Japanese Art
Title: Todai-ji, aka The Great Temple of the East
Architect: Unkei, Kaike, and Kei School
Date: 743, rebuilt 1700 CE
Period/ Culture: Japanese
Location: Originally 90ft, now 60 ft
Patron: Emperor Shmou and Empress Komyo
Materials: Bronze, wood, ceramic tile roofing
Techniques: Architecture
Intended Audience: Emperor Shomu and Empress Komyo
It is a large, ornate templethat served as a state supported central monastic training center and as the settinf for pblic religious ceremonies. Construction began in the 8th century. It was destroyed during civil wars in the 12th century, but rebuilt a few years after. It was destroyed again in the 16th century in the Civil War and rebuilt in the 17th centurty. Another consturction took place in the 20th century because of general wear and tear. Nara is also where the tradition of rebulding the capital when the emperor died stopped. A result of the central authority was the construction of Buddhist temples and shrines in Nara. Overall, the building acted as a temple for public cermonies.
Title: Nioguardian Statue 1
Architect: Unkei and Kaikei
Date: 1203
Period/ Culture: Kamakura period
Location: Nara Japan, at the south gate of the temple
Scale: 26 feet tall
Patron: Emperor Shomu and Empress Komyo
Materials: Cyprus wood and pigments
Techniques: Wood carving and painting
Intended Audience: The emperor, empress, and buddhist attending the temple
The Nioguardian is known as Ungyo. His mouth is closed to shelter the good spirtis and represent the beginning of the universe. The Nio is in the contapposto stance. They take the form of scary wrestler like stautes in order to scare away evil spirts. They are the manifestations of the oldest and most powerful bodhisattva Vajrapani. Also believed to be a manifestation of Mahasthamprata, or the bodhisattva of power in Pure land Buddhism, or as the bodhisatta Vajrasattva. Temples were built with statues to protect them. Bodhisattvas were believed to have traveled with Gautama Buddha and protected him. They justify the use of physical foce for protection, when most aspect of Buddhism were nonviolent. To conclude the statue serves as a guardian for the temple.
Title: Nioguardian Statue 2
Architect: Unkei and Kaikei
Date: 1203
Period/ Culture: Kamakura period
Location: Nara Japan, at the south gate of the temple
Scale: 26 feet tall
Patron: Emperor Shomu and Empress Komyo
Materials: Cyprus wood and pigments
Techniques: Wood carving and painting
Intended Audience: The emperor, empress, and buddhist attending the temple
Right: Agyo- mouth open to scare off demons, and represents the ending of the universe The Nio is in the contapposto stance. They take the form of scary wrestler like stautes in order to scare away evil spirts. They are the manifestations of the oldest and most powerful bodhisattva Vajrapani. Also believed to be a manifestation of Mahasthamprata, or the bodhisattva of power in Pure land Buddhism, or as the bodhisatta Vajrasattva. Temples were built with statues to protect them. Bodhisattvas were believed to have traveled with Gautama Buddha and protected him. They justify the use of physical foce for protection, when most aspect of Buddhism were nonviolent. To conclude the statue serves as a guardian for the temple.
Title: The Great Buddha at Todai-ji
Architect: Unknown
Date: 749
Period/ Culture: Kamakura period
Location: Japanese
Scale: 15 meters tall
Patron: Emperor Shomu
Materials: Bronze, Copper
Techniques: Cast in Bronze
Intended Audience: The imperial family and visitors.
The statue is one of Japan's largest bronze Buddha statues. The Buddha Vairocana is flanked by two bodhisattvas. It has been through multiple reparis due to earthquakes and war (It's head fell off at one point) The hair is made of 966 bronze balls. In the hall, there are smaller states of Buddha, healing pillars, and wooden columns (if you can fit thourgh the hole, it was said you have goodl luck for many years to come/ entrance to heaven. Buddha sits in lotus position. The lotus petals on the base are engravings about World of Lotus treasury. It was used as a place of worship at.
Title: Todai-ji Gate/ Nandaimon
Architect: Chogen
Date: 12th Century
Period/ Culture: Japanese
Location: Nara, Japan
Scale: Quite Large
Patron: Unknown
Materials: Wood, Ceramic Tiling
Techniques: Architecture
Intended Audience: People entering the temple complex
The existing gate was in the 12th century, because the orginal was destroyed in a typhoon. It has an elaborate bracketing system that supports the broad eveaed, two tiered roof. The Nandaimon holds the two massive wood sculpture of Guardian Kings. It is a gate and you walk through it.
Title: Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace
Architect: Unknown
Date: 1250-1300
Period/ Culture: Kamakura Period
Location: MFA
Scale: 41.3 x 699.7 cm
Patron: Unknown
Materials: Ink and Color on Paper, handscroll
Techniques: Inkscroll
Intended Audience: Nobles
100 years before the scroll was painted, the Heiji Civil War broke out. The Genpei War was between the Taira and the Minamoto. The two clans were enemies. The Taira clan was abolished in 1185. Later, the Heijj Disturbance was a battle between the Minimoto and the Taira warriors. The Taira won and created a samurai government. Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the emperor and when he retired, he still held power. The Minamotos were against the Go-Shirakawa, so they attcked Songjo Palace and Gujiwara Nobuyori tooke the emperor prisoner. The entire scrol illustrates the Heiji monogatari emaki, or illustrated scrolls, of the Events of the Heiji Era. It shows two rivals fighting each other and opposition to the emperor. The main focus is the brutal warfare and its consequences.
Title: Detail form Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace
Architect: Unknown
Date: 1250-1300
Period/ Culture: Kamakura Period
Location: MFA
Scale: 41.3 x 699.7
Patron: Unknown
Materials: Ink and color on paper
Techniques: Painting
Intended Audience: Nobles would look at this scroll
The Sanjo Palace is in flames as the minamotors are trying to kidnap Emperor Go-Shirakawa. All the figures are armed and fighting with bows and arrows; some are on horseback. Warriors cut their enemies' heads and put them on sticks. Women who live in the court hide to slave their lives. The warriors wear armor called yoroi but rae covered in robes called hitatare. The cart isin the palace ready to kidnap the emperor. There is a tangled mass of form. The figues are depersonalized. In the painting, there are wavy brushstrokes to depict smoke. The artist divides the foreground and background creating different scees and making it into a narrative.The artist used vivid color to depict the political chaos. It depicts Japanese warfare and what it was like, because in the Kamakura Period. It is a dramatic and emotioal depcition of hte Heiji Disturbance.
Title: Ryoan-ji; wet gardne
Architect: Unknown
Date: 1480 CE
Period/ Culture: Muromachi Period
Location: Kyoto Kapan
Scale: 20 acres
Patron: Hosokawa Katsumoto
Materials: Water, wood, Rocks, Plants
Techniques: It's a garden...
Intended Audience: Visitors and Katsumoto
When visitors first enter the temple grounds, they walk by the Mirror pond. The pond has two islands, the larger one is known as Benten- jima and has a bridge leading across to the shrine of Benten (the only female deity in the 7 Shinto gods). The other island is known as Fushitora-jima (Hiding Tiger Island). There are also many waterbirds who live in the pond. Katsumoto was a military commander and built his estate on the ruins. However, he died in the Onin wars and left the estate to become a temple. wet garden is one aspect in creating the zen atmosphere. People can sit to drink tea and observe the beauty of nature and reflect upon themselves.There are many Mandarin ducks in the pond so it is also called Oshidori ike. Oshidori ducks usually only choose 1 mate for life. If the partner dies the duck will not mate with other ducks.
Title: Ryoan-ji, Dry Garden
Architect: Unknown
Date: 1480 CE
Period/ Culture: Edo Period
Location: Ryoan-ji
Scale:250 square meters
Patron: Hosokawa Katsumoto
Materials: Rocks and Pebbles
Techniques: Rock Placing and Sand Raking
Intended Audience: Visitors
It had nine large stones in a patch of pebbles, and it now has 15 large stones. White gravel represeted the flowing elements. The white rocks represented islands and bridges. Some say it represents islads floating on an ocean, or mother tiger carrying cubs over say, while others say it symbolizes the Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi (refiend austerity) and sabi (sbdued tasted), or the fundamental ideal of Zen philosophy. Made to encourage contemplation.
Title: Ryoan-ji complex
Architect: Possibly sensui Kawaramono
Date: 1480 CE
Period/ Culture: Muromachi Period
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Scale: 120 acres
Patron: Hosokawa Katsumoto
Materials: Wood, Stone, Water Features, Sand
Techniques: The Wabi technique (simplicity and understatent to allow the viewer's imagination to fill the blanks.
Intended Audience: Monks for meditation space as well as a possible tea house
First there is the main gate that leads to Kyoyochi Pond. Left of the pond is a cherry garden. In the center there are 2 temples, a hall, ad the Grea Buddha, and another pond. Above is the Rock Garden, pagoda, and ossumary. There is also a Buddha Hall, water basin, Hojo East Garden, and Tearoom
Title: White and Red Plum Blossoms
Architect: Ogata Korin
Date: 1710-1716
Period/Culture: Japanese
Location: Japan
Scale: 156 x 172.2 cm each
Patron: Formerly belonged to the Tsugaru famly
Materials: Ink, watercolor, and goldleaf on folding screen
Techniques: Tarashikomi- dilute washes of coor blended while very wet and Mokkotsu- creating forms without exterior outlines
Intended Audience: This piece was suppose to be a decoration in a house, the two sections would have not been placed together but would have been near enough to define the space.
In this piece, the artist starts off with a very simple concept of trees besides a brook and turns it into a dream vision. The image is meant to be seen as abstract and realistic at the same time, the metallic curls in the stream give the viewer the sense that it’s really moving and flowing. Only the lower parts of the trees were depicted to to give the viewer a sense of standing very near the trees. The tree with red blossoms thrust up and out of sight, whereas the left pushes leftward and out of sight and is mostly hidden.Red and White Plum Blossoms has long been recognized as a masterpiece of Japanese art.
Title: Under the Wave off Kanagawa
Architect: Katsushika Hokusai
Date: 1830 - 1833
Period/ Culture: Edo period
Location: Honolulu Academy of Art
Scale: 9 7/8 x 14 5/8 inches
Patron: Japan in General
Materials: Polychrome woodblock print on paper
Techniques: Woodblock, Ukiyo
Intended Audience: Japan and other nations
This is a scene fom the woodblock print collection by Hokusai, Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. During this time landscape becomes a major theme in Japanese art. Nature is personified in this piece; it seems determined to drown the men in the boats. Mount Fuji is depicted in the background, the most sacred mountain in Japan. There is a large contrast between the water and sky through the negative space. The Great Wave is also reminiscent of a dragon with claws of foam (dragons were sacred and popular animals at this time) about to crash down and claw at the men in the boats. Although this wave seems like disaster, Mount Fuji rises strong and camouflaged as a wave. It shows that Japan is resilient and strong nation that would not be affected by the even brutalist of storms.