Medieval Japan

Yamato or Kofun Periodca. 300-710 ce Yamato : “great kings” Kofun: giant tomb

mounds Military aristocracy Capital at Naniwa

(Osaka) Imported Chinese

culture via Korea:WritingConfucianismBuddhism

Kofun Shaped either as a circle or a keyhole, hills were built over burial chambers.

The dead were accompanied by such objects as iron tools and weapons, jewelry, pottery, mirrors and, clay figurines called haniwa.

Haniwa

Yamato Fashion• During this period the art of raising silk worms was introduced in Japan by Chinese settlers.

• At this time, they had no skills or techniques for dyeing clothes, so the silk fabric remained white.

Japanese Writing

Adapted from Chinese calligraphy, but a totally different language

Kanji: ideogrammatic use of Chinese characters

Manyo-kana: ideogrammatic and syllabic

Kana: syllabicHiragana: onna de

or “women’s writing” -- cursive, does not require knowledge of Chinese

Katakana -- cursive, derived from Chinese

Prince Shotoku573-621

Regent during reign of Empress Suiko (r. 592-628)

Wrote the Seventeen Article Constitution, the earliest piece of Japanese writing and basis for Japanese government throughout history

Led Japanese court in adopting Chinese calendar and sponsoring Buddhism

Prince ShotokuKamakura period, early 14th century

Gilt bronze

Daibutu at Nara

The Daibutu, literally Large Buddha, is known by the Japanese as "Daibutu-sama" or "Daibutu-san”: the largest bronze casting in the world

745-755 ce

Asuka Period645-710

Capital in the Asuka District Establishment of Imperial Power

under Taika Reform Edict Temple building and sculpture

introduced with Buddhism -- heavily influenced by Korean and Chinese models

Asuka Fashion

During the Asuka and Nara periods sewing methods developed more, and clothing became longer and wider. Courtier's clothes were divided

into three groups: formal clothes, court clothes and uniforms, the colors varying with rank.

Taika Reform Edicts: 645Fusion of Buddhism and Shinto

Influence of Chinese culture -- institutions, language, philosophy concept of national unity symbolized by Emperor's dual role: Shinto religious leader with elaborate rituals,

ceremonial functions Chinese-like secular Emperor

Emperor ruled by Decree of Heaven with absolute authority and by descent from Amaterasu, the sun goddess

United provinces ruled by central bureaucracyGovernment control of land culture

Ise Jingu: Grand Shrines of Ise

                                             

Shinto

Shinto

Shinto is a general term for the activities of the Japanese people to worship all the deities (kami) of heaven and earth

Towards the end of the 6th century, the 31st Emperor Yomei prayed before an image of Buddha for the first time as an emperor for recovery of his illness.

In accepting Buddhism, a foreign religion, the Japanese realized the existence of a tradition of their own faith.

The Japanese called the worship ritutals ‘Way of Kami’ (the deity or the deities).

The Grand Shrine at Ise is Japan's most important Shinto shrine and serves as the center of all shrines nationwide.

Situated near the banks of the Isuzu River, the shrine is surrounded by 800-year-old Ise Grand Shrine cedars.

The smooth pebble-lined approach to the shrine lends the site a majestic air.

Ise Shrine, Geku (outer shrine), inner

precint showing outer fence

The NaikuThe most

revered of all Shinto shrines, the Naiku, is located at Ise.

The Naiku enshrines Amaterasu Omikami, the ancestral goddess of Japan's imperial house and the great ancestral deity of the Japanese people.

Amaterasu

Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865). Amaterasu Emerges from the Light.(colored woodcut, nd).

Golden Kondo Hall 7th century style, rebuilt in early 8th century

Buddhism

Buddhist Horyuji Temple: ca. 607-711

Nara

Horyuji Temple

Pagoda (Stupa). Horyuji. 7th century style, rebuilt in early 8th

century

Golden Kondo Hall 7th century style, rebuilt in early 8th century

Buddha Sculptures

Nara - Temple Chugu-ji 7th c.

Nara - Temple Horyu-ji 7th c.

COURTLY

JAPAN

Nara Period: 710-794

710: first permanent capital established at Nara

712: Kojiki: A Record of Ancient Matters: first book of orally preserved historic legends

Emperors embraced Buddhism leading to rapid and dramatic expansion

759: The Manyoshu 784: Rise in political

power of Buddhist monasteries led to capital being moved to Nagaoka

Earliest Japanese Literature

712 : The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) -- an anthology of myths, legends, and other stories

713: The Fudoki (Records of Wind and Earth), compiled by provincial officials describe the history, geography, products, and folklore of the various provinces.

720: Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan) -- a chronological record of history.

Kojiki – album cover Kitaro

Izanami and Izanagi, the creator kami

The Meoto-Iwa, or Wedded Rocks, Shima Peninsula. Legend holds that the spirits of Izanagi and Izanami, Japan's creator gods, are housed in the rocks, which are connected to one another by a straw rope.

The Manyoshu Collected ca. 759 Anthology of over 4500

poems Includes wide variety of

poems: courtly, rustic, dialectical, military, travel

Identified and anonymous poets

Syllabic poetry: 5-7-5 Choka: indeterminate

number of lines culminating in a 7-syllable couplet

Tanka: 31 syllable poem: 5,7,5,7, 7

Wakawa-Japanese ka-poetry

Waka were first composed orally to celebrate victories in battle and love, or for religious reasons

Around the 8th century the fixed forms Choka (long poem) and Tanka (short poem) emerged. These Waka are based on a set number of Mora (syllables).

Nagauta or choka 'long poems‘ were composed for performance on public occasions at the imperial court.

Tanka 'short poems', consisting of five 'lines' in the pattern of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables, were used to communicate between friends and lovers,

The ability to compose a tanka on a given topic became an essential skill for any gentleman or lady at court.

It was not uncommon for parties to be thrown just to recite waka. One ritual was the Utokai. At Utokai parties each guest would come with an original waka and recite it to the group. All of the waka would then be judged by the host and the winner would be welcomed to eat at the head table.

Nara Fashion

During the Nara and the previous Asuka periods, techniques for dyeing silk were developed. Clothing consisted of many pieces including upper and lower

garments, jackets, a front skirt, and a back skirt.

Heian Japan

Heian Japan

794-1185 Capital at Heian:

present-day Kyoto Highly formalized

court culture Aristocratic

monopoly of power Literary and artistic

flowering Ended in civil wars

and emergence of samurai culture

The Kokins

hu(Collection of Ancient

and Modern Times)

Anthology commissioned by Emperor Daigo (r. 897-930)

1111 tanka poems in 20 books

Set the pattern for later anthologies

Books divided by subject:love, seasons, felicitations, parting, travel, names of things, etc.

Poetic sequences – linked narrations

Renga: 'linked verse' : pairs or groups of poets would compose jointly, with one poet supplying the initial 5-7-5 of a verse and another the concluding 7-7, often building up to hundred verse sequences.

The initial 5-7-5 of a renga became a poetic form on its own, the haiku

A confused array of red leaves in the current of Tatsuta River. Were I to cross, I would break the fabric of a rich brocade

Lady Ise

Ono no Komachi

Ki no Tsurayuki Ariwara no Narihira

Fun'ya-no-Yasuhide

Otomo-no-Kuronushi

Kokinshu Poets

Thirty-six

Immortal

Poets

                                                                                                     

                                                              

The Thirty-six Immortal Poets (detail), Edo period (1615-1868)Ikeda Koson (1802–1867)Two-panel folding screen; ink and color on silk; 68 x 68 3/4 in. (172.8 x 174.6 cm)Property of Mary Griggs Burke

A culture more independent of Chinese influence

miyabi : courtlinessmakoto : simplicityaware : melancholymono no aware :evanescence

Emphasis on the exquisite and evanescent

Literary: poems, letters, pillow books

Extreme sensitivity to nature

Nocturnal Importance of

convention and fashion

Heian Style

Heian Fashion

Gagaku

Music and dance originally performed and practiced in the Imperial court from the 9th century.

The oldest extant orchestral music in the world.

The present day gagaku repertory consists of the following four categories: Kangen: Instrumental music

consisting of an ensemble Bugaku: Dance which is

accompanied by part or all of the gagaku ensemble. These dances are divided into right and left styles.The dances can be solo, duets, or quartets with very colorful (and expensive) costumes and props.

Songs: The songs of gagaku, rouei and saibara, are simple melodies (mostly derived from ancient folk songs) accompanied by a scaled down version of the kangen ensemble.

Ritual music for Shinto ceremonies

Heian Painting: Yamato-eOnna-e

rich colors and subtle outlines.

the medium for courtliness, appropriate to the literature of miyabi, such as The Tale of Genji.

"cutaway" painting, in which interior scenes are painted by "cutting away" the roof.

primarily concerned with the Japanese life that goes on inside the court or house

Otoko-e

strong calligraphic outlines on figures with washed colors so that these strong lines would not be overwhelmed by the color

the medium for action subjects involving war or conflict;

primarily concerned with the public life outside the court or house.

Onna-e style from Genji-

monogatari

Otoko-e style from the

Shigisan engi emaki

Heian LiteratureMen continued to

write Chinese-style poetry

Women began to write in Japanese proseFirst novel: Genji

Monogatari by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Diaries:The Pillowbook

by Sei ShonaganAs I Crossed a

Bridge of Dreams by Lady Sarashina

Murasaki Shikibu Lady Murasaki

Katsukawa Shunsho 18th c.

The Tale of GenjiLady

Murasaki

Picture of life at the 10th c. Heian court

Relates the lives and loves of Prince Genji and his children and grandchildren

Unesco Global Heritage Pavilion: The Tale of Genji

Heian Society

Patriarchal but women inherited: matrilineal and matrilocal

Polygamous Sexuality viewed as

normal and necessary part of life

Men exercised political power, but marriages created political alliances, and women could exercise significant political influence

Origins of the Samurai

Failure of the central government in Kyôto to maintain adequate administration

Samurai became active in managing provincial governments

The first bushidan, or warrior bands, were family organizations, military units recruited by chieftains from among their kinsmen.

By the 11th century, however, bushidan had developed into more permanent entities structured on lord-vassal ties between fighting men

Taira and Minamoto “clans” emerged in the 10th and 11th centuries

SamuraiLiterally, "one who serves" Also known as bushi ("military gentry") -- the

warrior elite of pre-modern Japan that emerged in the provinces from at least the early 10th century and became the ruling class of the country from the late 12th century until the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

BushidoCode of honor and conduct of

the Japanese nobility requiring unwavering loyalty on the part of the vassal.

Borrowed heavily from Zen Buddhism and Confucianism.

Emphasized loyalty to one’s superior, personal honor, and the virtues of austerity, self-sacrifice, and indifference to pain.

Commerce and the profit motive were to be scorned.

Formulated in the Kamakura period and put into writing in the 16th c.

Samurai Fashion

During this period, the aristocratic culture of the Heian period decayed and the Samurai gained power. Clothes were modified to be simpler and easier to move around in to fit the more active lifestyle of the Samurai.

Samurai Castle

Seven Samurai Sanjuro Rashomon The Hidden Fortress Yojimbo by Akira KurosawaThe Samurai Trilogy by Hiroshi Inagaki

Gempei War Period Civil Wars

1156: Hôgen Disturbance--Taira (or Heike) and Minamoto (or Genji) on both sides

1160: Heiji Disturbance-- Taira were solidly aligned against the Minamoto. A Taira victory enabled the clan to become the new aristocracy at court from 1160 until the early 1180s

1180: Taira-Minamoto War -- Minamoto chieftains rose in the provinces that led to the defeat of the Taira

Heike Monogatari

Tales of the Heike WarTold by professional storytellers,

biwa hoshi , whose job it was to establish definitive versions of various tales and commit them to memory– their profession came to be known as heikyoku ("Tales of the Heike Narration").

By the 13th century heikyoku constituted the leading contemporary performing art form in 14th-15th century

During this period, the various tales were written down; so the composition of the Heike monogatari can be said to have taken place between 1200 and 1600.

Kamakura Shogunate 1192-1333 The victor in the Taira-

Minamoto War was Minamoto no Yoritomo: established the first true warrior government in Japanese history, the Kamakura shogunate (1192-1333)

Shogun: the title that Yoritomo demanded when he defeated the Taira: Sei i tai shogun , "barbarian conquering supreme general."

Feudalistic Society

Japanese Feudalism Classes:

Warriors Daimyo: feudal landowners Samurai: knight/retainers loyal to the

Daimyos Bushi: warriors

Peasants: bound as serfs to the land who paid harvest rent to samurai

A third “class” of merchants, craftsmen and entertainers arose as peace settled in. Merchants, especially, became powerful as they became rich.

Mongol Invasion of JapanDefining moment for the Kamakura dynasty

In 1258, Kublai Khan had conquered the Korean peninsula and in 1266, he declared himself Emperor of China.

In 1266, representatives of the Mongolian court came to Japan and demanded its immediate surrender -- Japan refused.

In 1274, Kublai Khan sent a vast fleet to invade Japan but it was destroyed by a hurricane—the Japanese called this fortunate hurricane kamikaze, or "wind from the gods."

Again in 1281, Kublai launched the largest amphibious assault in the history of the ancient and medieval worlds. Another hurricane struck, and the bulk of the Chinese army sank with the fleet.

Noh Drama Emerged in

the 14th c. Frozen in

the 17th c. Invention

attributed to Kanami Kiyotsugu (1333-1384)

Perfected by his son, Zeami Morokiyo (1363-1443)

A scene from Aoi no ue

based on The Tale of Genji

Noh Theatre

Noh Characters

Conventional roles in all dramas

Shite: principal character -- the only true “person”

Waki: secondary character -- introduces story and asks questions; often a priest

Tsure: shadowy companion to shiite and/or waki

Kokata: child Kyogen: clown --

usually lower class

Noh MasksWoman Mask

Male Mask

Old Man Mask

Demon Mask

Noh ConventionsVery short,

plotless, tragic in mood

Highly stylized with very slow pace: 200-300 lines of play can take an hour to perform

Integrate singing, speech instruments, and dancing

No limitation in time or space

Highly allusive, poetic, symbolic language

Less about characters than emotions

Yugen: haunting poetic quality, suggesting quiet elegance and grace, and subtle and

fleeting beauty

Types of Noh PlaysA Day’s Entertainment

contains:A god playA warrior play A woman play A realistic play A demon play

Kyogen Plays: placed between Noh plays as comic reliefNo musicBroad humorAbout 20 minutes long A Kyogen play Boshibari

In Japan, during the Fifteenth Century the

bonds of loyalty between the Ashikaga Shogunate and the daimyo or lords grew increasingly frayed until the outbreak of the Onin War (1467-77) and the descent of Japanese society into the Warring States period of the 16th

Century.