Nikki Patel and Drew Evans
JAPAN BEFORE 1333 & 1336-1980
MAP OF JAPAN
WORKS CITED
Barron's AP Art History- 3rd Edition : John B. Nici
 Khan Academy- AP Art History :
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/apart-history
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KEY IDEAS OF JAPANESE ART
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Influenced by Shintoism and Zen philosophy
Central Art Forms : Calligraphy/Painting
Japanese artists worked on commission
Influenced by Japanese Tea Ceremony and it’s four principlespurity, harmony, respect, and tranquility
Zen simplicity seen in Japanese architecture- single story, made
of wood, raised floors (to reduce humidity), mobile spaces, Zen
garden
Deep respect for natural world
Heavily influenced European art
ARTISTIC STYLE
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Characterized by elevated viewpoints, diagonal lines,
and depersonalized faces
Popular Ink-splashed painting : Haboku- free/open
style that gives illusion of being splashed on the
surface
Genre paintings from 17th to 19th centuries were
dominated by ukiyoe - “pictures of the floating world”
Printmaking process between artist and publisher
VOCABULARY
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Genre Painting : painting in which scenes of everyday life are shown
Haboku (splashed ink) : monochrome ink painting done in free style in
which the ink seems to be splashed on a surface
Kondo : a hall used for Buddhist teachings
Mandorla : describes a large almond-shaped orb around holy figures like
Christ or Buddha
Tarashikomi : painting technique in which pain is applied to a surface that
has not already dried from pervious application
Ukiyo-e : “pictures of the floating world” – genre painting that was popular
from the 17th to 19th century
Yamato-e : style of Japanese painting that is characterized by native subject,
stylized features, and thick bright pigments
Zen : a metaphysical branch of Buddhism that revolves around fulfillment
through self-discipline and intuition
TODAI-JI
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743- rebuilt c. 1700
Nara, Japan- Great Eastern Temple
Wood with ceramic tile roofing
(largest wooden building in the
world)
Colossal sculpture of seated image
of the Vaiorcana Buddha
Temple and Buddha have been
razed several times during military
unrest
Seven external bays on façade
Influenced by monumental Chinese
sculptures
GREAT BUDDHA : TODAI-JI REBUILT
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Rebuilt in c.1700
Monumental feat of casting
Meant to stabilize the Japanese
population during a time of economic
crisis
Largest metal statue of Buddha in the
world
Mudra : right hand means “do not fear”
; left hand means “welcome”
Cross cultural comparisons of the
Buddha across Asia : Bamiyan Buddha,
Jowo Rinpoche, Longmen Caves
NIO GUARDIAN FIGURES
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c. 1203
Complex joined woodblock
construction
By Unkei, Tankei, and Jokahu
One on either side of the gate
Intricate swirling drapery
Fierce forbidding looks and
gestures
Masculine, frightening figures
that “protect the Buddha”
GREAT SOUTH GATE
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1181-1203
Wood with ceramic tile roofing
Nandaimon : great south gate with five
bays (three central bays for passing and
two outer bays that are closed)
Two same sized stories
Deep eaves supported by the sixstepped bracket complex
Roof exposed from below (no ceiling)
and supported by huge pillars
Overall effect is of proportion and
stateliness
Cross cultural comparisons of
entrances : Great Portal, North Gate of
the Great Strupa, Front Gate of the
Forbidden City
RYOAN-JI
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c. 1480
Kyoto, Japan
Garden as a microcosm of nature
Zen dry garden Gravel acts as water
 Rocks are mountain rages
 Meant to be viewed from a
veranda in a nearby building
 15 rocks arranged in 3 groups
 Interpreted as islands in a
floating sea/ mountain peaks
above clouds/ constellations in
the sky
 Entire garden isn’t viewable at
once from any viewpoint
 Served as a focus for meditation
 Asymmetrical
 Bounded on two sides by a low,
yellow wall
RYOAN-JI (CONTINUED)
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Wet Garden Contains a tea house
 Seemingly arbitrary in
placement, the plants are
actually placed in a highly
organized and structured
environment symbolizing the
natural world
 Water symbolizes purification
(used in rituals)
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Cross Cultural Comparisons of
people and nature- Weiwei
(Sunflower Seeds), Velasco (Valley
of Mexico), Turner (The Slave Ship)
NIGHT ATTACK ON THE SANJO PALACE
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c. 1250-1300
Handscroll- ink and color on paper (swift, active
brushstrokes)
Painted 100 years after the civil war depicted in
the scene
Elevated viewpoint/strong diagonals-showed
movement and action
Narratives read from right to left as scroll is
unrolled
Depersonalized figures
Tangled mass of forms accentuated by Japanese
armor
Lone archer leads the escape from the burning
palace with equestrian Japanese commander
behind him
Burning of the imperial palace at Sanjo in Kyoto
as rebel forces try to seize power by capturing
the emperor
Coup staged in 1159 as Emperor Go-Shirakawa
is taken prisoner
Cross Cultural Comparisons to historical eventsLin (Vietnam Veterans Memorial), Goya, Column
of Trajan
WHITE AND RED PLUM BLOSSOMS
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Ogata Korin-artist
1710-1716
Watercolor on paper
Influenced by Yamato-e style of painting
Stream cuts rhythmically through the
scene/swirls in paint surface indicate
water currents
White plum blossoms on left; red on right
Tarashikomi technique- paint is applied
to surface that hasn’t already dried from
a previous application (creates a dripping
effect useful in depicting streams of
flowers
Cross Cultural Comparisons of multipanel paintings- Campin, Grunewald,
Circle of the Gonzalez Family
UNDER THE WAVE OF KANAGAWA (THE GREAT
WAVE)
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1830-1833
Polychrome woodblock print with
ink/color on paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
First time landscape
Last of a series of prints called “ThirtySix Views of Mount Fuji”
Personification of nature (drowning
the figures in boats)
Mount Fuji-sacred mountain
Striking design contrasts water and
sky with large areas of negative space
Cross Cultural Comparisons of images
of the sea and water- Michelangelo
(the flood), Turner (the slave ship),
Kusama (narcissus harden)
THEME : SACRED SPACE
Todai-ji
Parthenon
-Both are temples
-Todai-ji dedicated to Buddha and Parthenon dedicated
to Athena
-Held religious and cultural importance during the time
period
THEME : VIOLENCE & CONFLICT
Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace
Column of Trajan
-Both depict some significance of famous battles and conflicts with
neighboring areas
-Both represent an important even for the city in the time period
- Two different forms of art : painting/architecture
CONCLUSION OF JAPANESE ART
Japanese art revolves around a combination of traditional Chinese painting
styles and unique Japanese artistic styles. Throughout this art, great
emphasis was put on properties of wood construction and harmonizing with
the natural surrounding environment. The majority of Japanese buildings are
meant to be viewed as part of an overall balance in nature that complement
a setting and never intrude upon it.