The origin, growth and development of Japanese art and culture - Term Paper Example

?The origin, growth and development of Japanese art and culture Introduction In the early years of 1900, art and literature in many Asian countries including Japan and India have led to changes in global modernism. The art culture in the Asian countries has undergone resurgence that has been influential and effective not only in the countries, but globally. The entire world is experiencing global maturity in reference to art and literature, including Europe where their conventions of paintings, writing and architecture are increasingly popular in Tokyo these days. Most of the Asian fashion designs might seem to be imitations of the European styles, but this is not the case in actual sense. On the other hand, it would be absurd to ignore the impact that the Western countries have had on the East. In the entire development period which was most vibrant during the twentieth century, aesthetics and other methods where gotten from the European countries and many Asians where proud to recognize the efforts of Western countries. As the poet Tekkan once mentioned, “We love the poetry of our predecessors, who are both from the West and the East” (Arrowsmith, 2011, p.28). The beginning of the Metropolitan Court Culture By the occurrence of the Heian period, which was between 794-1185, the Japanese governing system was not fully transformed. During this period, power in Japan had been transferred to the emperor and his ministers. The quasi-independent aristocracy was now changed to the metropolitan elite that comprised of the rituals, intrigues, history and the imperial courts. The most fundamental happening during this revolution was the adoption of the Chinese cultures and civilization. In 618, a dynasty known as Tang was established and it reigned for almost 300 years. During this period, most of the Chinese cultures acquired their flowering and maturity. During this period, Chang’an which was china’s capital was the Asian hub in terms of development. During this period, all the Chinese and Japanese magnificent achievements in the arts department were most realistic. These arts included paintings, literature, decorative arts and sculpture. These artistic styles that evolved from China were adopted by many sections of the world, including Japan, India and the Central Asian Countries. These styles were unique, and an example is the three dimensionality and realism by the use of models in visual arts. In no time, the art designs and models came to be known as Tang International Styles (Mason, 2005, p.41). The Art of Buddhism Buddhism is one of the earliest arts that were established in China. By the mid years of the fifth century, Koguryo and Paekche, which were all Korean kingdoms, had adopted the art of Buddhism. Silla also adopted the art during the same period as the Korean kingdoms. During the Tang, just as the other Chinese dynasties, the Buddhism community played a vital role in the general affairs of the nations that adopted it. With well located monasteries and temples, the Chinese empire was inhabited by the Buddhist community that managed to make the Tang emperor the most supreme authority on the planet. In an artistic view, the Buddhist community can be said to be the richest, as arts lead to wealth and influence. As the Tang International Style is still embraced and praised in the four corners of the earth, its originality is reflected on the surviving paintings and sculptures of the Buddhists (Mason, 2005, p.41). The Paekche embassies, including that of 584 and 552, were unable to introduce Buddhism to Japan. However, they managed to attract the attention of Prince Shotoku who was a champion of the Buddhist cause. By 587, Buddhism had gained control in the Japanese Imperial government and was in fact a crucial foothold. In less than a century, the art has spread and was now in Yamato itself, under the regimes of Tenmu the emperor and Jito the empress who was Tenmu’s successor. Jito officially advocated Buddhism as one of the vital instruments in the management of the state. The courts gave orders for the construction of numerous Buddhist temples during the same century. The official residents were also expected to acquire a Buddhist altar that constituted the appropriate sutras and images. All the provinces in Japan were expected to develop Buddhist institutions which were expected to ignite the Buddhist flame all over Japan (Mason, 2005, p.42). Buddhists tradition (Performing arts) Currently, the only access to Buddhist music is the music gotten from South West Asia, Himalayan, Sri Lankan and many other Asian countries. During the Buddhist era, the nuns and monks could not play instruments according to their traditions. They were not allowed to dance and sing in secular contexts. However, they could chant texts that were sacred in nature for instance the Paritta-suttas. Poetry, songs, texts and music were used as part of the Buddhist ritual. Currently, few monasteries still hold performances that were sacred by teachers or mocks that had masks and costumes such as those in Tibet, the Vajrayana Cham Dance. In the present times, the art of Buddhism is reflected in the community of Japan, through music, movements such as dances and colour in the Monk’s Dance known as the Sungmu. All Buddhist artistic images, texts and artefacts are traded for spiritual purposes. Those who purchase the materials are expected to uphold them with care, by not mistreating them due to their spiritual value. There is a contradiction with how people interpret the above statement. For instance, one could have the opinion that the Buddhist arts are not supposed to be commercialized, due to their spiritual implications on the people. On the other hand, a different perception would be that these artistic materials can be sold, if they will benefit the living being’s minds. The perceptions affect the manner in which the arts are marketed, displayed and disposed (Alexander, 2006, p.9). Clay Sculptures from China The three most common techniques which were adopted in the making of sculptures for the temple were mostly in the eighth century. They include wood-core dry lacquer, hollow-core dry lacquer and clay which the Japanese referred to as the sozo .Lacquer is a resin which is vanish like, and is gotten from the Asiatic Sumac bush. The techniques are additive procedures meaning the forms were not carved, but build. All the techniques which were used by the Japanese were gotten from the Chinese people, who used wood, clay and other materials in the making of the sculptures. If compared, the fabrication of the clay sculptures resembles that of the hollow-dry lacquer images. The wooden armature is used in the sculpture to give it a bulk nature. Three layers (of clay) are used on the already made support after it is mixed with fibers. The sculpture is then given time to dry naturally, without using fire. After the drying, gold leaf and colors are used in the decoration stage. In most cases, the structures and the designs used in the making of the sculptors were symbolic to the use and function of the sculptor especially in Buddhism. For instance, the materials and originality of sculptors, including the technical skills applied to make it suggested where they would be used. Different people made different sculptors such as Kuninaka kimimaro who directed making of sculptors meant for government use under the Buddhist controlled government. The works of Kuninaka were most influential during the mid-Nara period. He was, therefore, honored many times for his work and even mentioned to be one of those who played fundamental role in projects meant for the Hokkedo (Mason, 2005, p.89). The Heian Period This period, the Heian, was one of the periods that laid history in terms of developments in arts especially in the Asian countries such as Japan. This period contained four centuries which were subdivided to distinct phases as follows; between 794 and 951 was the Early Heian, Fujiwara which was also known as the Middle Heian was between 951 and 1086 and Insei also referred to as Late Heian was between 1086 and 1185. When power was moving from the Buddhist community back to the prior rulers of the aristocratic families, it was during the Heian period (Mason, 2005, p.101). During the Early Heian period, there was still an adherence to religious precedents and Chinese seculars. However, as this century came to an end, Japan realized a sense of independence and estimated themselves to higher levels that did not need the Chinese support. By 894, sponsored embassies to Tang were abolished, and the fall of their dynasty followed a couple of years later. This led to another collapse of the Chinese mainland leading to political chaos. The Japanese, on seeing this, went back and reorganized themselves by refreshing their artistic capacity. This included their sculptures, paintings and architecture. They did this by revising their old techniques to develop emerging styles that were of Japanese national taste. This century experienced the revival of estates known as the shoen, which were in most prominent in the Fujiwara in Japan. Fujiwara period This period was experienced in the mid-seventh century, mostly in the Chinese-style government which was imperial in nature. During his regime, the Fujiwara was in control of the government, and also took advantage of his powers to control almost all the revenue in the country. During this period, due to the government authorities and ownership of property, the culture of the Japanese was enriched like never before. During the period of 858 until the twelfth century, Heian experienced a lot of peace and the aristocrats had the economic and social ability to pursue their aesthetic work including poetry, blending of incense and religious activities including preparations for Buddhist ceremonies. During this era, poetry was used between noble men and women as a polite means of communication leading to a rich literal sense of expression. The historian, George Sansom described this period as the Rule of Taste. The Insei period During this century, there was a lot of power shift from the Fujiwara clan to the emperors such as Go Sanjo, who was among the first to have come from a non Fujiwara mother. Sanjo brought into power retired emperors to form a government, with the intention of withdrawing to a Buddhist temple and becoming a monk. He was, however, expected to continue ruling in official position through his son. After his demise in 1702, his son, Shirakawa, ruled in the emperor until 1086 after which he retired. This was without any doubt the best and most effective leaders among those that had retired in the Insei period. During this period, lots of arts were progressed. These arts include paintings, secular projects such as music, poetry, coloring and many others (Mason, 2005, p.102). Central Asia has expanded ever since the 1st Century CE. This is when a gold coin was noticed in the northern part of Afghanistan. The lion on the coin depicted a lion which was moving with nandipada at the front and had the Kharosthi legend. Buddhists used animals such as elephants, lions, bulls or horses to symbolize Buddha. In other circumstances, they used a pair of feet as a symbol. These symbols, when interpreted, meant that the Buddha community was expanding to larger parts of Asia, and not just China and Japan. This also came with believe that all humans were expected to serve Buddha, because Buddha was aspiring and upheld the best cultures which influenced a great part of India (Cribb, 2005, pp.1). Conclusion The art of Japan has remained to be stylish, and includes sculpture using both bronze and wood, pottery, calligraphy, paintings and printing and many other types of artistic works. Despite having a long history, the art has remained to be exemplary compared to other arts in different countries apart from Asia. Japan has been subjected to adverse and new invasions for long ages, and they have retained the ability to integrate and absorb these arts into their own designs and styles. Up to the middle of the 15th century, both the secular arts and the religious arts flourished leading to a nation that was once the richest in artistic value. Currently, ceramics from Japan are among the best in the entire world and include the earliest artifacts that were used to depict their cultures. In the present times, Japan is in rival with other super powers as it continues to contribute to fashion, architecture and different forms of modern art. Their arts are a reflection of multi-cultural sense and have gained favor in the rest of the world regardless of the diversity in cultures. Works Cited Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. New York: Pearson Hall Publishers, 2005. Print. Richard, Rupert. The Trans-Cultural Roots of Modernism: Imagist Poetry, Japanese Visual Culture and the Western Museum System. Modernism/Modernity 18.1 (2011): 27-42. Kaempfer, H. M. & Sickinghe, G. W. The Fascinating World of the Japanese Artist: A Collection of Essays on Japanese Art by Members of the Society for Japanese Arts and Crafts. The Hague; Society for Japanese Arts and Crafts (1971): 0-87093-156-3. Cribb. The Crossroad of Asia, Transformation in Image and Symbols. Ancient India and Iran Trust (1992): 0-9518399-1-8. Alexander, D. Buddhism and the Arts (2006). Retrieved 21 November, 2012 from http://www.faithandthearts.com Read More