Japan

Japan



 By: Mike Borenitsch



__**General**__

Japan is a country located in East Asia. It is an archipelago consisting of 6852 islands. The population of Japan is 126,804,433 which makes it the 10th largest country in the world. The GDP of Japan is estimated at $4.137 trillion American Dollars, which is good for the 4th largest economy in the world. 3.5% of GDP is spent on education and the literacy rate is estimated to be 99%.

__**Education**__

The school curriculum covers Japanese language, social studies, mathematics, science, music, fine arts, health, and physical education. All students are also exposed to industrial arts and homemaking. Moral education also receives attention. Most students take part in one of many school clubs as part of an effort to confront juvenile delinquency.



**__Art in Japan__**

Art in Japan includes a long list of artistic styles and mediums which include ancient pottery, sculpture made of wood and bronze, ink painting from silk and paper and in more recent years manga, cartoons, and many other types of artwork. The history of artwork in Japan is long and vast as the country's history expands back to the 10th millennium B.C.

The earliest forms of art known in Japan consisted of monochrome pottery with cord-impressed designs, referred to as Jomon. In the 6th century, the stylistic tradition of Japanese art was established at the time Buddhism was introducedt. Arts were taught through the medium of Buddhist monasteries and temples which advanced under Korean monks and artisans, who made Buddhist sculpture and pictures. Over the course of its history, Japanese art has relied heavily on techniques borrowed from China. One example would be wall paintings in the golden hall at Horyu-ji, near Nara created in the 8th century which were based on a Chinese Horyoji sculpture (which itself was based on Korean models).

There have been many artistic periods in Japans history including the Nara Period, Fujiwara Period, Kamakura Period, Muromachi Period, Momoyama Period, Edo Period, and the current period.

In the Nara period, traditional technical methods of Japanese painting were established. It was displayed on silk or soft paper with Chinese ink and watercolors. This was then mounted and rolled up on a roll not in view. The hanging version of this scroll was called kakemono. The long, narrow horizontal scroll (called emakimono) was unrolled in the hands and usually illustrated a narrative. The Fujiwara period was highlighted by the Yamato-e tradition of painting (national rather than on Chinese styles). Kanaoka was the first major Japanese painter to establish himself in the country’s history.



During the Kamakura period Japan was governed by the military, which preferred bold, active and realistic artistic styles. This created a demand for paintings and sculptures portraying officials, warriors, priests, and poets. Important artists rose to fame during this period including those at the school of the sculptor Jocho which was continued by Kokei, Kaikei, and Unkei. The work of these artists displayed attention to realistic detail that has been said to have never been equaled. The painters of this time that are most notable would be Takanobu and his son Nobuzane who were both portrait painters.

The Muromachi period reverted to a technique of Chinese-style ink painting. Zen Buddhism received the support of the new rulers. Ink painting was used as a means of teaching Zen doctrine. Priest-painters such as Josetsu, Shubun, and Sesshu were the most revered Japanese landscapists of the time. Their works are characterized by economy of execution, forceful brushstrokes, and asymmetrical composition, with emphasis on unfilled space. Also sculpture began to lose its Buddhist inspiration during the Muromachi period.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">During the Momoyama period, architectural sculptures were on a par with painted screens as the major media of the time. Constant warfare created a need for many great fortresses and their interiors were decorated with screens painted using strong, thick colors against a gold background. Among the great artists of this time include the Kano family who succeeded in combining the technique of Chinese ink painting with the decorative techniques used in Japanese art.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In the Edo period, the school of painting originated under Koetsu Hon'ami and Sotatsu Tawaraya and represented a return to traditional Japanese painting. A great demand for miniature sculptures in the form of ornamental buttons, called netsuke, began at this time. Dutch engraving managed its way to Japan in this period and influenced painters such as Okyo Maruyama, the leader of the naturalist school, who created pictures with Western perspective.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The most recent era began sometime around the 19th century. Print slowly began to rise as a major style. In the 20th century the vast majority of painters and sculptors have been influenced by Western culture. Painters such as Taikan Yokoyama and Kiyoteru Kuroda have received international recognition. Modern Japanese pottery has become widely esteemed. -

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**__Artist Profile__**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">Taikan Yokoyama

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Taikan Yokoyama was born in the Mito District in 1868. He is the oldest son of Sutehiko Sakai, a member of the samurai class of the Mito clan. In 1889, he entered the first graduating class of Tokyo Fine Art School (now known as the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). When he first started, he showed great artistic potential. In 1898, he set up the Nihon Bijutsuin (the Japan Arts Institute) in along with Shunso Hishida, Kanzan Shimomura, and Tenshin Okakura in order to create a new Japanese arts movement. This style introduced unique techniques and delivered a ground-breaking new force to the Japanese art world. He imagined a decorative world which he created using traditional painting methods of the Rin group, but at the same time, he applied a more modern style with India ink, and adopted various Western painting methods to develop his own technique. He became the first winner of the Order of Culture in 1937. Using the sense of color and composition from traditional Japanese paintings, but also taking on a Western viewpoint, Taikan's works featured a number of subjects including nature, scenery and portraits and seemingly bringing his works to life. Over the course of his 76 year career in painting, Taikan was always ahead of the time with new styles of painting. He passed away on February 26, 1958. However, he left behind a number works that have no clear genre of 'Japanese' or 'Western’.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**__ Music in Japan __**

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<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Modern Japanese music includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern. The word for music in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku). Local music often occurs at karaoke venues. Traditional Japanese music has no specific beat and is often calm and improvised.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">J-pop (ジェイポップ) is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s and has its roots in 1960s music such as The Beatles and replaced kayōkyoku which was Japanese pop music until the 1980s. The name distinguishes Japanese music from foreign music and now refers to most Japanese popular music. According to the data of 2006 from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Japan has the second largest market for recorded music in the world, behind the United States.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The oldest Japanese traditional music consists of shōmyō (声明) which is Buddhist chanting and gagaku (雅楽) which is orchestral court music. These forms of music date back to the Nara period. Samurai often performed these musical activities as part of their lives for enrichment.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">__**Theatre in Japan**__

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Musical theater developed in Japan around the Momorama and early Edo periods. Noh (能) came from various popular traditions and by the 14th century had developed into a highly refined art. At its peak, artists such as Kan'ami (1333-1384) and Zeami (1363?-1443) performed and are renowned for their contributions to the practice.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Another form of Japanese theater is puppet theater called bunraku (文楽). This rose to popularity during the early Edo period. It is usually accompanied by recitation called jōruri (浄瑠璃) and accompanied by shamisen (三味線) music.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">During the Edo period male actors performed kabuki (歌舞伎) theater. Kabuki, features anything from historical plays to dance plays and frequently is accompanied by nagauta (長唄) singing and shamisen music.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**__Teacher Education Programs__**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The Japanese National Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture (Monbusho) introduced a new program, referred to as 'The Training Year', for induction of newly appointed teachers (in national and public elementary schools, lower and upper secondary schools, and schools for the disabled) in 1988. This program was mandated and financially authorized through a revision in Japanese education law. The program requires all newly appointed teachers to participate. As a result, all new teachers now spend at least 90 days of their first year participating in activities directly linked to teacher induction. In addition to the high number of training days, another important part of the first-year experience is the amount of support the new teachers receive from guidance teachers and other instructional staff. Even though it has only been in place for a few years, the program is well received. It is believed to accelerate the acquisition of knowledge and skills that previously had to be achieved in a more informal basis.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**__Youth Programs__**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">This is an art program established in August 2004 by NPO Arts Network Japan and NPO Artist's Studio In A School (ASIAS) as a part of “Toshima-ku Promotion of Culture and Art Creation”. Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory uses the building where the former Asahi Junior High School used to exist as a rehearsal facility and provides rehearsal space for use of theater and dance students who are generally suffering from a shortage of rehearsal space. In August 2005, Plan for “Creation of Creative City of Culture and Art” of Toshima city was certified by the Cabinet Office as “Plan for Regional Revitalization”. The plan is and outline for the promotion of culture and art creation, while utilizing “Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory”. As part of the place, Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory has been used as a theater and the main venue for the Tokyo International Arts Festival (TIF) organized by ANJ since February 2005. Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory frequently organizes art communication projects for local youth. Future projects will be expected with the launch of a children's museum organized by ASIAS which aims at giving children more opportunities to experience arts for free.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**__Conclusion__**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I was surprised by alot of the huge past that Japan has in the arts. I knew that it was an very arts rich country, but I didn't really think about the fact that, just like European countries with the Renaissance (etc.), that they also had past periods and these periods don't exactly replicate European culture. The arts practices and schooling of today however, appears to be very Westernized from what information I was able to come across. I was not able to find the most information on this subject, but it was interesting that they have adopted Western culture so much into their lifestyle.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**__Sources﻿﻿__** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] [] [] [] [] [] (translated with babelfish) [] (translated with babelfish) [] (translated with babelfish) [] []