Japanese Art

- Great Eastern Temple, refers to its location on eastern edge of Nara, Japan

- noted for colossal sculpture of seated image of Vairocana Buddha

- temple and BUddha has been razed several times during military unrest

- seven external bays on facade

- influenced by monumental Chinese sculptures

- largest wooden building in world

Todai-ji

- monumental feat of casting

- emperor Shomu embraced BUddhism and erected sculpture as way of stabilizing Japanese population during time of economic crisis

- largest metal statue of Buddha in world

- mudra: right hand means "do not fear"; left hand means "welcome"

Great Buddha

- one on either side of gate

- complex joined woodblock construction

- intricate swirling drapery

- fierce forbidding looks and gestures

- masculine, frightening figures, which protect the Buddha

Nio Guardian Figures

- nandaimon: great south gate, w/ five bays --> three central bays for passing, two outer closed

- two stories same size; unusual in Japanese architecture (usually upper floor smaller)

- deep eaves supported by six-stepped bracket complex, which rise in tiers w/ no bracketed arms

- roof supported by huge pillars

- unusual in that has no ceiling; roof exposed from below

- overall effect of proportion and statlines

Great South Gate

- garden as microcosm of nature

zen dry garden:

- garvel acts as water; gravel raked in wavy patterns

- rocks mountain ranges

- meant to be viewed from veranda in nearby building

- fifteen rocks arranged in three groups

- interpreted as islandins in floating sea; mountain peaks above clouds; constellations in sky

- from no viewpoint is entire garden viewable at once

- focus for meditation

- asymmetrical arrangement

- bounded by two sides by low, yellow wall

wet garden:

- contains tea house

- seemingly arbitrary in placement, plants actually placed in highly organized and structure environment symbolizing natural world

- water symbolizes purification; used in rituals

Ryoan-ji

- painted 100 years after civil war depicted in scene

- elevated viewpoint

- strong diagonals emphasizing movement and action

- swift active brushstrokes

- narratives read right to left as scroll is unrolled

- depersonalized figures, many w/ only one stroke for eyes, ears, mouth

- tangled mess of forms accentuated by Japanese armor

- lone archer leads escape from burning place w/ equestrian Japanese commander behind

- military rule in Japan from 1185 on had an interest in code of warrior; reflected in large quantity of war-related literature and paintings

- unrolls like film sequenced; as one unrolls, time advances

- burning at imperial palace of Sanjo in Kyoto as rebel forces try to seize power by capturing emperor

- coup staged in 1159 as Emperor Go-Shirakawa taken prisoner

- imperial palace in flames; rebels force emperor to board a can waiting to take him into captivity

- rebels kill those opposed and place their heads on sticks and parade them as trophies

Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace

- Japanese rinpa style named for Ogata (Rin for "Ko-rin" and pa meaning "school")

- influenced by yamato-e style of painting

- stream cuts rhythmically through scene; swirls in paint surface indicate water currents

- white plum blossoms on left; red on right

- tarashikomi technique

White and Red Plum Blossoms

- first time landscape major theme in Japanese prints

- last of a series of prints called Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji

- personification of nature, seems intent on drowning figures in boats

- Mount Fuji, sacred mountain to Japanese, seems to be one of the waves

- striking design contrasts water and sky w/ large areas of negative space

Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawai oki nami ura), also known as the Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji