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Eddie Karl

Prof. Willis

ANTHR 1130 HON01

6 May 2019

Art in Japan

Art is everywhere. It is in the things we see everyday whether we recognize it or not.

The music we listen to is art. The graffiti on the side of trains is art. The sculptures and

engravings we see every day is art. Art comes in many forms and is practically limitless. Art

cannot be confined to any one medium. The expansiveness that is contained within art is what

makes it what it is, and what gives it its beauty. One group of people in particular with a

limitless and yet very stylized art type is the Japanese. Dating back to ancient times up until

now, Japan has always had a unique history in the art world.

One of Japan’s earliest known forms of art is a form of ancient pottery. This type of

pottery is called Jomon pottery, and was created during the Jomon Period spanning from 14,500

to 300 BCE. These pots are the oldest pots on earth. The word Jomon means ‘cord pattern’, and

this pattern can be seen in the pressed decoration circling the pots. According to Mark

Cartwright in his “Jomon Pottery” entry on the Ancient History Encyclopedia, “Potters were

likely semi-specialists only dedicating some of their time to pottery manufacture. As kilns have

not been excavated from the period it is thought that vessels were fired in open fires” (Cartwright

para. 3). There have been six categories of shape the these Jomon pots are found in. The first is

called fukabachi, which is the most common type. It is a deep bowl, with a tight neck and a wide

mouth. The second is called asabachi, which is a shallow bowl. The third is called hachi, which
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are bowls with medium depth. The fourth is called sara, which are bowls that are basically plates

because they are so shallow. The fifth is called tsubo, which is a bowl with a long neck and

narrow mouth. The sixth and final is called chuko, which are bowls with spouts. (Cartwright

para. 4). The decoration that can be found on the Jomon pots is found on only half of the bowls

made. According to Cartwright, “Decoration becomes markedly more extravagant in the middle

of the period with the so-called 'fire-flame' type… vessels are covered in applied thin rolls of

clay to form lines, swirls, and crests” (Cartwright para. 6). The Jomon pots are a beautiful form

of art and piece of history provided by the Japanese.

Another form of Japanese art comes in the form of a painting, an ink wash painting to be

precise. Another word for this style of painting is ‘sumi-e’ which means black ink painting.

According to Carla Jaranson in her article “What Is Sumi-e?”, “Emphasis is placed on the beauty

of each individual stroke of the brush. The Chinese speak of ‘writing a painting’ and ‘painting a

poem’” (Jaranson para. 1). This can be seen as very different from other styles of painting,

especially in modern day. Paintings today express more ideas, while ink wash paintings try to

capture the spirit of nature. When ink wash paintings were being made there were four essential

tools that were used. They were the paper, the ink stick, the brush, and the ink stone. The ink

stick was rubbed inside of the ink stone and mixed with water to create the black ink. Brushes

had either brown hair or white hair (or a combination of the two) made from a multitude of

different animals. The paper was made many different ways from different plants and even from

silk. (Jaranson para. 3). When it comes to the subject matter and the themes of ink wash

paintings, there are four basic ones that are learned first. The first is bamboo, which is summer

and represents flexibility and endurance. The second is chrysanthemum, which is fall and

represents perseverance and strength. Third is plum, which is winter and represents life and
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renewal. The fourth and final is orchid, which is spring and represents beauty. (Jaranson para.

14). Ink wash paintings were a beautiful way for the Japanese to express their view of nature

and to really capture the essence of it.

In Japan, art is not simply limited to images and physical objects. One form of art

created by the Japanese is called Japanese calligraphy, or ‘shodo’. Shodo is defined as the way

of writing and is considered an expression of spirit and character. Shodo uses all three of the

Japanese alphabets which is why it is such a difficult form to study. According to Richard

Langley in his article “Japanese Calligraphy – The Fine Art of Writing”, shodo started when

“Emperor Qin Shi Huang (220-210 BC), the first emperor of Qin, tasked his prime minister, Li

Si, with creating a uniform script to help newly unified China improve communications with

Japan, which didn’t have a written form of language” (Langley para. 3). The symbols used all

unique from one another and are drawn with very defined brushstrokes. There are two main

types of shodo symbols. The first is a Kana symbol. There are 71 of these symbols, with each

representing a different syllable and no underlying meaning. These symbols are very cursive in

appearance. (Langley para. 7). The second form of symbol is called a Kanji symbol. There have

been approximations made that there are over 50,000 unique kanji symbols. Kanji is the most

popular written communication form in Japan, and modern day japan uses only about 15,000 of

the original 50,000 symbols. Each symbol can have multiple meanings, and all of them represent

a specific idea or even a concept. (Langley para. 8). When it comes to creating Japanese

calligraphy, there are three main styles that are used. The first is called Kaisho, is the standard

style, and is also very blocky. Every brushstroke must be made with strict order, and each

character made must be exact in its proportions. (Langley para. 10). The second style is called

Gyosho. This style has a cursive appearance to it, with more flexibility and less angles.
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(Langley para. 11). The third style of shodo writing is called Sosho, and is the hardest to learn.

This style is the most similar to cursive, and produces very abstract and ‘zen-inspired’ art. The

brush stays on the paper in order to not break the flow of creativity. (Langley para. 12). Shodo is

a great example of an art in the form of writing.

Another type of Japanese art is called Ukiyo-e paintings. Before these paintings, was the

precedent called Yamato-e which are traditional Japanese paintings. According to Rebecca

Seiferle in her article “Ukiyo-e Japanese Prints”, “With its aerial perspectives, precise detail,

clear outlines, and flat color, the art form existed in contrast to other styles of Japanese painting

that reflected the influence of the Chinese” (Seiferle para. 2). To make a Ukiyo-e painting

required four people. The artist drew the picture, and then a craftsman carved the picture into a

woodblock. The woodblock was coated in colors and dyes by a printer, and then finally the

piece was marketed by a publisher who oversaw it all. (Seiferle para. 8). The Ukiyo-e paintings

were produced in a number of different styles. One is called Bijin-ga, which mean ‘beautiful

person picture’. This was the main form of Ukiyo-e, and typically depicted either beautiful

women or those viewed as celebrities. This style showed the ever changing and diverse beauty

standards in the Japanese culture. (Seiferle para. 18). A second style of Ukiyo-e painting is

called Shunga, which is translated as ‘pictures of spring’. Usually depicted were ordinary people

with exaggerated genitalia. (Seiferle para. 20). A third style of Ukiyo-e painting is called

Yakusha-e, which means ‘actor pictures. These paintings were usually sold as souvenirs at the

conclusion of a theater production. They were usually cheap and helped to promote whichever

actor the piece was centered around. (Seiferle para. 22). A fourth style of Ukiyo-e paintings are

called Kacho-ga, which means ‘bird and flower’. According to Seiferle, “Blank space was an

important element of kacho-ga, reflected in selecting only a single species of bird paired with a
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single plant, and leaving much of the surrounding space as broad planes of color, in order to

create the sense of nature's simplicity and harmony” (Seiferle para. 21). The Japanese Ukiyo-e

paintings are a very stylized version of painting with a very unique look.

Art is not limited to only visual pieces, as another form of Japanese art is their music.

Japanese music is the art of combining sounds and vocals to form beauty and to show

expression. According to Bruno Deschenes in his article “Japanese Traditional Instrumental

Music: An overview of solo and ensemble development”, “Traditional Japanese music is

basically meditative in character. Its performance is highly ritualized, as much in the music

itself, as in the composure of the musicians when performing it. Japanese chamber and solo

music have a slow meditative pace” (Deschenes para. 4). There are multiple traditional

instruments that the Japanese use with their music. One instrument used is called the Biwa,

which is a lute. It comes in many different sizes to be used differently, and has different names

depending on the use. Its main use it to accompany storytelling and spoken narrative. The

music played does not always follow a melody, but often uses patterns and rhythm. (Deschenes

para. 22). Another traditional instrument used is called the Koto, which is a two-meter-long

table zither that originated in China. It can be used in part with ensembles and to accompany

dances. It has even been used in tandem with a singer. (Deschenes para. 26). Another

instrument is called the Shakuhachi, which is a flute blown from the end. According to

Deschenes, “The principal style of music that is played on the shakuhachi is called honkyoku,

meaning original music… Originally, it was mainly a repertoire of solo pieces… At the

beginning of the century, a new style of playing was created, called Tozan, a style of playing

greatly influenced by Western music” (Deschenes para. 33). Another traditional instrument used

is called the Shamisen, which according to Deschenes in paragraph 35, is a “3-stringed lute with
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a resonance box covered either with cat or dog skin. It quickly became popular as the best

instrument for entertainment.” The instruments used by the Japanese are all uniquely beautiful

from almost everything seen in todays world of music and instruments.

A final form of art created by the Japanese, that has especially become popular in recent

years, is called Manga. Manga is a style of comic book created in Japan. Even though it has

gained popularity in recent years, it is still thought to have originated a long time ago.

According to Liana Sharer in her article “The Beginnings of Anime and Manga”, “The first

examples of what might be called "manga" were picture scrolls created during the 6th and 7th

centuries by Buddhist monks. The scrolls ran continually, using common symbols such as cherry

blossoms and red leaves to indicate the passage of time” (Sharer para. 2). Eventually, artists

from Europe began adding other attributes that makes Manga what it is today, including

anatomy, shading, and perspective. Manga gained popularity in the 19th century after Japanese

artists copied the comic strips that appeared in John Pulitzer’s New York World. (Sharer para. 6).

Red books, which are extremely cheap comic books, flourished after world war II due to new

small companies rising out of the crumbling larger dominant companies. (Sharer para. 8).

Eventually, manga was turned into film in 1956 after the foundation of Toei Animation, who’s

founder wanted to be one day comparable to Disney. (Sharer para. 10). Manga is a very unique

form of cartoon and comic that really shows the wide diversity of Japanese art.

Art comes in many diverse and unique forms. Japan is one of the best countries in the

world to help demonstrate this. From ancient pottery, to ink wash paintings, to Ukiyo-e

paintings, to calligraphy, to music, and even to manga, Japanese art shows no limits. Japan has a

long history in art, especially with their traditional arts that have stood the test of time. Art can
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take the form of anything you want it to be, as long as you believe it is art. Art holds a meaning

specific to whoever is viewing it, and that is what makes it beautiful.

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Works Cited

Cartwright, M. (2017, May 17). Jomon Pottery. Retrieved May 4, 2019, from

https://www.ancient.eu/Jomon_Pottery/

Jaranson, C. What Is Sumi-e? Traditional East Asian Brush Painting. Retrieved May 4, 2019,

from http://sumiesociety.org/whatissumie.php

Langley, R. (2019, April 1). Japanese Calligraphy – The Fine Art of Writing. Retrieved May 5,

2019, from https://www.art-mine.com/collectorscorner/japanese-calligraphy-the-fine-art-

of-writing/

Seiferle, R. (2018, February 22). Ukiyo-e Japanese Prints. Retrieved May 5, 2019, from

https://www.theartstory.org/movement-ukiyo-e-japanese-woodblock-prints-history-and-

concepts.htm

Deschenes, B. (2001, December 27). Japanese Traditional Instrumental Music: An overview of

solo and ensemble development. Retrieved May 5, 2019, from

https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/japan.htm

Sharer, L. (2001). The Beginnings of Anime and Manga. Retrieved May 5, 2019, from

http://umich.edu/~anime/info_animehistory.html