Japanese art

Jmon Pottery

The Jmon Pottery ( Jmon-shiki Doki?) is a type of ancient pottery which was
made during the Jmon period in Japan. The term "Jmon" () means "rope-patterned" in
Japanese, describing the patterns that are pressed into the clay.
Bits of pottery discovered in a cave in the northwest coast of modern day Kyushu date back to as
far as 12,700 BCE in radiometric dating tests. It is believed by many that Jmon pottery was
probably made even earlier than this date. However, due to ambiguity and multiple sources
claiming different dates based on different dating techniques, it is difficult to say for sure how far
back Jmon Pottery was made. Some sources claim archaeological discoveries as far back as the
14th millennium BCE.
The majority of Jmon pottery has rounded bottoms and the vessels are typically small. This
shows that the vessels would typically be used to boil food, perhaps fitting into a fire. Later
Jmon pottery pieces are more elaborate, especially during the Middle Jmon period, where the
rims of pots became much more complex and decorated.
The name Jmon itself means rope-patterned. This refers to the impressions on the surface of
the pottery which were created by pressing rope into the clay before it was heated to
approximately 600-900 degrees Celsius.

Japanese sculpture
The sculpture of Japan started from the clay figure. Japanese sculpture received the influence of
the Silk Road culture in the 5th century, and received a strong influence from Chinese sculpture
afterwards. The influence of the Western world was received since the Meiji era. The sculptures
were made at local shops, used for sculpting and painting. Most sculptures were found at areas in
front of houses and along walls of important buildings.
Most of the Japanese sculptures derived from the idol worship in Buddhism or animistic rites of
Shinto deity. In particular, sculpture among all the arts came to be most firmly centered on
Buddhism. Materials traditionally used were metalespecially bronzeand, more commonly,
wood, often lacquered, gilded, or brightly painted. By the end of the Tokugawa period, such
traditional sculpture - except for miniaturized works - had largely disappeared because of the loss
of patronage by Buddhist temples and the nobility.

Ink wash painting

Japanese calligraphy
Japanese calligraphy ( shod?) is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese
language. For a long time, the most esteemed calligrapher in Japan had been Wang Xizhi, a
Chinese calligrapher in the 4th century, but after the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the
Japanese unique syllabaries, the distinctive Japanese writing system developed and calligraphers
produced styles intrinsic to Japan.
Japanese calligraphy was influenced by, and influenced, Zen thought. For any particular piece of
paper, the calligrapher has but one chance to create with the brush. The brush strokes cannot be
corrected, and even a lack of confidence shows up in the work. The calligrapher must
concentrate and be fluid in execution. The brush writes a statement about the calligrapher at a
moment in time (see Hitsuzendo, the Zen way of the brush). Through Zen, Japanese calligraphy
absorbed a distinct Japanese aesthetic often symbolised by the ens or circle of enlightenment.
Zen calligraphy is practiced by Buddhist monks and most[citation needed] shod practitioners. To write
Zen calligraphy with mastery, one must clear one's mind and let the letters flow out of
themselves, not practice and make a tremendous effort. This state of mind was called the mushin
( "no mind state"?) by the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro. It is based on the principles
of Zen Buddhism, which stresses a connection to the spiritual rather than the physical.[12]
Before Japanese tea ceremonies (which are connected to Zen Buddhism), one is to look at a work
of shod to clear one's mind. This is considered an essential step in the preparation for a tea
ceremony.

Arts of China
Early Chinese music
The origins of Chinese music and
poetry can be found in the Book of
Songs, containing poems composed
between 1000 BC and 600 BC. The
text, preserved among the canon of
early Chinese literature, contains
folk songs, hymns and stately
songs. Originally intended to be
sung, the accompanying music
unfortunately has since been lost.
They had a wide range of purposes,
including for courtship, ceremonial
greetings, warfare, feasting and lamentation. The love poems are among the most appealing in
the freshness and innocence of their language.
Early Chinese music was based on percussion instruments such as the bronze bell. Chinese bells
were sounded by being struck from the outside, usually with a piece of wood. Sets of bells were
suspended on wooden racks. Inside excavated bells are groves and marks of scraping and
scratching made as they were tuned to the right pitch. Percussion instruments gradually gave way
to string and reed instruments toward the Warring States period.
Significantly, the character for writing the word music (yue) was the same as that for joy (le). For
Confucius and his disciples, music was important because it had the power to make people
harmonious and well balanced, or, conversely, caused them to be quarrelsome and depraved.
According to Xun Zi, music was as important as the li ("rites"; "etiquette") stressed in
Confucianism. Mozi, philosophically opposed to Confucianism, disagreed. He dismissed music
as having only aesthetic uses, and thus useless and wasteful.

Performing art
Yuan drama
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama in China. In
general, it dates back to the Tang dynasty with Emperor
Xuanzong (712755), who founded the "Pear Garden"
(), the first known opera troupe in China. The troupe
mostly performed for the emperors' personal pleasure. To
this day operatic professionals are still referred to as
"Disciples of the Pear Garden" (). In the Yuan
dynasty (12791368), forms like the Zaju (, variety
plays), which acts based on rhyming schemes plus the
innovation of having specialized roles like "Dan" (, female), "Sheng" (, male) and "Chou"
(, Clown), were introduced into the opera. Cantonese opera, which originated from the north
and developed over time since, contains many well-known programs such as The Purple Hairpin
and Rejuvenation of the Red Plum Flower, originated from the Yuan Dynasty.
Peking opera
The best-known form of Chinese opera is Beijing
or Peking opera, which assumed its present form in
the mid-19th century and was extremely popular in
the Qing dynasty (16441911). In Beijing Opera,
traditional Chinese string and percussion
instruments provide a strong rhythmic
accompaniment to the acting. The acting is based
on allusion: gestures, footwork, and other body
movements express such actions as riding a horse,
rowing a boat, or opening a door.
Although it is called Beijing opera, its origins are
not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei. Beijing opera got its two main
melodies, Xipi and Erhuang, from Anhui and Hubei operas. Much dialogue is also carried out in
an archaic dialect originating partially from those regions. It also absorbed music and arias from
other operas and musical arts such as the historic Qinqiang. It is regarded that Beijing Opera was
born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing opera was originally
staged for the court and came into the public later. In 1828, some famous Hubei troupes came to
Beijing. They often jointly performed in the stage with Anhui troupes. The combination
gradually formed Beijing opera's main melodies.

Dance
In ancient China. Chinese dance was divided
into two types, civilian and military. In the
Shang and Zhou period, civilian dance,
dancers held feather banners in their hands,
symbolizing the distribution of the fruits of the
day's hunting or fishing.[2] Military dance
involved brandishing of weapons, for example
it was recorded that the Han founding Emperor
Liu Bang was fond of the war dance of the Ba
people, and large scale performances of the
dance involved the brandishing of various
weapons to the accompaniment of drums and songs in the Ba language.[3]
The best known Chinese dances are the Dragon dance and the Lion Dance.
Visual arts
Contemporary art
New forms of Chinese art were heavily influenced by the New Culture Movement, which
adopted Western techniques and employed socialist realism. The Cultural Revolution would
shape Chinese art in the 20th century like no other event in history with the Four Olds
destruction campaign. Contemporary Chinese artists continue to produce a wide range of
experimental works, multimedia installations, and performance "happenings" which have
become very popular in the international art market.
Chinese paintings