

I would also like to dedicate this topic to those people who’s not afraid to fight and raid
this place to see what is inside of Japanese Culture, my salute to these people. You
gave me some inspiration, strength, and willingness to this topic. My respect to you
guys
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Culture of Japan.............................................................................................................1

Religion....................................……................................................................................2

Shintoism.......................................................................................................3

Buddhism…………………………………………………………………………..4

National Character………………………………………………………………….…………5

Nihonjinron……………………………………………………………………………………………6

Literature……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….7

Nara Literature……………………………………………………………………………………….8

Heian Literature……………………………………………………………………………………..9

Kamakura-Muromachi literature……………………………………………………….……10

Edo Literature……………………………………………………………………………………….11

Meijo, Taisho and Showa Literature…………………………………………………………12

Postwar Literature…………………………………………………………………………………..13

Japanese Art…….……………………………………………………………………………………………….14

Jomon Art………………………………………………………………………………………………15

Yayoi Art………………………………………………………………………………………………..17
 Kufun art…………………………………………………………………………………………………18

Asuka and Nara Art………………………………………………………………………………….19

Heian Art…………………………………………………………………………………………………20

Kamakura Art…………………………………………………………………………………………..21

Muromachi Art…………………………………………………………………………………………22

Art of Edo Period……………………………………………………………………………………..23

Azuchi-momoyama Art……………………………………………………………………………..24

Art of Prewar Period…………………………………………………………………………………25

Art of Postwar Period……………………………………………………………………………….26

Music of Japan…………………………………………………………………………………………………27

Biwa Hoshi, Heiki Biwa,Moso and Goze……………………………………………………..28

Taiko……………………………………………………………………………………………………….29

Okinawa Folk Music………………………………………………………………………………….30

 Culture of Japan

The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's
prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences
from Asia, Europe, and North America.
Japan's indigenous culture originates primarily from the Yayoi people who settled in
Japan between 1000 BCE to 300 CE. Yayoi culture quickly spread to the main island
of Honshū, mixing with the native Jōmon culture. Modern Japanese have an estimated
80% Yayoi and 20% Jōmon ancestry.
Japanese culture was influenced from ancient times to the Middle Ages primarily by
multiple Chinese dynasties and to a lesser extent by other Asian countries. For example
the Japanese language uses Chinese characters (kanji) for writing, but Japanese has
no genetic relationship with Chinese.In the near-contemporary history since the Meiji
period Japan was primarily influenced by western countries. Repeated influence,
absorption and selection in various ways have added to the development of a distinct
and unique culture.
The inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside
world for over 220 years during the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of the "Black
Ships" and the Meiji period. Today, the culture of Japan stands as one of the leading
and most prominent cultures around the world, mainly due to the global reach of
its popular culture.

1
 Religion

Shinto and Buddhism are Japan's two major religions. Shinto is as old as the Japanese
culture, while Buddhism was imported from the mainland in the 6th century. Since then,
the two religions have been co-existing relatively harmoniously and have even
complemented each other to a certain degree. Most Japanese consider themselves
Buddhist, Shintoist or both.

Religion does not play a big role in the everyday life of most Japanese people today.
The average person typically follows the religious rituals at ceremonies like
birth, weddings and funerals, may visit a shrine or temple on New Year and participates
at local festivals (matsuri), most of which have a religious background.

2
 .Shintoism

Shintoism is an ethnic religion that focuses on ceremonies and rituals. In Shintoism,

followers believe that kami, a Shinto deity or spirit, are present throughout nature,
including rocks, trees, and mountains. Humans can also be considered to possess a
kami. One of the goals of Shintoism is to maintain a connection between humans,
nature, and kami. The religion developed in Japan prior to the sixth century CE, after
which point followers built shrines to worship kami

3
 Buddhism

Buddhism developed in India around the 6th and 4th centuries BCE and eventually
spread through China and Korea. It arrived in Japan during the 6th century CE, where it
was initially unpopular. Most Japanese people were unable to understand the difficult
philosophical messages present in Buddhism, however they did have an appreciation
for the religion's art, which is believed to have led to the religion growing more popular.
Buddhism is concerned with the soul and life after dying. In the religion a person's
status was unimportant, as every person would get sick, age, die, and eventually be
reincarnated into a new life, a cycle called saṃsāra. The suffering people experienced
during life was one way for people to gain a better future. The ultimate goal was to
escape the cycle of death and rebirth by attaining true insight.

4
 National Character

The Japanese "national character" has been written about under the term Nihonjinron,
literally meaning "theories/discussions about the Japanese people" and referring to
texts on matters that are normally the concerns
of sociology, psychology, history, linguistics, and philosophy, but emphasizing the
authors' assumptions or perceptions of Japanese exceptionalism; these are
predominantly written in Japan by Japanese people,though noted examples have also
been written by foreign residents, journalists and even scholars.

5
 Nihonjinron

is a genre of texts that focus on issues of Japanese national and cultural identity. Such
texts share the general belief of the uniqueness of Japan, and the term nihonjinron can
be employed to refer to this outlook.
The concept became popular after World War II, with books and articles aiming to
analyze, explain, or explore peculiarities of Japanese culture and mentality, usually by
comparison with those of Europe and the United States. The literature is vast, ranging
over such varied fields
as sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, linguistics, philosophy, biology, chemi
stry and physics so in addition to the common generic word nihonjinron, a variety of
topical subgenres exist, divided up by specific theme or subject-matter. For example:

 shinfūdoron (新風土論): "new theories on climate" (implying the influence of

climate on peoples)
 nihonbunkaron (日本文化論): "theories on Japanese culture"

 nihonshakairon (日本社会論): "theories on Japanese society"

 nihonron (日本論): "theories on Japan"

 nihonkeizairon (日本経済論): "theories on the Japanese economy"

6
 Literature

Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact

with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian

literature also had an influence through the separation of Buddhism in Japan.

Eventually, Japanese literature developed into a separate style, although the influence
of Chinese literature and Classical Chinese remained until the end of the Edo period.
Since Japan reopened its ports to Western trading and diplomacy in the 19th
century, Western and Eastern literature have strongly affected each other and continue
to do so.

7
 Nara Literature (before 794)

Before the introduction of kanji from China, the Japanese had no writing system. It is
believed that Chinese characters came to Japan at the very beginning of the fifth
century, brought by immigrants from the mainland of Korean and Chinese descent.
Early Japanese texts first followed the Chinese model,before gradually transitioning to a
hybrid of Chinese characters used in Japanese syntactical formats, resulting in
sentences that looked like Chinese but were read phonetically as Japanese. Chinese
characters were also further adapted, creating what is known as man'yōgana, the

earliest form of kana, or Japanese syllabic writing.The earliest literary works in Japan

were created in the Nara period.[1] These include the Kojiki, a historical record that also

chronicles ancient Japanese mythology and folk songs; the Nihon Shoki , a chronicle

written in Chinese that is significantly more detailed than the Kojiki; and

the Man'yōshū , a poetry anthology. One of the stories they describe is the tale

of Urashima Tarō

8
 Heian literature (794–1185)

The Heian period has been referred to as the golden era of art and literature in
Japan. During this era, literature became centered on a cultural elite of nobility and
monks. The imperial court particularly patronized the poets, most of whom were
courtiers or ladies-in-waiting. Reflecting the aristocratic atmosphere, the poetry was
elegant and sophisticated and expressed emotions in a rhetorical style. Editing the
resulting anthologies of poetry soon became a national pastime. The iroha poem, now
one of two standard orderings for the Japanese syllabary, was also developed during
the early Heian period.
Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), written in the early 11th century by a woman
named Murasaki Shikibu, is considered the pre-eminent novel of Heian fiction. Other
important writings of this period include the Kokin Wakashū , a waka-poetry anthology,
and Makura no Sōshi (The Pillow Book). The Pillow Book was written by Sei
Shōnagon, Murasaki Shikibu's contemporary and rival, as an essay about the life, loves,
and pastimes of nobles in the Emperor's court. Another notable piece of fictional
Japanese literature was Konjaku Monogatarishū, a collection of over a thousand stories
in 31 volumes. The volumes cover various tales from India, China and Japan.

The 10th-century Japanese narrative, Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo
Cutter), can be considered an early example of proto-science fiction. The protagonist of
the story, Kaguya-hime, is a princess from the Moon who is sent to Earth for safety
during a celestial war, and is found and raised by a bamboo cutter. She is later taken
back to her extraterrestrial family in an illustrated depiction of a disc-shaped flying object
similar to a flying saucer.

9
 Kamakura-Muromachi literature (1185–1603)

During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), Japan experienced many civil wars which
led to the development of a warrior class, and subsequent war tales, histories, and
related stories.[8] Work from this period is notable for its more somber tone compared
to the works of previous eras, with themes of life and death, simple lifestyles, and
redemption through killing. A representative work is Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the
Heike) (1371), an epic account of the struggle between the Minamoto and Taira clans
for control of Japan at the end of the twelfth century. Other important tales of the period
include Kamo no Chōmei's Hōjōki (1212) and Yoshida Kenkō's Tsurezuregusa (1331).
Despite a decline in the importance of the imperial court, aristocratic literature remained
the center of Japanese culture at the beginning of the Kamakura period. Many literary
works were marked by a nostalgia for the Heian period.The Kamakura period also saw
a renewed vitality of poetry, with a number of anthologies compiled,[8][11] such as
the Shin Kokin Wakashū compiled in the early 1200s. However, there were fewer
notable works by female authors during this period, reflecting the lowered status of
women.
As the importance of the imperial court continued to decline, a major feature of
Muromachi literature (1333–1603) was the spread of cultural activity through all levels
of society. Classical court literature, which had been the focal point of Japanese
literature up until this point, gradually disappeared. New genres such as renga, or
linked verse, and Noh theater developed among the common
people, and setsuwa such as the Nihon Ryoiki were created by Buddhist priests for
preaching.[citation needed] The development of roads, along with a growing public
interest in travel and pilgrimages, brought rise to the greater popularity of travel
literature from the early 13th to 14th centuries.Notable examples of travel diaries
include Fuji kikō (1432) and Tsukushi michi no ki (1480).

10
 Edo literature (1603–1868)

Literature during this time was written during the largely peaceful Tokugawa
Period (commonly referred to as the Edo Period). Due in large part to the rise of the
working and middle classes in the new capital of Edo (modern Tokyo), forms of popular
drama developed which would later evolve into kabuki. The jōruri and kabuki
dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1725) became popular at the end of the
17th century, and he is also known as Japan's Shakespeare.

Many different genres of literature made their début during the Edo Period, helped by a
rising literacy rate among the growing population of townspeople, as well as the
development of lending libraries. Ihara Saikaku (1642–1693) might be said to have
given birth to the modern consciousness of the novel in Japan, mixing vernacular
dialogue into his humorous and cautionary tales of the pleasure quarters, the so-called
Ukiyozōshi "floating world" genre. Ihara's Life of an Amorous Man is considered the first
work in this genre. Although Ihara's works were not regarded as high literature at the
time because it had been aimed towards and popularized by the Chōnin, they became
popular and were key to the development and spread of ukiyozōshi.

Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) is recognized as the greatest master of haiku (then

called hokku) His poems were influenced by his firsthand experience of the world
around him, often encapsulating the feeling of a scene in a few simple elements. He
made his life's work the transformation of haikai into a literary genre. For Bashō, haikai
involved a combination of comic playfulness and spiritual depth, ascetic practice, and
involvement in human society. In particular, Bashō wrote Oku no Hosomichi a major
work in the form of a travel diary and considered "one of the major texts of classical
Japanese literature."

11
 Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa literature (1868–1945)

he Meiji period marks the re-opening of Japan to the West, ending over two centuries
of period of national seclusion, and a period of rapid industrialization. The introduction
of European literature brought free verse into the poetic repertoire. It became widely
used for longer works embodying new intellectual themes. Young Japanese prose
writers and dramatists struggled with a whole galaxy of new ideas and artistic schools,
but novelists were the first to assimilate some of these concepts successfully.
Natsume Sōseki's (1867–1916) humorous novel Wagahai wa neko de aru (I Am a Cat,
1905) employed a cat as the narrator, and he also wrote the famous
novels Botchan (1906) and Kokoro (1914). Natsume, Mori Ōgai, and Shiga
Naoya who was called "god of the novel" as the most prominent "I novel" writer, were
instrumental in adopting and adapting Western literary conventions and
techniques. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa is known especially for his historical short
stories. Ozaki Kōyō, Kyōka Izumi, and Ichiyo Higuchi represent a strain of writers
whose style hearkens back to early-Modern Japanese literature

12
 Postwar literature (since 1945)

World War II, and Japan's defeat, deeply influenced Japanese literature. Many authors
wrote stories of disaffection, loss of purpose, and the coping with defeat. Haruo
Umezaki's short story Sakurajima shows a disillusioned and skeptical Navy officer
stationed in a base located on the Sakurajima volcanic island, close to Kagoshima, on
the southern tip of the Kyushu island. Osamu Dazai's novel The Setting Sun tells of a
soldier returning from Manchukuo. Shōhei Ōoka won the Yomiuri Prize for his
novel Fires on the Plain about a Japanese deserter going mad in the Philippine
jungle. Yukio Mishima, well known for both his nihilistic writing and his controversial
suicide by seppuku, began writing in the post-war period. Nobuo Kojima's short story
"The American School" portrays a group of Japanese teachers of English who, in the
immediate aftermath of the war, deal with the American occupation in varying ways.
Prominent writers of the 1970s and 1980s were identified with intellectual and moral
issues in their attempts to raise social and political consciousness. One of
them, Kenzaburō Ōe published his best-known work, A Personal Matter in 1964 and
became Japan's second winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Mitsuharu Inoue (ja) had long been concerned with the atomic bomb and continued in
the 1980s to write on problems of the nuclear age, while Shusaku Endo depicted the
religious dilemma of the Kakure Kirishitan, Roman Catholics in feudal Japan, as a
springboard to address spiritual problems. Yasushi Inoue also turned to the past in
masterful historical novels of Inner Asia and ancient Japan, in order to portray present
human fate.
Avant-garde writers, such as Kōbō Abe, who wrote fantastic novels such as The
Woman in the Dunes (1960), wanted to express the Japanese experience in modern
terms without using either international styles or traditional conventions, developed new
inner visions. Yoshikichi Furui tellingly related the lives of alienated urban dwellers
coping with the minutiae of daily life, while the psychodramas within such daily life
crises have been explored by a rising number of important women novelists. The
1988 Naoki Prize went to Shizuko Todo (ja) for Ripening Summer, a story capturing
the complex psychology of modern women. Other award-winning stories at the end of
the decade dealt with current issues of the elderly in hospitals, the recent past (Pure-
Hearted Shopping District in Kōenji, Tokyo), and the life of a Meiji period ukiyo-e artist.

13
 Japanese Art

Japanese Art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient
pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, ukiyo-e paintings
and woodblock prints, ceramics, origami, and more recently manga which is modern
Japanese cartoons and comics along with a myriad of other types. It has a long history,
ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th
millennium BC, to the present-day country.
Japan has been subject to sudden invasions of new ideas followed by long periods of
minimal contact with the outside world. Over time the Japanese developed the ability to
absorb, imitate, and finally assimilate those elements of foreign culture that
complemented their aesthetic preferences. The earliest complex art in Japan was
produced in the 7th and 8th centuries in connection with Buddhism. In the 9th century,
as the Japanese began to turn away from China and develop indigenous forms of
expression, the secular arts became increasingly important; until the late 15th century,
both religious and secular arts flourished. After the Ōnin War (1467–1477), Japan
entered a period of political, social, and economic disruption that lasted for over a
century. In the state that emerged under the leadership of the Tokugawa shogunate,
organized religion played a much less important role in people's lives, and the arts that
survived were primarily secular.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai

14
 Jōmon Art

The first settlers of Japan were the Jōmon people (c. 10,500 – c. 300 BCE), named for
the cord markings that decorated the surfaces of their clay vessels,
were nomadic hunter-gatherers who later practiced organized farming and built cities
with populations of hundreds if not thousands. They built simple houses of wood and
thatch set into shallow earthen pits to provide warmth from the soil. They
crafted lavishly decorated pottery storage vessels, clay figurines called dogū, and
crystal jewels.
Early Jōmon Period

During the Early Jōmon Period (5000-2500 BCE), villages started to be discovered and
ordinary everyday objects were found such as ceramic ports purposed for boiling water.
The pots that were found during this time had flat bottoms and had elaborate designs
made out of materials such as bamboo. In addition, another important find was the early
Jōmon figurines which might have been used as fertility objects due to the breasts and
swelling hips that they exhibited.
Middle Jōmon Period

The Middle Jōmon Period (2500-1500 BCE), contrasted from the Early Jōmon Period in
many ways. These people became less nomadic and began to settle in villages. They
created tools that were able to process the food that they gathered and hunted which
made living easier for them. Through the numerous aesthetically pleasing ceramics that
were found during this time period, it is evident that these people had a stable economy
and more leisure time to establish beautiful pieces. In addition, the people of the Middle
Jōmon period differed from their preceding ancestors because they developed vessels
according to their function, for example, they produced pots in order to store
items.[5] The decorations on these vessels started to become more realistic looking as
opposed to the early Jōmon ceramics. Overall, the production of works not only
increased during this period, but these individuals made them more decorative and
naturalistic.[6]
Late and Final Jōmon Period

During the Late and Final Jōmon period (1500-300 BCE), the weather started to get
colder, therefore forcing them to move away from the mountains. The main food source
during this time was fish, which made them improve their fishing supplies and tools.

15
This advancement was a very important achievement during this time. In addition, the
numbers of vessels largely increased which could possibly conclude that each house
had their own figurine displayed in them. Although various vessels were found during
the Late and Final Jōmon Period, these pieces were found damaged which might
indicate that they used them for rituals. In addition, figurines were also found and were
characterized by their fleshy bodies and goggle like eyes.

16
 Yayoi Art

The next wave of immigrants was the Yayoi people, named for the district

in Tokyo where remnants of their settlements first were found. These people, arriving in

Japan about 300 BC, brought their knowledge of wetland rice cultivation, the

manufacture of copper weapons and bronze bells (dōtaku), and wheel-thrown, kiln-

fired ceramics.

17
 Kofun Art

The third stage in Japanese prehistory, the Kofun period (c. 300 – 710 AD),represents

a modification of Yayoi culture, attributable either to internal development or external

force. The period is named for the large number of kofun megalithic tombs created
during this period. In this period, diverse groups of people formed political alliances and
coalesced into a nation. Typical artifacts are bronze mirrors, symbols of political
alliances, and clay sculptures called haniwa which were erected outside tombs.

18
 Asuka and Nara Art

During the Asuka and Nara periods, so named because the seat of Japanese
government was located in the Asuka Valley from 542 to 645 and in the city
of Nara until 784, the first significant influx of continental Asian culture took place in
Japan.
The transmission of Buddhism provided the initial impetus for contacts between China
and Japan. The Japanese recognized the facets of Chinese culture that could profitably
be incorporated into their own: a system for converting ideas and sounds into
writing; historiography; complex theories of government, such as an
effective bureaucracy; and, most important for the arts, new technologies, new building
techniques, more advanced methods of casting in bronze, and new techniques and
media for painting.
Throughout the 7th and 8th centuries, however, the major focus in contacts between
Japan and the Asian continent was the development of Buddhism. Not all scholars
agree on the significant dates and the appropriate names to apply to various time
periods between 552, the official date of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan, and
784, when the Japanese capital was transferred from Nara. The most common
designations are the Suiko period, 552–645; the Hakuhō period, 645–710, and the
Tenpyō period, 710–784.

19
 Heian Art

In 794 the capital of Japan was officially transferred to Heian-kyō (present-day Kyoto),

where it remained until 1868. The term Heian period refers to the years between 794

and 1185, when the Kamakura shogunate was established at the end of the Genpei

War. The period is further divided into the early Heian and the late Heian, or Fujiwara

era, the pivotal date being 894, the year imperial embassies to China were officially
discontinued.

Early Heian art: In reaction to the growing wealth and power of organized Buddhism in

Nara, the priest Kūkai (best known by his posthumous title Kōbō Daishi, 774–835)

journeyed to China to study Shingon, a form of Vajrayana Buddhism, which he

introduced into Japan in 806. At the core of Shingon worship is mandalas, diagrams of
the spiritual universe, which then began to influence temple design. Japanese Buddhist
architecture also adopted the stupa, originally an Indian architectural form, in its
Chinese-style pagoda

Fujiwara art: In the Fujiwara period, Pure Land Buddhism, which offered easy

salvation through belief in Amida (the Buddha of the Western Paradise), became

popular. This period is named after the Fujiwara family, then the most powerful in the

country, who ruled as regents for the Emperor, becoming, in effect, civil dictators.
Concurrently, the Kyoto nobility developed a society devoted to elegant aesthetic
pursuits. So secure and beautiful was their world that they could not conceive of
Paradise as being much different. They created a new form of Buddha hall, the Amida
hall, which blends the secular with the religious, and houses one or more Buddha
images within a structure resembling the mansions of the nobility.

20
 Kamakura Art

In 1180 a war broke out between the two most powerful warrior clans: the Taira and

the Minamoto; five years later the Minamoto emerged victorious and established a de

facto seat of government at the seaside village of Kamakura, where it remained until
1333. With the shift of power from the nobility to the warrior class, the arts had to satisfy
a new audience: men devoted to the skills of warfare, priests committed to making
Buddhism available to illiterate commoners, and conservatives, the nobility and some
members of the priesthood who regretted the declining power of the court. Thus,
realism, a popularizing trend, and a classical revival characterize the art of
the Kamakura period. In the Kamakura period, Kyoto and Nara remained the centres
of artistic production and high culture.

Sculpture: The Kei school of sculptors, particularly Unkei, created a new, more

realistic style of sculpture. The two Niō guardian images (1203) in the Great South Gate

of the Tōdai-ji in Nara illustrate Unkei's dynamic supra-realistic style.

Calligraphy and painting: The Kegon Engi Emaki, the illustrated history of the

founding of the Kegon sect, is an excellent example of the popularizing trend in

Kamakura painting. The Kegon sect, one of the most important in the Nara period, fell
on hard times during the ascendancy of the Pure Land sects.

21
 Muromachi Art

During the Muromachi period (1338–1573), also called the Ashikaga period, a

profound change took place in Japanese culture. The Ashikaga clan took control of the

shogunate and moved its headquarters back to Kyoto, to the Muromachi district of the
city. With the return of government to the capital, the popularizing trends of the
Kamakura period came to an end, and cultural expression took on a more aristocratic,
elitist character. Zen Buddhism, the Ch'an sect traditionally thought to have been
founded in China in the 6th century, was introduced for a second time into Japan and
took root.

Painting: Because of secular ventures and trading missions to China organized by Zen
temples, many Chinese paintings and objects of art were imported into Japan and
profoundly influenced Japanese artists working for Zen temples and the shogunate. Not
only did these imports change the subject matter of painting, but they also modified the
use of color; the bright colors of Yamato-e yielded to the monochromes of painting in
the Chinese manner, where paintings generally only have black and white or different
tones of a single color.

22
 Art of Edo Period

The Tokugawa shogunate gained undisputed control of the government in 1603 with a
commitment to bring peace and economic and political stability to the country; in large
measure it was successful. The shogunate survived until 1867, when it was forced to
capitulate because of its failure to deal with pressure from Western nations to open the
country to foreign trade.

Woodblock Printing: Woodblock prints were originally used to translate Buddhist

scriptures in the eighth century in Japan. Woodblock printing consist of the engraving of
images or pictures on a piece of wood, which is then pressed against a piece of paper.

Architecture: Katsura Detached Palace, built in imitation of Genji's palace, contains a

cluster of shoin buildings that combine elements of classic Japanese architecture with
innovative restatements.

Painting: Sōtatsu evolved a superb decorative style by re-creating themes from

classical literature, using brilliantly colored figures and motifs from the natural world set
against gold-leaf backgrounds.

Sculpture The Buddhist monk Enkū carved 120,000 Buddhist images in a rough,
individual style.

Ukiyo-e and Bunjinga: The school of art best known in the West is that of the ukiyo-

e paintings and woodblock prints of the demimonde, the world of the kabuki theater

and the pleasure districts. Ukiyo-e prints began to be produced in the late 17th century;

in 1765 Harunobu produced the first polychrome print. Print designers of the next

generation, including Torii Kiyonaga and Utamaro, created elegant and sometimes
insightful depictions of courtesans.

23
 Azuchi-Momoyama Art

In the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603), a succession of military leaders, such

as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, attempted to bring

peace and political stability to Japan after an era of almost 100 years of warfare. Oda, a
minor chieftain, acquired power sufficient to take de facto control of the government in

1568 and, five years later, to oust the last Ashikaga shōgun. Hideyoshi took command
after Oda's death, but his plans to establish hereditary rule were foiled by Ieyasu, who
established the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603.

Painting: The most important school of painting in the Momoyama period was that of

the Kanō school, and the greatest innovation of the period was the formula, developed

by Kanō Eitoku, for the creation of monumental landscapes on the sliding doors
enclosing a room.

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 Art of Prewar Period

When Emperor of Japan regained ruling power in 1868, Japan was once again invaded

by new and alien forms of culture. During the Prewar period, The introduction of
Western cultural values led to a dichotomy in Japanese art, as well as in nearly every
other aspect of culture, between traditional values and attempts to duplicate and
assimilate a variety of clashing new ideas. This split remained evident in the late 20th
century, although much synthesis had by then already occurred, and created an
international cultural atmosphere and stimulated contemporary Japanese arts toward
ever more innovative forms.

Architecture: Tokyo Station, a building of Giyōfū architecture, full of bricks and

pseudo-European style. This style of building was built in urban areas.

Painting: The first response of the Japanese to Western art forms was open-hearted
acceptance, and in 1876 the Technological Art School was opened, employing Italian
instructors to teach Western methods. The second response was a pendulum swing in
the opposite direction spearheaded by Okakura Kakuzō and the American Ernest
Fenollosa, who encouraged Japanese artists to retain traditional themes and techniques
while creating works more in keeping with contemporary taste. This was a strategy that
eventually served to extend the influence of Japanese art as far as Calcutta, London,
and Boston in the years leading up to World War I.[26] Out of these two poles of artistic

theory—derived from Europe and from East Asia respectively—

developed yōga ("Western-style painting") and Nihonga ("Japanese painting"),

categories that have maintained currency.

25
 Art of Postwar Period

After the end of World War II in 1945, many artists began working art forms derived
from the international scene, moving away from local artistic developments into the
mainstream of world art. But traditional Japanese conceptions endured, particularly in
the use of modular space in architecture, certain spacing intervals in music and dance,
a propensity for certain color combinations and characteristic literary forms.
Art from 1603 to 1945 (Edo period and Prewar period) were supported by merchants.
Counter to Edo period and Prewar period, art of Postwar period was changed to the art
which is supported by people as consumers. The wide variety of art forms available to
the Japanese reflect the vigorous state of the arts, widely supported by the Japanese
people and promoted by the government. In the 1950s and 1960s, Japan's artistic avant
garde include the internationally influential Gutai group, which originated or anticipated
various postwar genres such as performance art, installation art, conceptual art,
and wearable art. In photography, Kansuke Yamamoto was prominent.
American art and architecture greatly influenced Japan. Though fear of earthquakes
severely restricted the building of a skyscraper, technological advances let Japanese
build larger and higher buildings with more artistic outlooks.
As Japan has always made little distinction between 'fine art' and 'decorative art', as the
West has done since the Renaissance, it is important to note Japan's significant and
unique contributions to the fields of art in entertainment, commercial uses, and graphic
design. Cartoons imported from America led to anime that at first were derived
exclusively from manga stories Today, anime abounds, and many artists and studios
have risen to great fame as artists; Hayao Miyazaki and the artists and animators
of Studio Ghibli are generally regarded to be among the best the anime world has to
offer. Japan also flourishes in the fields of graphic design, commercial art (e.g.
billboards, magazine advertisements), and in video game graphics and concept art.

26
 Music of Japan

The music of Japan includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles, both
traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining
the kanji 音 on (sound) with the kanji 楽 gaku (enjoy).[1] Japan is the largest physical
music market in the world, worth US$2 billion in sales in physical formats in 2014,
and the second-largest overall music market, worth a total retail value of 2.6 billion
dollars in 2014[2] – dominated by Japanese artists, with 37 of the top 50 best-selling
albums[3] and 49 of the top 50 best-selling singles in 2014.[4]

Local music often appears at karaoke venues, which is on lease from the record labels.
Traditional Japanese music differs markedly from Western music, as it is
often[quantify] based on the intervals of human breathing rather than on mathematical
timing.

27
 Biwa Hoshi, Heiki Biwa,Moso and Goze

The biwa (琵琶 - Chinese: pipa), a form of short-necked lute, was played by a group of
itinerant performers (biwa hōshi) (琵琶法師) who used it to accompany stories.[citation
needed] The most famous of these stories is The Tale of the Heike, a 12th-century
history of the triumph of the Minamoto clan over the Taira[citation needed]. Biwa hōshi
began organizing themselves into a guild-like association (tōdō) for visually impaired
men as early as the thirteenth century. This guild eventually controlled a large portion of
the musical culture of Japan.[citation needed] biwa is Japan's traditional instrument.
In addition, numerous smaller groups of itinerant blind musicians were formed
especially in the Kyushu area[citation needed]. These musicians, known as mōsō (盲
僧 blind monk) toured their local areas and performed a variety of religious and semi-
religious texts to purify households and bring about good health and good luck. They
also maintained a repertory of secular genres. The biwa that they played was
considerably smaller than the Heike biwa (平家琵琶) played by the biwa hōshi.[citation
needed]
Lafcadio Hearn related in his book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange
Things "Mimi-nashi Hoichi" (Hoichi the Earless), a Japanese ghost story about a blind
biwa hōshi who performs "The Tale of the Heike"

Blind women, known as goze (瞽女), also toured the land since the medieval era,
singing songs and playing accompanying music on a lap drum.[citation needed] From
the seventeenth century they often played the koto or the shamisen. Goze
organizations sprung up throughout the land, and existed until recently in what is today
Niigata prefecture.

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 Taiko

The taiko (太鼓), is a Japanese drum that comes in various sizes and is used to play a
variety of musical genres. It has become particularly popular in recent years as the
central instrument of percussion ensembles whose repertory is based on a variety of
folk and festival music of the past. Such taiko music is played by large drum ensembles
called kumi-daiko. Its origins are uncertain, but can be stretched out as far back as the
7th centuries, when a clay figure of a drummer indicates its
existence. Chinese influences followed, but the instrument and its music remained
uniquely Japanese.[7] Taiko drums during this period were used during battle to
intimidate the enemy and to communicate commands. Taiko continue to be used in the
religious music of Buddhism and Shintō. In the past players were holy men, who played
only at special occasions and in small groups, but in time secular men (rarely women)
also played the taiko in semi-religious festivals such as the bon dance.
Modern ensemble taiko is said to have been invented by Daihachi Oguchi in
1951.[8] A jazz drummer, Oguchi incorporated his musical background into large
ensembles, which he had also designed. His energetic style made his group popular
throughout Japan, and made the Hokuriku region a center for taiko music. Musical
groups to arise from this wave of popularity included Oedo Sukeroku Daiko, with Seido
Kobayashi. 1969 saw a group called Za Ondekoza founded by Tagayasu Den; Za
Ondekoza gathered together young performers who innovated a new roots
revival version of taiko, which was used as a way of life in communal lifestyles. During
the 1970s, the Japanese government allocated funds to preserve Japanese culture, and
many community taiko groups were formed. Later in the century, taiko groups spread
across the world, especially to the United States. The video game Taiko no Tatsujin is
based around taiko. One example of a modern Taiko band is Gocoo.

29
 Okinawa Folk Music

Umui, religious songs, shima uta, dance songs, and, especially kachāshī, lively
celebratory music, were all popular.
Okinawan folk music varies from mainland Japanese folk music in several ways.
First, Okinawan folk music is often accompanied by the sanshin whereas in mainland
Japan, the shamisen accompanies instead. Other Okinawan instruments include
the sanba (which produce a clicking sound similar to that of castanets), taiko and a
sharp finger whistling called yubi-bue (指笛).

Second, tonality. A pentatonic scale, which coincides with the major pentatonic scale of
Western musical disciplines, is often heard in min'yō from the main islands of Japan,
see minyō scale. In this pentatonic scale the subdominant and leading tone (scale
degrees 4 and 7 of the Western major scale) are omitted, resulting in a musical scale
with no half steps between each note. (Do, Re, Mi, So, La in solfeggio, or scale
degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) Okinawan min'yō, however, is characterized by scales that
include the half-steps omitted in the aforementioned pentatonic scale, when analyzed in
the Western discipline of music. In fact, the most common scale used in Okinawan
min'yō includes scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

30