ARTS 2ND GRADING

EAST ASIAN ARTS

JAPAN
All about Japan
The earliest complex art in Japan was produced in the seventh and eighth centuries C.E. in
connection with Buddhism. In the ninth century, as Japan turned away from China, indigenous
forms of expression became increasingly important.

EAST ASIAN PAINTINGS

The history of Eastern painting is as old as the civilization of China. It is historically
comparable to western painting. Eastern countries continued to influence each other’s
production of arts over the centuries. Painting is one of the highest forms of art in East Asia it
usually includes: subjects, themes, and motifs.

THEMES OR PAINTING SUBJECTS OF JAPANESE PAINTINGS:

1. Scenes from everyday life
2. Narrative scenes crowded with figures and details.

Different types of art form found in Japan

Woodblock Printing
● It is a technique for printing text, images,
or patterns used widely throughout East Asia.
● Japanese printmaking is one of the oldest and
most highly developed visual arts in the world.
It originated in China as a method of printing on
textiles but was later adapted for printing on
paper. The most common theme or subject for
printmaking describes scenes from everyday life.
UKIYO-E
● Literally means “pictures for floating world”.
● The best known and most popular style of Japanese art which is related to the style of
woodblock print making that shows scenes of harmony and carefree everyday living of
Japanese people.
● It was produced in a diversity of different media, including painting and became an art
domain of the upper classes and royalty but later was also produced by the common
people.

SUBJECTS IN UKIYO-E:
1. Females beauties / Geishas
2. Kabuki actors
3. Sumo wrestlers
4. Historical Events
5. Natural World

HISTORY OF UKIYO-E
Woodblock printing had been created in Japanese culture as early as the 8th century. By
the early 17th century artist Sotatsu began using woodblocks to print elaborate artistic designs
on paper and silk. At the beginning of the 17th century when woodblock printing had just begun,
japan had reached a turning point. Among the mass production of goods, Ukiyo-e prints became
popular between 1615 and 1858.They were especially popular among merchants, the lowest
class of Japan's Confucian social hierarchy. Japan's increasing wealth allowed for the mass
production, purchase, and transportation of goods that had never been possible before. As the
merchant class grew wealthier Ukiyo-e arts became a popular symbol of wealth.

4 MINDS IN UKIYO-E:
1. HANMOTO – PUBLISHER
2. ESHI - ARTIST
3. HORISHI - CARVER
4. SURISHI - PRINTER
UKIYO-E TECHNIQUE
The Hanmoto often chose the subject of prints and would pass off the idea regularly based
on popular trends to the Eshi, who would design an image. The design could range from nature
to shunga, a form of Japanese art that focuses on eroticism. The Horishi would then plaster the
design onto a wood block and carve it. As a result, a reusable mold for the art is made. At this
point, the print is ready to be made. The Surishi then uses variations of paints to transfer the
carved image into a piece of paper to be sold by the Hanmoto.

KABUKI and KABUKI MAKEUP

• A traditional Japanese popular drama with singing and dancing performed in a highly
stylized manner.
• It is a style of traditional theater that includes: music, dance, and drama. The characters
are often drawn from Japanese folklore.
The major part of this drama is the dramatic makeup worn by actors.

KABUKI MAKEUP
• It can be also called as Kesho.
• A make-up used in theatrical performances by Kabuki players in Japan.
• It is an interpretation of the actor’s own role through the medium of the facial features.
• This makeup is applied heavily to create a brightly painted mask that uses colors in
symbolic ways.
•

SYMBOLIC WAYS TO INDICATE KABUKI MAKEUP:

 AGE
 GENDER
 MOODS
 CLASS OF EACH CHARACTER
 PERSONALITIES

Kabuki makeup is also another way of face painting which has

two types:
1. Standard Makeup- This type of make-up is applied to most kabuki actors.
2. Kumadori Makeup- This type of makeup is applied to villains and hero actors.
*Kumadori is also composed of very dramatic lines and shapes
using colors that represent certain qualities:
 Dark Red – passion or anger
 Dark Blue – depression or sadness
 Pink – youth
 Light Green – calm
 Black – fear
 Purple – nobility

Examples of Kumadori Face Painting: (where the lines are painted

onto an actor’s face. These are then smudged to soften them)
1. MUKIMI-GUMA - has red beniguma, and is used for roles that are full of youthful
sensuality and have a strong sense of justice.
- This makeup is known as MUKIMIGUMA because the simple shapes
resemble MUKIMI, shellfish without shells.
2. SUJI-GUMA - has red beniguma, and is used for roles that are heroes with
super-human strength, filled with intense anger.
- It is called sujiguma because several red kuma are drawn sweeping upwards
over the lines of the face (suji). A triangle in red is added on the chin, and
black ink is drawn on the corners of the mouth.

KUMADORI : The Painted Faces of Japanese Kabuki Theater

ORIGAMI
● The term came from “ori” that means
“folding” and “kami” meaning “paper”.
● It is the traditional Japanese art of paper
folding, which started in the 17th century
AD and was popularized internationally in
the mid-1900s. It eventually evolved in
modern art form.
● The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of paper into finished sculpture through
folding and sculpting techniques without cutting as much as possible.
● Paper folding had already become a significant aspect of Japanese ceremonies by the
Heian Period (794 – 1185) in Japanese history.

Common models used in Japanese origami:

1. Flowers
2. Animals
3. Birds
4. Fish
5. Geometric shapes
6. Dolls

FUN FACTS ABOUT ORIGAMI:

Some of the Japanese Origamis either plays a cultural role or has its own legend or tale.
For example, the Origami Butterflies and the Paper Crane.

1. THE BUTTERFLY
These butterflies were used during the celebration of Shinto weddings to represent the
bride and the groom. Formal Mecho is a traditional origami butterfly often used in wedding
ceremonies. Mecho is the female butterfly and Ocho is the male butterfly. Mecho and Ocho are
rarely seen except in formal ceremonies; however, these two butterflies are historically
important since they are the first examples of representational origami. The paper butterflies
were used to decorate sake bottles during wedding ceremonies.
2. THE PAPER CRANE
There is this ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand paper
origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane. Some stories say that you'll be granted eternal
good luck instead of just one wish such as long life or recovery from illnesses or injuries and this
wish can be given as a gift to anybody. They believe that the crane is a mystical or holy creature
that is said to live for a thousand years.
KNOT TYING: HANAMUSUBI

● Is one of the knot tying techniques in Japan that

simply means Flower Knots, similar to
Kazarimusubi or Decorative Knots.
● It refers to the method of making decorative
knots with cords; it also refers to the knots themselves.
● It emphasizes on braids and focuses on individual knots.
It is a traditional craft which was originally learned from China and was developed in
Japan.

JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY
Japanese calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting. It originated in China during the
Han dynasty, with all basic forms developed by 220 A.D. Written Japanese was originally based
on Chinese characters only, but the advent of hiragana and katakana Japanese syllabaries
resulted in intrinsically Japanese calligraphic styles. Japanese calligraphy also called shūji is a
form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language.

3 MAIN STYLES OF JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY:

1. KAISHO (BLOCK STYLE)
2. GYOSHO (RUNNING HAND STYLE)
3. SOSHO (GRASS HAND)

ALL ABOUT THE THREE STYLES:

1. Kaisho (The Block Style) -

This style is the most basic form and
easiest to write. Beginners usually learn this style first.
2. Gyosho (Running Hand Style) -
It is known as the semi cursive style.
After mastering the kaisho, beginners
then practice this style.

3. Sosho (Grass Hand) –

This style is known as the Cursive style
of Japanese Calligraphy. This style is a
flowing and a graceful style