Japanese art

Japanese art, works of art produced in Japan from the beginnings of human habitation there, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present.

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Historically, Japan has been subject to sudden invasions of new and alien ideas followed by long periods of minimal contact with the outside world. Over time the Japanese developed the ability to absorb, imitate, and finally assimilate those elements of foreign culture that complemented their aesthetic preferences. The earliest complex art in Japan was produced in the 7th and 8th centuries AD in connection with Buddhism. In the 9th century, as the Japanese began to turn away from China and develop indigenous forms of expression, the secular arts became increasingly important; until the late 15th century, both religious and secular arts flourished. After the Onin War (1467-1477) Japan entered a period of political, social, and economic disruption that lasted for nearly a century. In the state that emerged under the leadership of the Tokugawa clan, organized religion played a much less important role in people's lives, and the arts that survived were primarily secular.

Related Topics:
Buddhism - China - Onin War - 1467 - 1477 - Tokugawa - Clan

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Painting is the preferred artistic expression in Japan, practiced by amateur and professional alike. Until modern times, the Japanese wrote with a brush rather than a pen, and their familiarity with brush techniques has made them particularly sensitive to painterly values. With the rise of popular culture in the Edo period, a woodblock print called ukiyo-e became a major art and its techniques were fine tuned to produce colorful prints of everything from daily news to schoolbooks to pornography. They found sculpture a much less sympathetic medium for artistic expression; most Japanese sculpture is associated with religion, and the medium's use declined with the lessening importance of traditional Buddhism. Japanese ceramics are among the finest in the world and include the earliest known artifacts of their culture. In architecture, Japanese preferences for natural materials and an interaction of interior and exterior space are clearly expressed.

Related Topics:
Painting - Brush - Pen - Edo period - Woodblock print - Ukiyo-e - Sculpture - Religion - Japanese ceramics - Architecture

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