Day 4 & 5 Japanese Art

Day 4 & 5 Japanese Art

Japanese nobles created great art in their court at Heian. 

Japanese Nobles

• The nobles who followed Japan’s emperor to Heian wanted to win his favor by living close to him.

• In Heian, these nobles created an imperial court, a group of nobles who live near and serve or advise a ruler. 

Multiple Choice

What is an imperial court?

• a group of nobles who live near and serve or advise a ruler.

• a group of people who act as judges.

• a group of people who make the laws and judge.

“dwellers among the clouds”

• Members of the noble court had little to do with the common people of Heian. They lived apart from poorer citizens and seldom left the city. These nobles enjoyed their lives of ease and privilege.

• In fact, their lives were so easy and so removed from the rest of Japan that many nobles called themselves “dwellers among the clouds.” 

Japanese Nobles Create Great Art 

• The nobles of this court loved beauty and elegance. Because of this love, many nobles were great supporters of the arts.

• As a result, the court at Heian became a great center of culture and learning.

• In fact, the period between 794 and 1185 was a golden age of the arts in Japan. 

Open Ended

Why did the court at Heian become a great center of culture and learning?

Fashion

• The nobles’ had magnificent wardrobes full of silk robes and gold jewelry. Women wore long gowns made of 12 layers of colored silk cleverly cut and folded to show off many layers at once.

• Nobles often carried delicate decorative fans. These fans were painted with flowers, trees, and birds. Many nobles also attached flowers and long silk cords to their fans. 

Multiple Choice

What were the women's dresses made out of?

• cotton

• silk

• satin

Open Ended

Why do you think these outfits were made out of layers of silk?

Literature

• Japanese nobles took great care with how they spoke and wrote.

• Writing was very popular among the nobles, especially among the women. Many women wrote diaries and journals about their lives at court. In their diaries, these women carefully chose their words to make their writing beautiful. 

Multiple Choice

In their diaries, these women carefully chose their words to make their writing

• heard

• seen

• beautiful

• to the point

Women Literature

• Unlike men, who usually wrote in Chinese, noble women wrote in the Japanese language. As a result, many of the greatest works of early Japanese literature were written by women. 

Multiple Choice

Noble Japanese women wrote in

• Chinese

• Japanese

• Korean

Lady Murasaki Shikibu (moohr-ah-sahk-ee shee-kee-boo)

One of the greatest writers in early Japanese history was Lady Murasaki Shikibu . Around 1000, she wrote The Tale of Genji. Many historians consider this book to be the world’s first full-length novel.

The Tale of Genji is the story of a prince named Genji and his long quest for love. During his search he meets women from many different social classes.

Many people consider The Tale of Genji one of Japan’s greatest novels. The characters it describes are very colorful and seem real. In addition, Lady Murasaki’s writing is clear and simple but graceful at the same time. She describes court life in Japan with great detail. 

Multiple Choice

Who is considered to have written the first novel in history?

• Lady Antebellum

• Lady Shokotu

• Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Haiku

• Both men and women wrote poetry. Nobles loved to read and write poems. Some nobles held parties at which they took turns writing poetry and reading their poems aloud to each other.

• Poems from this time usually had only five lines. They followed a specific structure that outlined how many syllables each line could include. Most were about love or nature, but some described everyday events.

Open Ended

Describe how they wrote their poems. What was the writing style? What did they write about? How did they share their writings?

Visual Art 

• Besides literature, Japan’s nobles also loved the visual arts.

• The most popular art forms of the period were paintings, calligraphy, and architecture. 

Paintings

• In their paintings, the nobles of Heian liked bright, bold colors.

• They also liked paintings that illustrated stories. In fact, many of the greatest paintings from this period illustrate scenes from literature, such as The Tale of Genji. Other paintings show scenes from nature or from court life.

• Many artists painted on doors and furniture rather than on paper. 

Multiple Choice

Their paintings show scenes from nature, from court life, literature, and literature.

Calligraphy

• Another popular form of art in Heian was calligraphy or decorative writing.

• Calligraphers spent hours carefully copying poems.

• They wanted the poems to look as beautiful as they sounded. 

Multiple Choice

What is calligraphy?

• Cursive

• Print

• Decorative writing

Architecture

• They greatly admired Chinese architecture and modeled Heian after the Chinese capital, Chang’an.

• These styles featured buildings with wooden frames that curved slightly upward at the ends. The wooden frames were often left unpainted to look more natural. Thatched roofs also added to the natural feel.

• 
  

Open Ended

Describe the architecture. Who did they model it after? What does it look like?

Simple Architecture and Gardens

• For other buildings, the nobles liked simple, airy designs.

• Most buildings were made of wood with tiled roofs and large, open spaces inside.

• To add to the beauty of these buildings, the nobles surrounded them with elegant gardens and ponds. Similar gardens are still popular in Japan. 

Performing Arts 

• The performing arts were also popular in Japan during the Heian period.

• People often gathered to watch performances by musicians, jugglers, and acrobats. These performances were wild and fun.

• Especially popular were the plays in which actors skillfully mimicked other people. 

Multiple Choice

What did their performance look like?

• Street performers, bands, and jugglers

• musicians, jugglers, and acrobats.

Zen Buddhism

• In the 1100s another popular new form of Buddhism called Zen arrived from China.

• Zen Buddhists believed people seeking wisdom should practice self-discipline and meditation, or quiet thinking.

• These ideas appealed to many Japanese, especially warriors. As these warriors gained more influence in Japan, so did Zen Buddhism. 

Open Ended

What part of Japanese intrigued you the most and why? Describe it.