Essays on Edo

The Tokugawa Period lasted between 1603 and 1867 (Yanemoto). It was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and it was also called the Edo period. The Tokugawa period was characterized by political stability, internal peace, and economic growth. The people were led under military dictatorship. During this time, the Japanese society experienced some changes. Some of the transformation include educational expansion, commercialization and economic growth among others. The social order in the society was totally frozen. The society was divided into four classes: Samurai class, Farmers/Peasants, Artisans, and Merchants. Peasants were concerned with food production through farming. Artisans used their crafts ...

Despite the country’s small size, Japan has depicted quite contrasting economies before and after the Second World War. Up to the moment, the country has had three distinct political and economic periods; the Edo which began in 1603 and went on up to 1868, the Meiji Restoration and the final period which began after the Japan’s defeat in the Second World War in 1945 and runs up to now. Each of the three economic periods was characterized by unique factors which necessitated the government to initiate remedies so as to avoid plunging the country into an economic ...

The first sketches of the landscape in the form of contours of the mountains, trees and rivers appeared in primitive cave drawings. At that time, people made the first attempts to portray themselves surrounded by wildlife. Landscape elements can also be found in the art of ancient Greece. Halls of the Knossos Palace on Crete have so far preserved the frescoes, wall painting with a realistic pictures of people against the sea, garden and mountain landscape. Before appearing in the west, landscape as an independent genre appeared in ancient China as a lyrical direction, celebrating the beauty and elegance ...

Introduction

The end of the nineteenth century is the period of the final partition of Africa between the European powers. European states demanded the immediate "salvation" of “savages” and bringing the noble atmosphere of the church Sunday schools to Africa. One of the latest British acquisitions was the State of Benin, the remains of the once mighty forest empire. The art of Benin was developed under the direct influence of the more ancient culture of Ife. In the XV-XVII centuries this art has reached its zenith. At this time (1400) Benin kingdom (which previously recognized the authority of the supreme ...

The Japanese artist Takashi Murakami was born in Tokyo in 1962. Takashi Murakami studied the art of Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) within the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo. The unique and self-sufficient style of the author is expressed through many mediums, including painting, sculpture, industrial design or fashion. He is an artist of the pictorial language, one of those which were strongly influenced by both popular culture and the formal characteristics of traditional art, such as flatness, applying a boss and abundant ornamentation. In 1990, Murakami was introduced to contemporary art with the artist Masato ...

26th of April 2016

The appearance of Kabuki is attributed to Izumo Okuni a servant of the temple, which, according to the available documentary evidence, headed a predominantly female troupe that in 1603 staged presentation and light scenes (dance, comic sketches), choosing the parched bed of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto as their stage. Gradually, this company has gained national recognition and the plays by Okuni (and subsequently the entire genre) came to be defined by the term "Kabuki". Its basic meaning (literally – the technique of singing and dancing) was supplemented with a hint of "extraordinary" and "shocking" nature of the action. Kabuki ...

The art of Japan during the Edo period were highly influenced by the Zen Buddhism; most of the paintings have Chinese influences since most of them were done using paintbrush and rendered on silk scrolls. The most prolific Japanese painter known to paint beautiful landscapes was Ogata Korin whose painting iconography is well-known throughout the world because of the delicateness in portraying the images found in the environment especially the flowers and animals. One particular artwork he made during the Edo period was the Red and White Plum Blossoms dated in the 18th century was a diptych makeshift wooden ...

Wabi (侘)1 refers to the ‘rustic beauty’ and this pertains to the things that have the ability retain the elegant charm despite the flaws or imperfections present on its surface. The Kanji character for wabi symbolizes ‘isolation’ through visual perspective; an object that is marred yet, it was because of the marred quality of the object that makes it beautiful and appealing even to the discerning eyes of the viewer. On the other hand, the character for sabi (寂)2 pertains to the intrinsic meanings of the object, such as its history. In this way, the concept of sabi can ...

The relevance of this work is expressed by the fact that the interest to Japan is increasing today. Many people, who are interested in modern Japan, are also interested in its history and culture. Consequently, the interest to theaters is also increasing, including the theater of Kabuki, which captivates the audience with its colorfulness and accessibility. The aim of this work is to fully consider the birth of Kabuki theater and study its origins, the specificity and role in Japanese culture. On the basis of the work’s purpose I have set the following objectives: - Consider the occurrence ...

Ukiyo-e is an artform which dates back to the seventeenth century. It was a major part of Japanese life for many years and, even today, is still an important element of the country’s culture. The Japanese art of ukiyo-e, which translates as "pictures of the floating world", was born in the metropolitan culture of Tokyo (Johansson, 2007). The dazzling and warmly attractive art of the Ukiyo-e woodblock print is certainly the most commonly known of all Japanese arts. This specific style of art thrived in Japan from the mid-seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century (Ukiyo-e). The word ...