TEST 2 - ASIAN ART

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

period of rule in China characterized by explicitly Neo-Confucian ideals in government, advanced urbanization, market economies, and the rise in status of educated elites (literati); divided into  Northern Song (960-1126) and Southern Song (1127-1279) periods after the Jurchen invasion and occupation of the north in 1126

Emperor Shenzong (reigned 1068-1077)

sixth emperor of the Song dynasty

Neo-Confucianism

nativist revival of Confucian ideals in reaction to the dominance of Buddhism and other religions in the Tang dynasty; characterized by a mixture of Han-dynasty Confucianism with new metaphysical concepts derived from Buddhism and Taoism

principle (Li 理)

a key concept of Neo-Confucian thinking; by observing the phenomena of the world closely, man could reason out its fundamental principles and thereby understand the basic principles of the universe

meritocracy

a merit-based system of advancement (in contrast to the hereditary power of aristocracy) enforced in the Song dynasty by a civil service examination for all would-be government officials

Imperial Painting Academy

a division of the Song dynasty court staffed by painters who created artworks at the emperor's request

monumental landscape

term used to describe the large format hanging scroll landscapes that were popular in the 10th and 11th centuries

The New Policies

set of economic and political reforms proposed by the Song-dynasty minister Wang Anshi (1021-1086) meant to ease burden on farmers, increase taxes on landowning elites, and increase military defense in the north

factionalism

division of political parties into oppositional counterparts to one another via uncompromising ideological standpoints

Su Shi (1036-1101)

government minister famous for his poetry and calligraphy who was exiled from court for criticizing Wang Anshi's reform policies

Wen Tong (1018-1079)

painter, poet and calligrapher famous for his paintings of bamboo; a friend of Su Shi's

literati art

art made by and for highly educated elites that integrated poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and which focused on themes of proper behavior for a neo-Confucian gentleman, often through the use of layered references to classical history, poetry, and styles of painting or calligraphy

Genpei War (1180-1185)

period of civil war among the major aristocratic clans over who would succeed to become emperor of Japan

Kamakura period (1192-1333)

also called the Kamakura Shogunate; this is the first period in which Japan is ruled by a shōgun rather than the emperor, who thereafter became a figurehead of state; the capital was in Kamakura

Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199)

first shōgun to rule in Japan, head of the Minamoto clan

shōgun

(literally "general" or "commander of the army") title used by military rulers of Japan from 1185 onward

nembutsu

abbreviated term for the simple prayer, "namu Amida Butsu”  [“Praise be to Amida Buddha”]

Amida Buddha

the Buddha of Infinite Light that presides over the Western Pure Land; the central deity of Pure Land Buddhism, also called Amida Buddhism

mappō

(literally "latter law") an age of decline in Buddhist faith; the last part of a three-part recurring cycle of Buddhist knowledge in the world; marked by chaos; eventually leads to the rebirth of Buddhist faith, then the flourishing of faith, and then the age of decline again...

assembled woodblock construction

woodworking technique favored among Kamakura wood sculptors involving the joining of several independent blocks of wood rather than carving from a single piece;  allowed for more complicated and life-like sculpting

Zen Buddhism (called "Chan" in Chinese)

school of Buddhism distinguished by an emphasis on direct, action-based realization of Buddhist principles rather than textual learning, teacher-disciple lineages of learning, and the use of kōans  

Bodhidharma

first patriarch of Zen Buddhism, an Indian monk who traveled to China to help spread the ideas of Chan Buddhism

Zen patriarch

title given to the central figurehead of Zen; a monk linked to previous patriarchs in a lineage stretching back to Bodhidharma 

teacher-disciple lineage

structure of learning within Zen that emphasizes a monk's direct study of Buddhist ideas from a mentor, who in turn traces their study to an earlier mentor, back in a lineage to one of the patriarchs

kōan- (lit. “a case”)

a story, often with a linguistic or logical paradox at its center, that emphasizes direct, action-based paths to enlightenment 

sudden enlightenment

the immediate realization of a Buddhist truth via an epiphany, often with the aid of kōans or labor-based meditation

Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339)

Japanese emperor who revolts against the Kamakura Shogunate to reassert imperial power; his revolt was partly aided by his sponsorship of a network of Zen monasteries

Muromachi Period (1336-1573)

period of split north-south Japanese governance instigated by Emperor Go-Daigo's revolt; the emperor ruled in the south and the Ashikaga Shogunate in the north

Liao dynasty (907–1125)

Chinese-style dynasty founded by the nomadic Khitan people after the end of the Tang dynasty; the Liao ruled over areas of what is now Northeast China, Mongolia and eastern Russia

Jin dynasty ( 1115-1234)

Chinese-style dynasty founded by the Jurchen people as part of a rebellion over the Liao dynasty; the Jin expanded the previous Liao territories by conquering what had been the northern areas of the Song dynasty

Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368)

Chinese-style dynasty founded by the Mongols as part of a rebellion over the Jin dynasty; the Yuan conquered all of Song-dynasty China

Sinification

word used to describe the ways in which foreign dynasties adopted Chinese styles of culture, philosophy, and governance

Song dynasty loyalists

those who refused to serve the foreign rulers of the Yuan dynasty in order to remain loyal to the fallen Chinese Song dynasty

Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322)

calligrapher and painter who served as a government official during the Yuan dynasty and who was descended from a branch of the Song-dynasty royal family

Zhou Mi (1232-1298)

author and art collector whose ancestors moved south to the city of Hangzhou during the Jin dynasty invasion of northern China

classicism

artistic trend in which older forms of art are referenced as a means of claiming their cultural and historical authority 

colophon

writing about a painting added to it by a later viewer and commenting on its history or the experience of viewing it

Khubilai Khan (1215-1294)

grandson of Genghis Khan who conquered China and took the Chinese reign-name Emperor Shizu (reigned 1260-1294) as the first emperor of the Yuan dynasty

Tugh Temur  (1304-1332)

descendant of the Mongolian royal family and emperor of Yuan dynasty China under the name Emperor Wenzong (reigned 1328-1332)

Mandala

geometrically organized ritual object that facilitated visualization in esoteric Buddhist practices

Kesi tapestry

in tapestry weaving only the wefts shows, not the structuring fibers of the weave; in 'kesi' style tapestry, which developed in central Asia, multiple discrete wefts are used, enabling complicated images

Yamantaka-Vajrabhairava

”conqueror of death, adamantine terrifier”, a Wrathful manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom

Goryeo dynasty (918-1392)

dynasty the ruled over the Korean peninsula after the fall of the Silla dynasty, marked by sustained strength of aristocratic Korean families, state promotion of Buddhism, and alliances with whomever ruled northern China

Tripitaka Koreana

government-sponsored printing of over 1,500 different Buddhist sutras using over 80,000 carved woodblocks; first printed from 1011-1086, during war with the Khitans, later destroyed in 1232 during the Mongolian invasion, and recommissioned by the court in 1236

Tripitaka

(Sanskrit for "The Three Baskets")

a way of referring to a canonical collection of Buddhist texts

sutra

(Sanskrit for "string")

name for a sacred Buddhist text

canon

set of texts agreed upon to be the most formative or central to a culture or a religion

merit

(Sanskrit -punya) result of good deeds (karma), including the dissemination of Buddhist ideas through speech or textual and visual reproduction

moveable type printing

use of multiple individually-carved or cast characters arranged in a matrix to produce a page of text; first developed in China with ceramic characters (ca.1040) and with metal characters  in Korea (ca.1230)

Yi Je-hyeon (1287-1376)

Goryeo government official known for introducing the Neo-Confucian ideas of Zhu Xi to Korea

King Chungseon (1275-1325)

26th king of the Goryeo dynasty; the son of a Yuan dynasty Mongolian princess and a Goryeo Prince; raised at the Yuan court in Dadu (Beijing); later traveled and lived for extensive periods in China and Tibet

Zhu Xi (1130-1200)

Song-dynasty philosopher who synthesized the various ideas of Neo-Confucianism into a coherent set of practices that became influential throughout East Asia

Joseon dynasty (1392-1897)

last Korean dynasty; established after the disintegration of the Goryeo dynasty in the aftermath of the Chinese Yuan-dynasty collapse; characterized by its strict Neo-Confucian ideology and maintenance of aristocratic power

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

period of rule in China characterized by explicitly Neo-Confucian ideals in government, advanced urbanization, market economies, and the rise in status of educated elites (literati); divided into  Northern Song (960-1126) and Southern Song (1127-1279) periods after the Jurchen invasion and occupation of the north in 1126

Emperor Shenzong (reigned 1068-1077)

sixth emperor of the Song dynasty

Neo-Confucianism

nativist revival of Confucian ideals in reaction to the dominance of Buddhism and other religions in the Tang dynasty; characterized by a mixture of Han-dynasty Confucianism with new metaphysical concepts derived from Buddhism and Taoism

principle (Li 理)

a key concept of Neo-Confucian thinking; by observing the phenomena of the world closely, man could reason out its fundamental principles and thereby understand the basic principles of the universe 

meritocracy

a merit-based system of advancement (in contrast to the hereditary power of aristocracy) enforced in the Song dynasty by a civil service examination for all would-be government officials

Imperial Painting Academy

a division of the Song dynasty court staffed by painters who created artworks at the emperor's request

The New Policies

set of economic and political reforms proposed by the Song-dynasty minister Wang Anshi (1021-1086) meant to ease burden on farmers, increase taxes on landowning elites, and increase military defense in the north

factionalism

division of political parties into oppositional counterparts to one another via uncompromising ideological standpoints

Su Shi (1036-1101)

government minister famous for his poetry and calligraphy who was exiled from court for criticizing Wang Anshi's reform policies

Wen Tong (1018-1079)

painter, poet and calligrapher famous for his paintings of bamboo; a friend of Su Shi's

literati art

art made by and for highly educated elites that integrated poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and which focused on themes of proper behavior for a neo-Confucian gentleman, often through the use of layered references to classical history, poetry, and styles of painting or calligraphy

porcelain

advanced form of pottery that requires the combination of petunse stone and kaolin clay, and is fired at temperatures of around 1400 degrees C

petunse

[from Chinese 'baidunzi'; also called "china stone"] stone with high content of feldspar

kaolin clay

soft white clay with high silicate content sourced near Gaoling mountain, China

earthenware

basic form of pottery fired at temperatures below 1100 degrees C

glaze

mineral-rich coating added to pottery surface during its second firing in order to form a hard, glassy surface; different minerals producing various colors and decorations

celadon

name given to a number of rich green glazes first developed at the Yue kilns

Yue kilns

kiln site where early porcelain was first produced in the Tang dynasty (618-907) [site corresponds to a modern area of Zhejiang Province]

dragon kiln

kiln positioned up a hill, taking advantage of draft to increase temperatures

Jingdezhen

city where porcelain is produced en masse, for internal and export markets, beginning in the 11th century

division of labor

separation of manufacture into a number of highly specialized tasks to increase productivity and efficiency 

maebyeong

Korean translation of the Chinese 'meiping' vessel shape; literally "blossoming plum vase," but most often used for storing liquor and wine

appropriation

borrowing, copying, and adapting of preexisting images and objects for new purposes

Imjin War

Japanese Invasion of Korea 1592-1598, led by general Toyotomi Hideyoshi with intent to invade China

underglaze blue

style of porcelain decoration with blue designs on a white ground; first created in Yuan dynasty China for export to middle Eastern markets

East India trading companies

name for various shipping conglomerates based in the Netherlands, England, France, Sweden, and the USA that specialized in imported Asian goods with high profit margins

material culture

phrase used by art historians to describe the broad range of common goods produced by a culture, often used to refer to non-elite artistic production

Prince Shōtoku ( 574–622)

a prince of the Soga clan, regent to his aunt, empress Suiko (reign 593-628), and initiator of major reforms, including the integration of Buddhism and Chinese Confucianism into Japanese government; The "Temple of Flourishing Law" [Hōryū-ji] at Nara was his private temple

pagoda

multi-tiered tower common to Buddhist temples, developed from stupas, built around a central column, and often with a reliquary at the base

"golden hall" at Hōryū-ji

site of active worship centered around the Shaka Triad sculpture 

bracketing

system used to distribute roof weight evenly and elevate roof; in later architecture bracketing become ornate and ornamental to indicate status

hip-and-gable roof

roof profile common to premodern architecture throughout East Asia

fengshui

form of geomancy in which building is done to auspicious omens and topography; originating in China and common throughout East Asia, literally translating to "wind and water"

siting

selection of the proper building location in accord with fengshui principles

Ming dynasty (1368-1644)

second-to-last dynasty of imperial China; established by Zhu Yuanzhang (emperor Hongwu), who rose from a peasant family to become a commander of the Red Turban rebellion that overthrew the Yuan dynasty; the Nanjing was the first capital city of the Ming dynasty

Emperor Yongle

third emperor of the Ming dynasty who reigned 1402-1424; the 4th son of Zhu Yuanzhang, Yongle was the general of the north, based in Beijing; after usurping the throne from his nephew, the second emperor of the Ming, Yongle moved the capital to Beijing and built the Forbidden City

outer court

portion of the Forbidden City where governance and public ceremonies took place

inner court

portion of the Forbidden City where the imperial family lived

Meridian Gate

heavily fortified gate dividing the city of Beijing from the courts of the Forbidden City; with 5 doors of entry divided by rank

Hall of Supreme Harmony

highest building in the Forbidden City with massive surrounding plaza, center for large public ceremonies in the outer court

ground tea

preparation of tea in which leaves are ground to a powder; style of tea preparation

first practiced in Tang dynasty China, and which travels to Japan with Zen monks during the Song dynasty

steeped tea

preparation of tea in which whole leaves are dried and then steeped; gains

popularity in China during Song dynasty and eventually supplants ground tea preparation style there; does not become as popular in Japan

chanoyu

"tea ceremony," elaborate process for preparing and enjoying tea in Japan, with formalized etiquette and choreographed movements

meibutsu

"celebrated object," a Japanese word applied to a variety of materials to elevate them above

normal commodities, from regional speciality good to specific revered objects that are often given formal names

karamono

"object from Tang [China]," a Japanese word for celebrated Chinese antiquities

material culture

phrase used by art historians to describe non-elite arts