Japanese Art & Architecture – Muromachi & Kamakura Periods

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key artworks, architectural terms, historical figures, and Buddhist concepts from the lecture notes on Muromachi- and Kamakura-period Japanese art and architecture.

Sanmon (Mountain Gate)

A monumental multi-storey gate that marks the passage from the secular world to the sacred precinct of a Zen temple, exemplified by the 14th-century gate at Tōfukuji.

Tōfukuji

Major Zen Buddhist temple complex in Kyoto whose grand Muromachi-period Sanmon serves as its principal entrance.

Muromachi period

Japanese era (1336-1573) noted for strong Zen influence, Chinese cultural exchange, and innovations in architecture and ink painting.

Muchaku (Asaṅga)

Indian scholar-monk and Hosso patriarch depicted by Unkei as an elderly, gentle figure holding a cloth-wrapped parcel.

Seshin (Vasubandhu)

Brother of Asaṅga and co-founder of Yogācāra/Hosso thought, portrayed by Unkei with a fierce, determined expression.

Unkei

Renowned Kamakura-period sculptor (1150-1223) famous for lifelike wooden statues made with multi-block construction and crystal inlaid eyes.

Hosso School

Japanese branch of Yogācāra Buddhist philosophy headquartered at Kōfukuji and venerating Asaṅga and Vasubandhu.

Multi-block wood construction

Sculptural method of carving separate wood blocks that are joined to form large, complex, hollow statues.

Crystal inlaid eyes

Realistic eye technique using polished crystal inserts to give wooden statues a lifelike gaze.

Northern Round Hall (Hokuen-dō)

Kōfukuji hall that houses Unkei’s statues of Muchaku and Seshin.

Nine Stages of a Decaying Corpse (Kusōzu)

Series of images showing progressive decomposition of a female cadaver to cultivate detachment and awareness of impermanence.

Aśubha (impurity) meditation

Buddhist practice of contemplating unattractive aspects of the body—e.g., kusōzu—to curb desire.

Mujō (impermanence)

Buddhist principle that all phenomena are transient, visually reinforced by kusōzu paintings.

Muqi

13th-century Chinese Chan monk-painter whose expressive ink-wash style influenced Japan; creator of the Crane, Kannon and Monkey triptych.

Suiboku (ink wash) painting

Monochrome ink technique employing graded washes and brisk brushwork, highly valued in Zen circles.

Daitokuji

Kyoto Zen temple complex that preserves Muqi’s Crane, Kannon and Monkey triptych.

Tōgudō

1486 building within Ginkakuji blending Buddhist hall and residence, featuring early shoin, tokonoma, and a 4.5-tatami tea room.

Shoin

Built-in desk alcove characteristic of elite Muromachi interiors, first fully realized in the Tōgudō.

Tokonoma

Recessed display alcove for scrolls or art objects, introduced in Tōgudō and standard in later Japanese homes.

Wabi-sabi

Aesthetic that finds beauty in simplicity, imperfection, and transience; embodied in Higashiyama culture and the Tōgudō.

4.5-tatami mat tea room

Early standard small tea-ceremony space appearing in the Tōgudō and shaping later residential design.

Catching a Catfish with a Gourd

1413 hanging-scroll by Josetsu depicting an old man’s impossible task, accompanied by poems as a Zen visual kōan.

Visual kōan

Pictorial counterpart to a Zen riddle meant to trigger intuitive insight beyond logic, as in Josetsu’s Catfish painting.

Ashikaga Yoshimasa

Eighth Ashikaga shogun who commissioned Ginkakuji and promoted Higashiyama culture.

Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion)

Kyoto retirement villa/temple complex of Ashikaga Yoshimasa featuring the Tōgudō and Zen-inspired design.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi

Fourth Ashikaga shogun who commissioned Josetsu’s Catching a Catfish with a Gourd for Myōshin-ji’s Taizō-in.