| 3. Fine Arts |
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Mixture of
Foreign Cultures and Tradition
This section covers historical movements of Japan's fine arts,
such as architecture, painting, and sculpture.
Asuka (593-710) and Nara (710-784) periods: The introduction
of Buddhism to Japan in 538 also brought many architects from
the Korean Peninsula with new techniques reflecting the Chinese
(Northern Wei) style of Buddhist architecture. Horyuji, a temple
in Nara whose main hall and pagoda date back to the Asuka period,
was built in this style. Japanese culture was consciously modeled
after that of the Tang dynasty in China during Nara period.
The lecture hall of Toshodaiji temple in Nara is one of the
finest extant representations of Tang style.
Heian (794-1192) and Kamakura (1192-1333) periods: Art was dominated
by esoteric Buddhism, which later gave way to the Jodo (Pure
Land) sect. A masterpiece of this age is the Phoenix Hall of
Byodoin temple. In the Kamakura period, many Zen temples were
built, the typical examples being Kenchoji and Engakuji temples
in Kamakura.
Muromachi (1338-1573) and Azuchi-Momoyama (1573-1603) periods:
The third Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, built Kinkakuji
(Golden Pavilion) temple and its surrounding garden in Kyoto.
In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, merchants who amassed wealth
through overseas trade increased their social influence and
began to contribute greatly to the development and spread of
culture. A good example is the popularization of the tea ceremony,
which led to the development of sukiya-zukuri, an architectural
style developed exclusively for tea ceremony purposes.
Edo period (1603-1867): Ogata Korin developed a style of heavily
pigmented decorative painting (rinpa). Ukiyo-e (woodblock prints
of everyday scenes) came into vogue among the common people
in the mid-eighteenth century.
Meiji era to present (1868- ): Following the Meiji Restoration,
widespread contact with Western art created in Japan a new tradition
of Western-style painting (yoga), mainly in oils, in addition
to influencing the time-honored Japanese style of painting (Nihonga).
Outstanding Nihonga works created in the second half of the
nineteenth century include Kano Hogai's Merciful Mother Kannon
(1888). Western-style paintings of the same period include By
the Lake (1897) and Reading (1891) by Kuroda Seiki.
Contemporary Japanese art has been strongly influenced by postwar
American pop art and other art forms. Nowadays, Western art
and sculpture exist side by side with traditional Japanese paintings
and calligraphy, exerting a mutual influence on each other.
In architecture as well, Western styles have spread rapidly
since the Meiji era. Architects Kurokawa Kisho and Isozaki Arata
are well known to be the leaders of the postmodern style architecture.
In 1976, after Ando Tadao, presented Sumiyoshi no Nagaya, housing
in concrete, he became well known for his minimalist architecture
blending with wood materials. Ando was nominated to the Order
of Culture in 2003.
* All the Japanese names in this section follow the Japanese
practice of placing the surname first.
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