Art JPN Samurai to Kawaii Exam 1

Edo Period (1603-1868)

Period of relative peace and prosperity under the Tokugawa. Focus on arts produced in pop culture realm Starts the way Japan's visual art looks Petri Dish for pop art & pop culture

Japanese Prints

First examples of pop culture in art Variety of different subjects/contemporary themes Easily distributed, Disposable works

Sokoku

the Tokugawa policy of a closed and isolated country Led to depressed citizens trying to lose themselves in entertainment

Shinto

A religion whose followers believe that all things in the natural world are filled with divine spirits (kami). Introduced through Korea and China

Buddhism

the teaching that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth. Introduced through India

Emakimono (Emaki)

horizontal scroll painting illustrating textual narratives with a sequence of paintings

Subjects before Edo Period

Agriculture, tombs, etc. Religioin focus

Japanese Painting

Bright w/ colors so they stand out Used on a variety of mediums, such as sliding doors Very high status People who have access are rich

Tokugawa Military Hierarchy

Shogunate Shogun Daimyo Samurai

Daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai

Torii

Gateway of a Shinto shrine that separates the sacred land from the rest of the world

Buddah

First figure that sets out the way (The Path)/Dharma/Path to Enlightenment

mono no aware

Buddist concept of the appreciation of Nature. Beautiful sadness of impermanence. fleeting, relative, transient world as opposed to the non-dual world. Everything is momentary, but thingness is permanent. Experienceing the fragility of life affirms its value. Especially the changing of seasons

Sakoku

During the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, the policy of closing the country to foreign trade with Europe. Edo is an artistic golden age despite this JPN looks inward towards historics & traditions

Tokugawa Shogunate

Shut Japan off from the rest of the world Everything is filtered through them

Edo (The City)

Burned and rebuilt as the most modern city in 1657 Tokugawa capital city

modern-day Tokyo

center of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Yoshiwara District

Pleasure District Tokugawa closed off and controlled Allowed people to spend money on different pleasures (Music, dining, prostitutes, any kind of entertainment) Samurai spend a lot of money here b/c there's no one left to fight

Edo Government

Military leader is the defacto leader of JPN, emperor doesn't do much

Japanese Emporer

Traces lineage from the gods Bestowed upon 3 magic objects: sword, mirror, jewel Simply a figurehead during the Shogunate's rule Ties to the gods prevent this role from being erased completely

Bakufu

A military government established in Japan

the emperor became a figurehead, while real power was concentrated in the military, including the samurai

Kyoto

JPN Emperor banished here, isn't allowed to leave. No power, no force, he's just there

Tokugawa Clan

Most prominent, most important of all the shoguns who rule during the Bakufu Period

Goal of Sakoku

Expel missionaries from spreading foreign religions, came from trading ships from the west

Netherlands (Dutch)

Only westerners allowed to trade with Japan during Sakoku Known as "Komo-jin" or "Red-Haired Barbarians"

Dejima

Literally means "exit island". It is a small, artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki. It was the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the Dutch during the Edo period

What is the highest social class in the Japanese feudal system?

Samurai

Which social class was important for food production in feudal Japan?

Farmers

Who were the artisans in the social structure of feudal Japan?

Craftspeople who created goods

What term refers to merchants in feudal Japan who were often looked down upon because they took advantage of people for money?

Chonin

Ukiyo-e

Translated as "pictures of the floating world", a Japanese genre painting popular from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century

"Of the moment"

Economy

Rice economy turned Cash during the Edo

Sankin Kotai

"Six Months Move" Samurai and Daimyos must spend half the year in Edo Allows shogun to have protection year round

Ukiyo-e Quartet

Team producing ukiyo-e: publisher, designer, cutter, printer. Artist makes the least amount of money (about $7 usd)

Bejin-ga

Images of beautiful women Most popular kinds of prints

Tokugawa Print Censorship

No unorthodox philosophies/religions (Christianity) No government criticism No reports on government policy No attacks on public morality (porn) No calendars (They invented their own) No excessive luxury prints Had to approve of prints with a Seal

Shunga

Erotic prints Censored by the Tokugawa Nothing stopped people from selling though

Nagasaki-e

Prints mainly about the Dutch, and their ships. Mostly their ships. JPN people were curious about them

First art form intended to be bought by wide portions of society

Japanese Prints

Prints ARE

Funny images of different subjects Prints of beautiful women Porn Art Prints of samurai Prints of the concept of kaiju Famous places in Japan For the masses

Prints are NOT

Traditional media Extremely rich paintings on screens/sliding doors for elevated people (daimyo, samurai) Buddhist Paintings Religious

Main subjects of Edo Prints

Bijin-ga Samurai Sports figures Legends and Heroes Kabuki Celebrity Ghosts & Demons Landscapes & Monuments

Sumizuri-e

monochrome block printing using only black ink

Nishiki-e (Rich fabric)

Color prints

registration

All colors match with the line block

Utamoro

Master of the Bijin-ga genre Clever composition Inventor of Okubi-e, stacked composition

Geishas

women trained in dancing, singing, witty conversation, the tea ceremony and floral arrangement in Yoshiwara district Misunderstood to be prostitutes Sexual relations are possible with a deep connection Obi tied in the front

Courtesan

a prostitute, especially one with wealthy or upper-class clients. Obi tied in the front

Okubi-e

Bust portraits of women "Big head prints" Only has One subject

Eddoko

Sophisticated women of Edo

Iki

Inexpressible beauty of the women in the current moment

What make bijin-ga women beautiful?

Hair up & anchored with wood pins More pins = more likely to be a courtesan, geisha Pale skin & dark hair Big arched eyebrows (moth brows_ Blackened teeth Kimonos

Noh Theater

Traditional theater practice in Japan, tied heavily to shinto & agriculture Goes very slowly, very deliberate Incorporates music & poetry

Kabuki Prints

3rd most popular print behind Shunga & Bijin-ga People buy the prints b/c they love the actors in them Utagawa school heavily profits off of them

Hannya

Mountain demon, female who becomes a monster through her evilness and jealousy

Kabuki Theater

Hot, new style of acting Fast, a lot of action/movement Unusual and unorthodox Pop Culture to a T Doesn't use masks

Uki-e

Western linear perspective utilized in Kabuki prints

Mon

Symbols to tell you who an actor was on a print Adopted from Samurai culture Crest

Samurai & Kabuki Theater

Audience AND the subject

Kumidori

Make-up representing big stripes imitating veins popping out when emotions run high Red for heroes, blue for villains/ghosts

Mie

Moment of high dramatic tension represented by crossed eyes

Onnagata

Male actors playing female characters in Kabuki theater

Onnagata in Prints

Female characters played by men will have a patch where they shave a bald spot

Hiiki-ren

"Support for Kabuki actor" Basically a fan club Beginning of fan culture

Hinin

Group of outcasts, consisting of beggars, prostitutes, fortune tellers, actors (homosexuality) Attracts the hiiki-ren

Surimono

Very small comissioned prints dedicated to an actor

Musho-e

Warrior Prints

Miesho-e

Landscape/Important physical site/location

Yokai Prints

Prints of the supernatural
Ingrained in legend

Murder/revenge stories very popular

tradition of violent graphics in the arts

Yakusha-e

Actor Prints, Kabuki Prints

Sumo-e

Sumo Prints

Faze out sooner than the others because of the constant changing of popular athlete

Often mixed with other genres to maximize sales

Quirks about Sumo-e

One wrestler cannot be shown having an advantage over another

Prints show wrestlers at equal strength

Faces have to be shown to appeal to all fans

Samurai Culture

Either the audience or the subject for prints

Meiji Period signals the end of the Samurai as a traditional military in JPN

Highly ritualistic

Bushi → “One who serves”

Bu

Practiced by Samurai
Arms → Swordplay, rituals, self-discipline

Bun

Practiced by Samurai

Arts → Poetry, Classical Stories, music, theater

Hagakure

Samurai Handbook

Zen Buddhism

a Buddhist sect that emphasizes enlightenment through meditation and stresses simplicity and discipline

Samurai Iconography

Double swords

Shaved heads in the front

Mon

Ronin

Masterless Samurai → Ronin
“Man of the waves”

47 Ronin

Popular as a Kabuki Play

Revenge story

Daimyo was killed so Ronin go to kill the guy that did it

Romanticizes the Samurai

Utagawa School

most prosperous print-making school in Edo period, always there to capitalize on trends

Ghost iconography

Blue-ish coat around eyes/face

Ghosts walk with their hands out & limp, like a zombie

Ghost stories are also revenge stories

Usually paired w/ Kabuki since plays also featured ghosts

Yurei

Type of female ghost.

Pale, blue hue, arms out

Super long hair

White robe, usually seeks revenge

“The Ring”

Kaiju Prints

Tied to yokai or warrior subject prints

tradition of giant weirde monsters during the edo in prints

Monsters absolutely thriving in Edo period

Huge sizes make threatening monsters

Effect of Sakoku

Isolation in the sea becomes a source of protection for Japan but also a source of anxiety that translates into supernatural prints.

Sea as a source of the unknown

So many monsters in the sea

Comic Prints

Humorous element of prints in Edo period

Broad variety of subjects

People doing funny things like dressing as weird/funny characters

Kuniyoshi Specifically is doing this

Taking popular subjects but making animals do it

Drinking/Drunkenness is a popular subject

Tanuki

Most popular subject in comic prints

Have large balls

Utagawa liked showing what they can do with their huge balls

EU trends in prints

Women smoking

Western clocks, the ones that chimed on the hour

Rangaku

“Dutch learning”/”Dutch Knowledge”
Involves info that was suppressed by the Tokugawa

Dutch brings maps that quickly spread around

Medical texts also get spread around

JPN people now see the world and how the body works

Trends in late prints

Stop seeing new important subjects rise
Artists turn to gimmicks to win audience back

Aizuri-e

“Blue Images”

Comes from day flower

Artists start making prints only in blue/shades of blue

Prussian Blue (Berorin)

Chemically produced blue thats much more vibrant than the day lilly blue

Comes from the west so its exotic!!

Hokusai

Trained in Koona School as a painter

Came to printmaking later

Stemmed from Kano and Rinpa painitng traditions

Treaty of Kenagawa

Ends Sakoku

Landscape Prints

Becomes popular in 1800 onwards

Hokusai is an early innovator in landscape printmaking

Hiroshige after

Kiso-Kaido/Nakesendo Highway

Upper highway that the Tokugawa built

Made to help with 6 Month Rule

Tokaido Highway

Lower highway that the Tokugawa built

Made to help with 6 Month Rule

Great Wave of Kanagawa

Hokusai’s most famous print

Part of the Mt Fuji series

interest in showing off composition

Sea as a subject

2nd most reproduced artwork behind Mona Lisa, probably