Around the year 10,000 B.C.E. the country now known as Japan, separated from mainland Asia and became an archipelago due to the melting of polar ice. (Varley,1) The first inhabitants of this newly formed Japan were known as the Jomon people. The rich history of Japanese art began with the Jomon. Historically, the Japanese people were heavily influenced by Chinese and Korean culture. However, as their art evolved through the Jomon period (10,000 B.C.E.-300B.C.E.) and beyond, it developed its own styles and traditions.
The beginning of Japanese culture started with the Jomon period around 10,000 B.C.E to 300 B.C.E. It is most famously known for its pottery and ceramics. They would make their pots out of coiled clay then smooth the surface for
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The Yayoi were the start of the transition of Japanese society from groups of hunter-gatherers to an agricultural, metalworking, and political society. The Yayoi set the foundations for Japanese culture with the introduction of rice cultivation and metalworking. These new skills allowed for the population to expand. Where the Yayoi people actually came from is still unknown. It is debated that, “The people of the Yayoi are a colonial invasion from Korea and/or China.” (Mason, 23) This could be possible because of how close the earliest Yayoi site was to southern Korea, but there is more evidence in what the people of this period created that suggests otherwise. Mason also says that, “The Yayoi is not so much a colonial invasion, but as a industrial and agricultural revolution.” (Mason, 23) Varley mentions that, “The Jomon people became the Yayoi people under the influences of China.” (Varley, 5) Influenced is the key word, because what the Yayoi created were not exact replicas of what China and Korea made. An example of this would be the Yayoi bell, also known as a dotaku in Japanese. One bell in particular (Mason, fig. 20), which has scenes depicting animals and the daily life of the Yayoi, was made in a way that looked crude and almost archaic compared to Chinese bells at the time. The pottery of this period also symbolizes a
were inhabited by fishermen, hunters and farmers. The early culture was known as "Jomon," named after the "cord pattern" pottery crafted by the people at the time. Major Japanese cultural changed occurred about 200 B.C. The people were known as "Yayoi." The Yayoi were mostly farmers. It is believed that the present-day Japanese closely resemble the Yayoi in appearance and language. Ancient Yayoi warriors developed weapons, armor and a code during the ensuing centuries that became the centerpiece for the Japanese samurai.
Junko Habu, Ancient Jomon of Japan: Case Studies in Early Societies (Cambridge University Press. 2004)
Japan lasted from 1185-1603. During that time Japan had emperors, shoguns, daimyos, samurai, and peasants who were all apart of a social class, and all together it was called the Samurai Society. The emperor was just a figurehead for the shogun. The shogun was a powerful military leader that ruled in the emperor’s name. Daimyo were powerful landlords. The daimyo often led armies of samurai. These samurai were trained professional warriors who served daimyo and shoguns. The samurai had to follow a certain code of rules for samurai called Bushido. One of their rules included to always have self-discipline to become a good samurai. The samurai warriors wore light armor, helmets (usually shaped like an animal), and had two swords around their waist. Their armor had a lot of detail and color to it, like their unique helmets. After the samurai comes the peasants, which included farmers and fishermen. They usually always work, then pay takes to the shogun. They usually gave the shogun what they earned from working like food or crops. What made their jobs a bit difficult was their topography. Japan’s topography included many mountains, undersea volcanoes, and barely any flat land to farm on. The Japanese didn’t only work they also practiced their religion. For example, they practiced Confucianism, Buddhism (...
Japan from Prehistory to Modern times. New York: Delacorte, 1979. Print. The. Lockwood, William W. Japan's Response to the West: The Contrast with China. New Haven: n.p., 1956.
When discussing the origin of the Samurai, an important time in history for their beginning can be seen in the formation of a Feudal System in early Japan. In 646 AD, Emperor Tenji enacted the Taika Reform. This reform allowed the aristocracy to adopt Chinese-Style political structures, bureaucracy, and culture (Farris). Basically, this allowed land to be redistributed among the people and while new taxes were formed. This was because more income was needed to support the newly adopted Chinese style empire. Due to these reforms, many peasants had to sell their land and work as farmers for other people while people who actually owned land were able to gain wealth and power. This resulted in the formation of a feudal system. This system was similar to that of medieval Europe and contributed to the rise of the Samurai social class.
As a conclusion, Mingei and nationalism can be perceived as fundamentally interwoven through Japanese handicrafts. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, many factors came to play a part in bringing the Japanese spirit to the forefront of craftsmen minds, whether as reason to bring attention to themselves and their own work or as a way of providing necessary utensils to the average Japanese home. The efforts of the Mingei movement and the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition cannot be ignored. Yanagi can be said to have foreseen this radical decline in traditional styles and if not for his and his fellow founders collecting and preserving crafts in the Japanese Folk Art Museum, many of the regional methods and styles could be lost today. After the destruction of the war and
Deal, William E. Handbook to Life in Medieval & Early Modern Japan. New York: Facts On File, 2006.
Greene, Carol. Enchantment of the World Japan, p. 97. 28 Pitts, Forrest R., Japan. p. 78. -. 29. Davidson, Judith.
Recently the concerns of women around their equality in society has become a hotly debated topic in the public spot light. Much of the debate concerns women and the ingrained sexism that permeates most cultures. Many women's activists feel that this ingrained sexism has widened the gap between men and women in a political, social, and economic sense. And for the most part they do have strong evidence to support these claims. Women have suffered through millennia of male dominated societies where treatment of women has been, and in some cases still is, inhuman. Women are treated like subhuman creatures that have only exist to be used for procreate and to be subjugated by men for household use. It has only been very recently that women have become recognized as equals in the eyes of men. Equals in the sense that they have the same political and social rights as males. While the situation has improved, women still have to deal with a male oriented world. Often women in the workplace are thought of as inferior and as a liability. This can be due to concerns about maternity leave, or women with poor leadership skills. But also in part it is due because of the patriarchy that controls all aspects and dynamics of the culture, family, politics, and economy. Even developed countries like The United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and France, could be classified as a patriarchies. These countries may not agree with this notion because of expansive, but not complete changes, that have gradually equalized women in society. However, there are developed countries that openly express a patriarchy and have enacted little societal changes to bring equality to women. Japan is one such country, and t...
Jarves, J (1984) A Glimpse at the Art of Japan Charles E. Tuttle, Tokyo, Japan.
Denison. B. (2002, January 1). A Basic Overview of Japanese Culture . . Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.mizukan.org/articles/culture.htm
This chapter provides a roadmap for the second part of the dissertation. Chapters five through eight are the stories of the participants, the organizational energies, and me engaging in experiences of action and reflection to explore issues in the participants’ daily organizational lives. Chapter nine is the synthesis of all the stories and an exploration of the cross-experience themes, while chapter ten ends the dissertation with implications and conclusions. This interlude offers insight into why the individual participant chapters are written in letter form, an explanation of the tarot cards, as well as instructions on how to read the transcript excerpts within the letters. This interlude is a moment to shift gears from the theoretical frameworks into the more intimate dynamic experience that was the research. It is a time to gather the tools that are needed to help witness and engage; much like the experience of a play or a symphony.
Deal, William E. 2006. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Facts on File, Inc., 2006. eBook
Japan is a fascinating multifaceted culture, on one hand it is filled with many traditions dating back thousands of years and yet is a society with continually changing fads,
There are a lot of different cultures in the world we live in today. Finding the place you belong and discovering your own culture can be a challenge. This is especially true when you look at culture as an individual versus culture in your family, or even within your community. I’ve always been very family oriented, so that plays a big part in who I am and how my family’s dynamic works. I believe that my family has had a huge impact on the development of my culture, and I hope that I have had the same impact on theirs.