SHRINES,
STATUES, AND SCROLLS
THE ART OF EARLY JAPAN
TEXT
PAGES 216-231
Define or identify the following:
Kami. A spiritual being or deity
mortise
and tenon technique used in building the Ise Shrine
which the wallboards were slipped into slots in the pillars.
ridge
pole the beam at the crest of the roofs
Shinto
pre-buddhist beliefs that developed in the Yayoi period
Amida
the Buddha of immeasurable light and infinite life,
ruler of the Western Pure Land
Buddha
triad Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas
Mandorla a lotus-petal shaped nimbus
Handscroll pictures alternated with text
Tale of
Genji Japan’s most admired literary classic written
around 1000 by Murasaki Shikubu. Heian court culture
Torii
Busshi sculptor who was a descendant of a Chinese
immigrant and sculptured a Buddha triad
Yamato-e
native-style paintings of Japan. Bright mineral
pigments, lack of emphasis on strong brushwork, general flatness
1. What was the main art form of
the Jomon culture?
Cord markings, technique that the Jomon culture used to
decorate earthenware vessels.
2. How do Jomon vessels differ
from Neolithic Chinese examples?
Japanese vessels are extremely thick and heavy. The harder,
thinner, and lighter Neolithic Chinese earthenware emphasizes basic ceramic
form and painted decoration.
3. Name the two cultures that had
the strongest influence on the development of Japanese art.
a.
Jomon Period
b
Yayoi and Kofun Periods
4. What was the purpose of the
great tumuli that were built during the Kufan period?
Recall earlier Jomon practices of placing the dead on sacred
mountains
How
did haniwa relate to these structures?
Burial practices at Japanese tumuli included the placement of
unglazed ceramic sculptures, “haniwa” on and around the pit grave mounds.
5. Name the largest and most
important Shinto shrine in Japan.
Ise Shrine (Kofun Period)
What
Japanese custom assures us that the present building looks pretty much like the
first and original one?
The location, use, and reconstruction every 20 years reflect the
major characteristics of Shinto as a sacred space, ritual renewal, and
purification.
6. What culture provided the mold
for the Horyu-ji and Todai-ji temples complexes?
Periodically repaired, allowed the Chinese models.
7. Describe the type of image that
was introduced during the Heian period that reflected the influence of Esoteric
Buddhism.
Taizokai of Ryokai Mandara, among the best preserved in Japan,
composed of 12 zones, each representing one of the various dimenstions of
Buddha nature.
8. What type of birds are perched
on the ends of the ridge poles of the Phoenix Hall shown in FIG. 8-12 and what
is their meaning?
Two bronze phoenixes, these birds were believed to alight on
lands properly ruled. They represented imperial might, and sometimes associated
with the empress.
9. List three characteristics of
the Yamato‑e style seen in the Genji scrolls (FIG. 8-13).
a. native subjects and bright mineral
pigments
b. lack of emphasis on strong brushwork
c. general flatness
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