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)
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
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
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
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
