Comparative Chart of Japanese Art (Chronological Order)

Snow Goggle Figurine

• Period: Final Jōmon
• Characteristics: Figurative style with almond-shaped eyes and geometric details.
• Materials: Earthenware
• Location: Japan

Haniwa Warrior

• Period: Kofun
• Characteristics: Warrior figure for burials, simple and cylindrical style.
• Materials: Clay
• Location: Japan, found in Gunma Prefecture. There are more types of figures of their kind.

Panel with Medallions of Hunting Lions

• Period: 7th century, Kamakura Period
• Characteristics: Animal motifs, continental influence, textile decoration.
• Materials: Not specified
• Location: Horyuji, Nara, Japan
• Notes: Personal property of Prince Shotoku, brought from Persia.

Five-Storied Pagoda, Hōryūji

• Period: Hakuhō (7th c.)
• Characteristics: Religious architecture, symmetrical balance, Chinese influence.
• Materials: Wood
• Location: Hōryūji, Nara, Japan
• Notes: Treasures are hidden within. Made to resemble Buddha and the universe, created to function as a watchtower.

Shaka Triad by Tori Busshi

• Period: Asuka (623)
• Characteristics: Frontal style, symmetry, Korean/Chinese influence, central Buddha figure.
• Materials: Gilt bronze
• Location: Golden Hall, Hōryūji, Nara, Japan
• Notes: Seven Buddhas of the past. Early stage of Japanese Buddhism. The flames represent his wisdom. Made to improve the health of Prince Shotoku and was commissioned by Empress Suiko. In the end, the prince died, and the statue is a symbol of his memory.

Standing Yakushi

• Period: Heian (793)
• Characteristics: More relaxed style, transitional between Asuka rigidity and Heian naturalism. Expresses the Buddha Yakushi, of medicine, in his right hand he has a pot with medicines.
• Materials: Single-block wood, Cypress Wood with traces of paint.
• Location: Jingoji, Kyoto, Japan
• Notes: First examples of Ichiboku, that is, carving in a single piece with a block of wood. Thanks to Emperor Kanmu, it is desired that Buddhism be propagated and sculptures are made with all the resources that are possessed.

Entertainers Riding on an Elephant

• Period: 8th c. (Nara)
• Characteristics: Decorative motif with foreign influence (Central Asia). Presents Chinese and Central Asian characters. It has a softer appearance in contrast to the Chinese paintings for the Tang Dynasty.
• Materials: Painted leather
• Location: Shōsōin, Tōdaiji, Japan
• Notes: Painted on a BIWA, a Japanese 4-stringed instrument. Painted based on a common theme during the Tang Dynasty. Despite being part of the Tang period, it shows similarities with what would be the Yamato-e style of art.

Shaka on a Lotus Petal

• Period: 8th c. (Nara)
• Characteristics: Buddha relief, symbol of illumination, symbolic decoration. Has a double chin and three rings on the neck.
• Materials: Bronze
• Location: Great Buddha Hall, Tōdaiji, Japan, Daibutsuden.
• Notes: Each petal, as dictated by the Kegon Sutra, represents a universe administered by Shaka Buddha and his boddhisatvas.

Birushana Buddha

• Period: 760s (Nara)
• Characteristics: Large figure of Buddha with a calm presence, idealized proportions.
• Materials: Dry lacquer with gold leaf
• Location: Tōshōdaiji, in the kondo, Japan
• Notes: The universal Buddha. It is the largest of the Nara period. He is accompanied by boddhisattvas carved in leaves.

The Monk Ganjin

• Period: 763 (Nara)
• Characteristics: Realistic representation of the blind monk, spiritual introspection.
• Materials: Dry lacquer with paint
• Location: Tōshōdaiji, Japan
• Notes: Arrived blind in Japan. Monk whose carving reflects wisdom and complexity. The statue reflects his age very well. He was brought after failed attempts to cross China to formalize Buddhism in Japan.

Hachiman Triad

• Period: Late 9th c.
• Characteristics: Fusion of Shinto and Buddhist deities, hierarchical representation.
• Materials: Synthetic mold. Single block wood technique
• Location: Japan, Yakushiji, Nara.
• Notes: Hachiman is accompanied by his mother and consultant. Yasumigaoka triad. It is not known whom they represent, presumably they may be his mother, Empress Jingu, and the other may be for Himegami, the goddess of maritime travel care.

Womb & Diamond World Mandalas

• Period: 9th c. (Heian)
• Characteristics: Cosmic diagrams of esoteric Buddhism, total symmetry. The character in the center is Dainichi Nyorai
• Materials: Color on silk
• Location: Tōji, Japan, Kyoto Kyoogokokuji
• Notes: Expresses the different phases of Buddha. Whereas the Taizokai Mandara's basic symbol is the lotus of compassion, the Kongõkai Mandara's is the kongõ. Each buddha is surrounded in petals by 4 boddhisatvas.

Fudō Myōō

• Period: 9th c. (Heian)
• Characteristics: Wrathful figure, protector of Buddhism, severe face.
• Materials: Single-block wood
• Location: Lecture Hall, Tōji, Japan
• Notes: Esoteric Buddhism. Myoo, means that he is immovable. Represents the wrath side of Dainichi.

Landscape Screen Painting (Detail of Senzui)

• Period: 11th c. (Heian)
• Characteristics: Idealized landscapes, monochrome ink, lyrical naturalism.
• Materials: Not specified
• Location: Japan, Toji, (National Museum of Kyoto) Yamaote description
• Notes: Used in initiation rituals. Chinese characters in a Japanese setting.

Phoenix Hall, Byōdōin

• Period: 1053 (Heian)
• Characteristics: Temple of refined symmetry, represents the Pure Land.
• Materials: Wood
• Location: Byōdōin, Kyoto, Japan
• Notes: Reflects the belief in Amida. It was bought by Fujiwara. SHINDEN SUKURI STYLE. The roof of the Hoodo has small statues of two Phoenix birds.

Amida by Jōchō

• Period: 1053 (Heian)
• Characteristics: Serene representation of Amida, yosegi zukuri technique. Last sculpture by Jocho.
• Materials: Multi-block wood with gold leaf. Lacquered cloth and gold leaf.
• Location: Phoenix Hall, Byōdōin, Japan
• Notes: Built with the Yosegi technique, many blocks of wood stacked on top of each other. Amida Buddha is the representation of the God of the earth.

Gold-Colored Hall, Chūsonji

• Period: 1124 (Heian)
• Characteristics: Richly decorated temple, symbol of the Pure Land.
• Materials: Wood and gold leaf
• Location: Chusonji, Hiraizumi, Japan
• Notes: In the middle is the Buddha Amida. There were buried 4 generations, finally killed by Minamoto Yoritomo.

Central Altar of Gold-Colored Hall

• Period: 1124 (Heian)
• Characteristics: Elaborate Buddhist decoration, symbolic richness.
• Materials: Various materials
• Location: Chūsonji, Hiraizumi, Japan
• Notes: There is the Buddha Amida, surrounded by Kannon and Seishi.

Kashiwagi Chapter of the Genji Emakimono

• Period: 1st half 12th c. (Heian)
• Characteristics: Aristocratic narrative, yamato-e style, emotional detail.
• Materials: Color on paper
• Location: Japan, Nagoya Sumigaki, artist. TSUKURI E is the style to which painting on sketches is attributed. MONO NO AWARE or the pathos of things is attributed to him.

Minori Chapter of Genji Emakimono

• Period: 1st half 12th c. (Heian)
• Characteristics: Introspective scene, architecture and subtle emotions.
• Materials: Color on paper
• Location: Japan, Nagoya
• Notes: Represents a ceremony where he has to recognize his illegitimate son.

Animal Scrolls Choju Jinbutsu

• Period: Mid-12th c. (Heian)
• Characteristics: Anthropomorphic animals, social satire, dynamic drawing.
• Materials: Ink on paper
• Location: Japan, Kozanji, Kyoto.
• Notes: Sense of humor, Satire. And criticism of Buddhism by the frog apparently being buddha.

Great South Gate, Tōdaiji The Nandaimon

• Period: 1199 (Kamakura)
• Characteristics: Monumental gate, massive and austere architecture. KEI STYLE
• Materials: Wood
• Location: Tōdaiji, Japan
• Notes: Built by Shunjobo Choben, a priest in charge of reviving the temple of Todaiji.

Pair of Niō Figures by Unkei and Kaikei

• Period: 1203 (Kamakura)
• Characteristics: Protective warriors, energy and expressive musculature.
• Materials: Multi-block wood with paint
• Location: Great South Gate, Tōdaiji, Japan
• Notes: Created by Kokei and Keikei. Art schools. Technique used, YOSEGI, multiple blocks of wood for a single figure.