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Japanese Sculpture
Sculpture in Japan began with the clay figure. Towards the end of the long Neolithic Jōmon period, "flame-rimmed" pottery vessels had sculptural extensions to the rim, and very stylized pottery dogū figures were produced, many with the characteristic "snow-goggle" eyes. During the Kofun period of the 3rd to 6th century CE, haniwa terracotta figures of humans and animals in a simplistic style were erected outside important tombs. The arrival of Buddhism in the 6th century brought with it sophisticated traditions in sculpture, Chinese styles mediated via Korea. The 7th-century Hōryū-ji and its contents have survived more intact than any East Asian Buddhist temple of its date, with works including a ''Shaka Trinity'' of 623 in bronze, showing the historical Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas and also the Guardian Kings of the Four Directions. Jōchō is said not only to be one of the greatest Buddhist sculptors in the Heian period but also in the history of Buddhist statues in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto Clan
was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobility, the nobility since 814."...the Minamoto (1192-1333)". ''Warrior Rule in Japan'', page 11. Cambridge University Press. Several noble lines were bestowed the surname, the most notable of which was the Seiwa Genji, whose descendants established the Kamakura shogunate, Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga Shogun, shogunates following the Heian era. The Minamoto was one of the four great Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period in History of Japan, Japanese history—the other three were the Fujiwara clan, Fujiwara, the Taira clan, Taira, and the Tachibana clan (kuge), Tachibana. In the late Heian period, Minamoto rivalry with the Taira culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fetishism
A fetish is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over others. Essentially, fetishism is the attribution of inherent non-material value, or powers, to an object. Talismans and amulets are related. Fetishes are often used in spiritual or religious context. Historiography The word ''fetish'' derives from the French , which comes from the Portuguese ("spell"), which in turn derives from the Latin ("artificial") and ("to make"). The term ''fetish'' has evolved from an idiom used to describe a type of object created in the interaction between European travelers and Native West Africans in the early modern period to an analytical term that played a central role in the perception and study of non-Western art in general and African art in particular. William Pietz, who, in 1994, conducted an extensive ethno-historical study of the fetish, argues that the term originated in the coast of West Africa during the sixteenth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stone Statue, Late Jomon Period
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's outer solid layer, the crust, and most of its interior, except for the liquid outer core and pockets of magma in the asthenosphere. The study of rocks involves multiple subdisciplines of geology, including petrology and mineralogy. It may be limited to rocks found on Earth, or it may include planetary geology that studies the rocks of other celestial objects. Rocks are usually grouped into three main groups: igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks. Igneous rocks are formed when magma cools in the Earth's crust, or lava cools on the ground surface or the seabed. Sedimentary rocks are formed by diagenesis and lithification of sediments, which in turn are formed by the weathering, transport, and deposition of existing rocks. M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Sword Mountings
Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings (''Commons:Tosogu (Japanese sword fittings), tosogu'') that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. ''katana'') used when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the ''Commons:shirasaya, shirasaya'' is a plain undecorated wooden mounting composed of a ''Commons:Saya, saya'' and ''Commons:Tsuka, tsuka'' that the sword blade is stored in when not being used. Components *: The ''Commons:category:Fuchi, fuchi'' is a hilt collar between the ''Commons:category:Tsuka, tsuka'' and the ''Commons:category:Tsuba, tsuba''. *: The ''Commons:category:Habaki, habaki'' is a wedge-shaped metal collar used to keep the sword from falling out of the ''Commons:category:Saya, saya'' and to support the fittings below; fitted at the ''ha-machi'' and ''mune-machi'' which precede the ''Commons:category:Nakago, nakago''. *: A hook-sha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Netsuke
A is a miniature sculpture, originating in 17th century Japan. Initially a simply-carved button fastener on the cords of an box, later developed into ornately sculpted objects of craftsmanship.Yuji Yamashita (2014), ''Meiji no saimitsu kogei''. pp. 86-87. Heibonsha History Traditionally, Japanese clothing – first the and its later evolution, the kimono – did not have pockets. Though the sleeves of the kimono could be used to store small items, the men who wore kimono needed a larger and stronger container in which to store personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money and seals, resulting in the development of containers known as , which were hung by cords from the robes' sashes (). These containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were crafted boxes () held shut by , sliding beads on cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener which secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inro
An is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects, suspended from the (sash) worn around the waist when wearing a kimono. They are often highly decorated with various materials such as lacquer and various techniques such as , and are more decorative than other Japanese lacquerware. Because traditional Japanese dress lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from the in containers known as (a hanging object attached to a sash). Most were created for specialized contents, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but the type known as is suitable for carrying small things, and was created in the Sengoku period (1467–1615) as a portable identity seal and medicine container for travel. In the middle of the Edo period (1603–1868), became popular as men's accessories, and wealthy merchants of the and samurai classes collected often beautifully decorated with lacquer. As the technique developed from the late Edo period to the Meiji period ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. With no central authority in control of Shinto, there is much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheism, polytheistic and animism, animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the (神). The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and Shinto shrine, ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kōfuku-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. It is part of Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a World Heritage Site. History Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 by Kagami-no-Ōkimi (), the wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari, wishing for her husband's recovery from illness. Its original site was in Yamashina, Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto). In 672, the temple was moved to Fujiwara-kyō, the first planned Japanese capital to copy the orthogonal grid pattern of Chang'an. In 710, the temple was dismantled for the second time and moved to its present location, on the east side of the newly constructed capital, Heijō-kyō, today's Nara. Kōfuku-ji was the Fujiwara's tutelary temple, and enjoyed prosperity for as long as the family did. The temple was not only an important center for the Buddhist religion, but also retained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tankei
Tankei (湛慶 1173 – June 13, 1256) was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He was the student of and eldest son of the master sculptor Unkei. He was also the teacher, and uncle of the sculptor Kōen, who would collaborate with his works, and would succeed him as head of the Kei School upon his death in 1256. Famous works *Statue of ''Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokiteśvara'' in the temple known as Sanjusangen-dō in Kyoto. *The statue of Ugyō, one of the Niō guardians at the Nandaimon in front of the temple Tōdai-ji in Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ..., with Jōkaku and 12 assistant sculptors. Literature * Hiromichi Soejima, « Japan, §V: Sculpture > (iv) Kamakura period (1185–1333) » rchive Oxford Art O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaikei
was a Japanese Busshi (sculptor of Buddha statue) of Kamakura period, known alongside Unkei. Because many busshi of the school have a name including ''kei'' (慶), his school is called ''Kei-ha'' (Kei school). Kaikei being also called , his style is called and is known to be intelligent, pictorial and delicate. Most of his works have a height of about three shaku, and there are many of his works in existence. Primary work * Boston Miroku (1189) - Earliest attributable work. *Amitabha Triad in Jōdo-ji in Ono (1195) - National Treasure of Japan. Most important work. Height: 24.6 ft *Hachiman in Tōdai-ji (1201) - National Treasure of Japan. * Burke Jizō (1203) - Metropolitan Museum of Art * Nio(Agyō) in Tōdai-ji (1203) - National Treasure of Japan. Joint production with Unkei and 13 assistant sculptors. *Mahamayuri in Kinpusen-ji (1200) - Important Cultural Property of Japan. *Maitreya in Sanbō-in (1192) - Important Cultural Property of Japan. *Vairocana in Ish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unkei
was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He specialized in statues of the Buddha and other important Buddhist figures. Unkei's early works are fairly traditional, similar in style to pieces by his father, Kōkei. However, the sculptures he produced for the Tōdai-ji in Nara show a flair for realism different from anything Japan had seen before. Today, Unkei is the best known of the Kei artists, and many art historians consider him its "most distinguished member".Varley 94. Career Many extant works are said to be his, but the first that can be attributed to him with any certainty is a Dainichi Nyorai at Enjō-ji in Nara (1176). Unkei was a devout Buddhist, and records from 1183 (Heian period end) show that he transcribed two copies of the '' Lotus Sutra'' with the aid of two calligrapher monks and a woman sponsor named Akomaro. In the works' colophon, Unkei gives the names of all involved in performing the ritual obeisance ('' raiha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
