JAPANESE ART Lecture : Introduction to Japanese Aesthetics Three Dimensional Japanese Arts
MAP OF JAPAN AND KOREA
JAPANESE AESTHETIC CONCEPTS The Japanese aesthetic believes that art should promote simplicity, modesty, and impermanence. Wabi is seen as pure, humble, and lonely. Sabi is satisfaction in poverty; rustic/aged objects are beautiful. Natural materials Asymmetrical compositions Handmade objects Kogan tea ceremony jar, late 16 th century. Shino ware with under-glaze design.
JAPANESE VESSELS Jomon Period: named for pottery made from the coiling technique. Works decorated with coils of clay in a number of free-form patterns. Earliest known pottery in the world. Vessel, Middle Jomon period. Ca. 2500-1500 BCE
JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE: SHINTO SHRINES Shinto: Indigenous religion of Japan. Literally Way of the Gods. Worships Kami, which is seen as nature spirits and ancestors. There is no concept of an omniscient god in Shinto. Toyozumi Shrine, current version ca. 1825
MAIN HALL, AMATERASU SHRINE, ISE, JAPAN, KOFUN PERIOD OR LATER; REBUILT 1993
Views of the Shrine at Ise for the tourist. Only Royal priestesses and workers are allowed in the precinct.
THE GATEWAY, OR TORII
THE GATEWAY, OR TORII
JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE: ZEN BUDDHIST COMPLEXES Zen Buddhism: Japanese form of Buddhism focused on selflessness, purity, and a calm state of mind. The art of Zen combined Chinese/Korean forms with the aesthetic of Japan. Horyuji Temple, pagoda and Kondo. Nara, Japan. c. 690.
JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE: ZEN BUDDHIST COMPLEXES Chumon: middle gate in the wall. Pagoda: Japanese version of a stupa. Kondo: treasure house with statues on platforms. Horyuji Temple, pagoda and Kondo. Nara, Japan. c. 690.
Chumon Entry Gate and Fierce Guardian Figures or Kongo Rikishi
Made of wood with complex bracketing and few nails. Square base, with 3 to 12 progressively smaller levels. Eaves on the roof swoop down then curve up at the ends. Heavy terracotta tiles on roofs. 5-Storied Pagoda at Horyu-ji, Nara Topped by a spire made of metal.
5-Storied Pagoda at Horyu-ji, Nara
KONDO, HORYUJI, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, NARA PERIOD, CA. 680.
TORI BUSSHI, SHAKA TRIAD, KONDO, HORYU-JI, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, 623. BRONZE, CENTRAL FIGURE 5 9 1/2 HIGH.
YAKUSHI TRIAD, KONDO, YAKUSHIJI, NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, NARA PERIOD, LATE SEVENTH OR EARLY EIGHTH CENTURY. BRONZE, CENTRAL FIGURE 8 4 HIGH, INCLUDING BASE AND MANDORLA.
BUDDHISM FOR THE MASSES: THE PURELAND SECT Pureland Buddhism stresses the importance of the Buddha of the Western Paradise: Amida. Amida presides over a heaven-like realm of beauty and bliss. One gains entry into his paradise at death if one recited his mantra during life: Namu amida Butsu
Amida Buddha of the Western Paradise by Jocho, joined wood blocks covered with gilding and lacquer. 1053.
ZEN GARDENS Zen monks created gardens that appear haphazard, but are highly planned and maintained. The garden serves as a microcosm that represents the unbounded nature of the universe. Gardens are either traversed on flagstone paths or viewed from platforms. Garden of the Daisen-in, Kyoto. Created by the painter Soami for Zen monks.
Anderson Gardens, Rockford, IL: the largest Japanese Garden outside of Japan.
Kinkaku-Ji, Garden and Golden Hall, Kyoto, Japan, Muromachi Period, ca. 1398 (Present structure after 1950).
THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY: HARMONY, RESPECT, PURITY, AND TRANQUILITY Tea Ceremony Video
AFTER THIS LECTURE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: Define the different features of the Japanese aesthetic ( a philosophy about what is beautiful). Describe the appearance of the world s earliest pottery and the manner in which it was created. Compare and contrast the features at a Shinto shrine and a Zen Buddhist monastery complex. Explain the content expressed in the layout and appearance of a Japanese Zen Garden.