1. JAPAN
BEFORE 1333
Blanca Chen

2. MAP

3. Jomon
• 10,500 BC ~ 300 BC
• Jomon – “cord marking” decoration on pottery
• One of the earliest nations with Pottery
making
• Pottery designs become more complex during
Middle Jomon (2500-1500 BC)

4. Vessel, from Miyanomae,
Nagano Prefecture,
Japan, Middle Jomon
Period, ca. 2500- 1500
BCE. Earthware

5. Yayoi
•
•
•
•
300 BC ~ 300 AD
Culture emerged in Kyushu and spread northward
Began interaction with China and Korea
Korean immigrants brought social and
technological changes to Japan
• Produce ceramics that were less sculptural than
Jomon pottery and sometimes painted
• Developed bronze-casting and loom weaving

6. Dotaku with incised
figural motifs, from
Kagawa prefecture,
Japan, late Yayoi period,
ca. 100 – 300 CE. Bronze

7. Dotaku
Han Chinese Bell 編鍾

8. Kofun
• 300 ~ 552 AD
• Kofun – ‘Old Tombs’ – burial mounds that
began to appear in 300 AD

9. Tomb of Emperor Nintoku , Sakai,
Osaka Prefecture, Japan, Kofun
period, late fourth to early fifth
century

10. Haniwa warrior, from
Gunma Prefecture,
Japan, Kofun period,
fifth to mid-sixth
century. Low-fired clay

11. Shinto
• Shinto – “Way of the Gods”
• Religious structure embraced during the Yayoi
and Kofun period
• Associated with the development of agriculture
• People worship varies dieties or spirits, known as
Kami, and build shrines for them
• Purity is the critical aspect of the religion
• Until the introduction of Buddhism, religious
images did not exist

12. Ise Shrine, Ise, Mie Prefecture,
Kofun Period or later, rebuilt
in 1993

13. Asuka and Nara
• 552~645 / 645~784
• Buddhism was first introduced to Japan through
the gift from one of the Korean rulers, King Syong
Myong, to the Japanese Emperor Kimmei
• Shinto continued to have its significance with the
locals, especially with agricultural rituals and the
imperial court rites
• The Japanese government experienced changes
as they increasingly adopt the system of the
Chinese court

14. Tori Busshi, Shaka triad,
kondo, Horyuji, Nara
Prefecture, Japan, Asuka
period, 623. Bronze

15. Yakushi triad, kondo,
Yakushiji, Nara Prefecture,
Japan, Nara Period, late
seventh or early eighth
century, Bronze

16. Kondo, Horyuji, Nara
Prefecture, Japan, Nara
period, ca. 680

17. Amida triad, Horyuji, Nara
Prefecture, Japan, Nara
Period, ca. 710. Ink and
colors

18. Daibutsuden, odaiji, Nara,
Japan, Nara period, 743; rebuilt
1700

19. Heian
• 794~1185
• Named after the new capital that is now
known as Kyoto
• From the middle of the ninth century
on, relations between Japan and China
deteriorated by the end of the century
• Japanese court become much more selfdirected

20. Taizokai (Womb World)
mandara, Kyoogokokuji,
Kyoto, Japan, Heian
period, 9th centurt

21. Phoenix hall, Byodoin, Uji,
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan,
Heian period, 1053

22. Genji Visits Mursaki, from the Minoir
chapter, Tale of Genji, Heian period,
first hald of 12 century, Handscroll,
ink and color on paper

23. • The flying storehouse, from
the Legends of Mount Shigi,
Heian period, late 12 century,
Handscroll, ink and colors on
paper

24. Kamakura
• 1185~1332
• In the late 12 century, a series of civil war
between rival warrior families ended Japanese
imperial court
• The victors, Minamoto family, established their
shogunate (military government) at Kamakura
• More frequent and positive contact with China
brought recent cultural developments, ranging
from new architectural styles to Zen Buddhism

25. Portrait statue of the priest
Shunjobo, Chogen, Todaiji,
Nara, Japan, Kamakura
period, 1206, painted
cypress wood

26. Kosho, Portrait statue of the
priest Kuya preaching, Kamakura
period. Early 13th century, painted
wood with inlaid eyes

27. Night attack on the Sanjo Palace,
from the Events of the Heiji
Period, Kamakura period, 13th
century. Handscroll, in and
colors on paper

28. Amida descending over the
Mountains, Zenrinji, Kyoto,
Japan, Kamakura period,
13th century. Hanging scroll,
ink and colors on paper

29. Quiz
• 1) How did Shinto Shrines reflect the values of
the religion?
• 2) How was Buddhism introduced to Japan?
• 3) ‘Jomon’ refers to what aspect of the pottery
of the time period?

30. Quiz
• 4) What is the
system used to
build this
shrine?
• 5) What is the
significance of
the
appearance of
this shrine?

31. Answer
• 1. e.g. Ritual reconstruction of Shinto shrines
represents ritual renewal and purification
practiced in Shinto
• 2. Buddhism was first known in Japan through
King Syong Myong of Korea - He gave a
gilded- bronze Buddha statue and translated
Sutras as a gift

32. Answer
• 3. Jomon, meaning cordlike, refers to the
decorative technique using long thin strings of
slabs the potters used to decorate the
earthwares
• 4. Mortise –and –tenon system; in which
builders slip the wallboards into slots in the
pillars

33. Answer
• 5. The Ise Shrine’s main hall appears to be
Japanese granaries – among the most
important building in Japan’s agrarian society