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54-506: European painting was introduced to Japan during the late Muromachi period along with Christian missionaries from Portugal in 1543. Early religious works by Japanese artists in imitation of works brought by the missionaries can be considered some of the earliest forms of Yōga . However, the policy of national seclusion introduced by the Tokugawa bakufu in the Edo period effectively ended

108-632: A distinct category within the Japanese annual Nitten exhibitions, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to draw a distinct separation in either techniques or materials between Nihonga and Yōga . During the Pacific War , Yōga’s oil painters used the Western style for highlighting the Japanese War effort. In the post-war, Yōga was perceived as a conservative style linked to

162-574: A national consciousness of the role of the kamikaze in defeating the enemy. Less than fifty years later (1339–43), Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354), the chief commander of the Southern Court forces, wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki . This chronicle emphasized the importance of maintaining the divine descent of the imperial line from Amaterasu to the current emperor, a condition that gave Japan a special national polity ( kokutai ). Besides reinforcing

216-421: A number of attendants, and do not in the least care to save money. They are, in short, a very warlike people, and engaged in continual wars among themselves; the most powerful in arms bearing the most extensive sway. They have all one sovereign, although for one hundred and fifty years past the princes have ceased to obey him, and this is the cause of their perpetual feuds. The Spanish arrived in 1587, followed by

270-500: Is divided into the categories as follows. Section I: Fine Arts Section II: Literature Section III: Music, Drama, and Dance The Japan Fine Arts Exhibition ( 日展 , Nitten (Nihon bijutsu tenrankai) ) claims to be the largest combined art exhibition of its kind in the world, attracting a great number of fans and art critics . The exhibition consists five art categories: Nihonga and Western Style Painting, Sculpture, Crafts and Calligraphy. During each exhibition, works of

324-698: Is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo , the emperor behind the Kenmu Restoration . The Sengoku period or Warring States period, which begins in 1465, largely overlaps with the Muromachi period. The Muromachi period is succeeded by the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), the final phase of the Sengoku period, and later by the Edo period (1603–1867). Emperor Go-Daigo 's brief attempt to restore imperial power in

378-520: Is nothing of which they are so proud as of weapons adorned with gold and silver. They always wear swords and daggers both in and out of the house, and when they go to sleep they hang them at the bed's head. In short, they value arms more than any people I have ever seen. They are excellent archers, and usually fight on foot, though there is no lack of horses in the country. They are very polite to each other, but not to foreigners, whom they utterly despise. They spend their means on arms, bodily adornment, and on

432-522: The Hana-no-gosho ( 花の御所 , Flower Palace) – were relocated by the third shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu , in 1378. What distinguished the Ashikaga shogunate from that of Kamakura was that, whereas Kamakura had existed in equilibrium with the imperial court, Ashikaga took over the remnants of the imperial government. Nevertheless, the Ashikaga shogunate was not as strong as Kamakura had been, and

486-555: The Ashikaga period or Ashikaga era ( 足利時代 , Ashikaga jidai ) , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( Muromachi bakufu or Ashikaga bakufu ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shōgun , Ashikaga Takauji , two years after the brief Kenmu Restoration (1333–1336) of imperial rule

540-692: The Barbizon school . In the 1880s, the general reaction against Westernization and the growth in popularity and strength of the Nihonga movement caused the temporary decline of Yōga . The Kobu Bijutsu Gakkō was forced to close in 1883, and when the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō (the forerunner of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music ) was established in 1887, only Nihonga subjects were taught. However, in 1889,

594-790: The Gohojo clan in Odawara provided protection later. Francis Xavier , a missionary of the Society of Jesus , who propagated Christianity in Japan, described that "the Ashikaga Gakko is the biggest and most famous academy of Bando in Japan (the university of eastern Japan)." Shukyu Banri, a priest and a composer of Chinese-style poems, went down to Mino Province in the Onin War, and then left for Edo at Dokan Ota's invitation. He traveled all over

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648-828: The Hatakeyama clan in Noto Province , the Takeda clan in Wakasa Province , and the Asakura clan in Echizen Province . Meanwhile, in the eastern part of Japan, Norizane Uesugi re-established the Ashikaga Gakko , Japan's oldest surviving academic institution, by adding a collection of books and so priests and warriors from all over the country gathered there to learn. For the Ashikaga Gakko ,

702-531: The Kenmu Restoration alienated the samurai class, and Ashikaga Takauji deposed Emperor Go-Daigo with their support. In 1338 Takauji was proclaimed shōgun and established his government in Kyoto . However, Emperor Go-Daigo escaped from his confinement and revived his political power in Nara . The ensuing period of Ashikaga rule (1336–1573) was called Muromachi after the district of Kyoto in which its headquarters –

756-893: The Meiji Bijutsukai (Meiji Fine Arts Society) was established by Yōga artists, and in 1893, the return of Kuroda Seiki from his studies in Europe gave fresh impetus to the Yōga genre, with the establishment of the Hakuba-kai (White Horse Society). From 1896, a Yōga department was added to the curriculum of the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō , and from that point onwards, Yōga has been an accepted component of Japanese painting. Later yōga art societies in Japan included Shunyo-kai art society (related to Nihon Bijutsuin ), Teikoku Bijutsuin (the Imperial Fine Arts Academy), and

810-664: The Ministry of Education . It was intended to provide quality standards and a venue for art exhibitions in late Meiji period Japan. The first of the organization's annual exhibitions, called the Bunten , was held in 1907. In 1919 the Imperial Fine Arts Academy ( Teikoku Bijutsu-in ) was established by imperial decree, first headed by Mori Ōgai . Upon establishment of the Imperial Arts Academy,

864-501: The daimyōs could back their own candidates. In time, the Ashikaga family had its own succession problems, resulting finally in the Ōnin War (1467–77), which left Kyoto devastated and effectively ended the national authority of the bakufu . The power vacuum that ensued launched a century of anarchy. The Japanese contact with the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) began when China was renewed during

918-566: The shōgun at Kyoto. Yoshimitsu was finally successful in reunifying the Northern and Southern courts in 1392, but despite his promise of greater balance between the imperial lines, the Northern Court maintained control over the throne thereafter. The line of shoguns gradually weakened after Yoshimitsu and increasingly lost power to the daimyōs and other regional strongmen. The shōgun ' s influence on imperial succession waned, and

972-576: The Dutch in 1609. The Japanese began to attempt studies of European civilization in depth, and new opportunities were presented for the economy, along with serious political challenges. European firearms, fabrics, glassware, clocks, tobacco, and other Western innovations were traded for Japanese gold and silver. Significant wealth was accumulated through trade, and lesser daimyō, especially in Kyūshū, greatly increased their power. Provincial wars became more deadly with

1026-617: The Fine Arts Reviewing Committee was discontinued and assimilated into the new organization, with the Bunten exhibition accordingly renamed the Teiten . After a number of structural changes were made to the organization in response to criticism of its relevance and politics, it was eventually reorganized into the Imperial Art Academy (帝国芸術院, Teikoku Geijutsuin ) in 1937, and the annual exhibition

1080-640: The Italian artists Antonio Fontanesi , Vicenzo Ragusa and Giovanni Cappelletti were hired by the government to teach Japanese artists, such as Asai Chū in the latest western techniques. French artist Raphael Collin also taught the Western-style to Japanese artists such as Kuroda Seiki, Fuji Masazo , and Asai Chū . Despite that Impressionism was emerging, Collin was more interested in Neoclassical Academic painting and Naturalism of

1134-583: The Japanese establishment of the prewar. Yōga has been defined by using the medium and format of the European tradition , such as oils on canvas , watercolors , pastels , and pencil on paper . However, Yōga artists were criticized abroad for lack of authenticity and originality. As an answer to these critics, between the 1920s and 1930s, Yōga painters adopted materials associated with Nihonga and premodern painting traditions for Western topics. Reclining Nude with Toile de Jouy by Foujita Tsuguharu (1886–1968)

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1188-588: The Kanto region, Echigo Province , and Hida Province . The above-mentioned Sesshu visited the Risshaku-ji Temple in Yamagata City , Dewa Province . In this period, local lords and local clans considered it indispensable to acquire skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic for the management of their territories. A growing number of land deeds were written by peasants, which means that literacy

1242-973: The Ming dynasty, traveled around Kyushu, he was invited by the Kikuchi clan in Higo Province and the Shimazu clan in Satsuma Province to give a lecture; and later, he established the Satsunan school (school of Neo-Confucianism in Satsuma). In Tosa, Baiken Minamimura, who lectured on Neo-Confucianism, became known as the founder of Nangaku (Neo-Confucianism in Tosa); in Hokuriku region , Nobutaka Kiyohara lectured on Confucianism for various daimyo such as

1296-459: The Muromachi period after the Chinese sought support in suppressing Japanese pirates in coastal areas of China. Japanese pirates of this era and region were referred to as wokou by the Chinese (Japanese wakō ). Wanting to improve relations with China and to rid Japan of the wokou threat, Yoshimitsu accepted a relationship with the Chinese that was to last for half a century. In 1401 he restarted

1350-515: The Muromachi period, the re-constituted Blue Cliff Record became the central text of Japanese Zen literature; it still holds that position today. Art of all kinds—architecture, literature, Noh drama, Kyōgen (comedy) , poetry, sarugaku (folk entertainment) , the tea ceremony , landscape gardening, and flower arranging—all flourished during Muromachi times. There was renewed interest in Shinto , which had quietly coexisted with Buddhism during

1404-486: The Nika Association. Since that time, Yōga and Nihonga have been the two main divisions of modern Japanese painting. This division is reflected in education, the mounting of exhibitions, and the identification of artists. However, in many cases Nihonga artists also adopted realistic Western painting techniques, such as perspective and shading. Because of this tendency to synthesize, although Nihonga forms

1458-592: The bakufu headquarters in Kyoto to reach all levels of society, strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. Zen played a central role in spreading not only religious teachings and practices but also art and culture, including influences derived from paintings of the Chinese Song (960–1279), Yuan , and Ming dynasties. The proximity of the imperial court to the bakufu resulted in a co-mingling of imperial family members, courtiers, daimyō, samurai, and Zen priests. During

1512-534: The central region, which no daimyō had been able to control, and to the Inland Sea . Economic developments and the desire to protect trade achievements brought about the establishment of merchant and artisan guilds. By the end of the Muromachi period, the first Europeans had arrived. The Portuguese landed in Tanegashima south of Kyūshū in 1543 and within two years were making regular port calls, initiating

1566-476: The centuries of the latter's predominance. Shinto, which lacked its own scriptures and had few prayers, had, as a result of syncretic practices begun in the Nara period, widely adopted Shingon Buddhist rituals. Between the eighth and fourteenth centuries, Shinto was nearly totally absorbed by Buddhism, becoming known as Ryōbu Shinto (Dual Shinto). The Mongol invasions in the late thirteenth century, however, evoked

1620-747: The century-long Nanban trade period . In 1551, the Navarrese Roman Catholic missionary Francis Xavier was one of the first Westerners who visited Japan . Francis described Japan as follows: Japan is a very large empire entirely composed of islands. One language is spoken throughout, not very difficult to learn. This country was discovered by the Portuguese eight or nine years ago. The Japanese are very ambitious of honors and distinctions, and think themselves superior to all nations in military glory and valor. They prize and honor all that has to do with war, and all such things, and there

1674-631: The children are quick to grasp our lessons and instructions. They learn to read and write our language far more quickly and easily than children in Europe. The lower classes in Japan are not so coarse and ignorant as those in Europe; on the contrary, they are generally intelligent, well brought up and quick to learn." Teikin Orai (Home Education Text Book), Joe-shikimoku (legal code of the Kamakura shogunate), and Jitsugokyo (a text for primary education) were widely used in shrines and temples as textbooks for

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1728-483: The concept of the emperor as a deity, the Jinnōshōtōki provided a Shinto view of history, which stressed the divine nature of all Japanese and the country's spiritual supremacy over China and India. Buddhism, arriving in the 6th century, impacted education but did not replace Shinto. Confucianism began to be recognized as essential to the education of a daimyo in the Muromachi period. When Genju Keian, who returned from

1782-553: The education of children of the warrior class. It was in the Sengoku Period that the following books were published: Setsuyoshu (a Japanese-language dictionary in iroha order) written by Soji MANJUYA, and "Ishotaizen" (The Complete Book of Medicine), a medical book in Ming's language, translated by Asai no Sozui, who was a merchant in Sakai City and a physician. The new Zen monasteries, with their Chinese background and

1836-715: The great masters are shown alongside works of the new but talented artists. For ninety-nine years the exhibition (under its various names) was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (東京都美術館 , Tōkyō-to Bijutsukan) in Ueno , but from the hundredth year in 2007 the exhibition venue was changed to the National Art Center Tokyo (国立新美術館, Kokuritsu Shin-bijutsukan) in Roppongi . The Japan Fine Arts Exhibition decided not to award any of

1890-581: The influence of western art on Japanese painting, with the exception of the use of perspective , which was discovered by Japanese artists in sketches found in European medical and scientific texts imported from the Dutch via Nagasaki . Some Japanese artists incorporated the technique, such as Utagawa Toyoharu in Perspective Pictures of Places in Japan (c. 1772–1781). During the first half of

1944-558: The initial creative restrictions, Japanese Zen ink painting soon achieved poetic and indigenous expression as elements were rearranged in a Japanese manner, and brushstrokes became gentle, fluid and more impulsive. The Ōnin War (1467–77) led to serious political fragmentation and obliteration of domains: a great struggle for land and power ensued among bushi chieftains and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century. Peasants rose against their landlords and samurai against their overlords as central control virtually disappeared. The imperial house

1998-650: The introduction of firearms, such as muskets and cannons, and greater use of infantry. Christianity affected Japan, largely through the efforts of the Jesuits , led first by the Spanish Francis Xavier (1506–1552), who arrived in Kagoshima in southern Kyūshū in 1549. Both daimyō and merchants seeking better trade arrangements as well as peasants were among the converts. By 1560 Kyoto had become another major area of missionary activity in Japan. In 1568

2052-656: The lack of an exhibition in 1945), abbreviated as Nitten (日展). In 1958, there was further re-organization whereby the Japan Fine Arts Academy became a solely academic and consultative body, and the organization of the Nitten annual exhibition was handled by a separate private company, the non-profit corporation Nitten (社団法人日展, Shadan Hōjin Nitten). The Japan Art Academy consists of a maximum of 120 members, who are appointed for life. The Academy's membership

2106-494: The martial rulers in Kamakura sought to produce a unique cultural legacy to rival the Fujiwara tradition. Hence, Chinese painter-monks were frequently invited to the monasteries while Japanese monks travelled back and forth. This exchange led to the creation of Muromachi ink painting which often included Chinese themes, Chinese ink-washing techniques, fluid descriptive lines, dry brushes, and almost invisible facial features. Despite

2160-615: The nineteenth century, some painting works showed influences of Western Art such as prints of Katsushika Hokusai . ( c .1760–1849). In 1855, the Tokugawa bakufu established the Bansho Shirabesho (Institute for the Study of Barbarian Documents) , a translation and research institute for western studies, including a section to investigate western art. This section was headed by Kawakami Tōgai , whose assistant Takahashi Yuichi

2214-462: The peasantry in permanent serfdom in exchange for protection. Most wars of the period were short and localized, although they occurred throughout Japan. By 1500 the entire country was engulfed in civil wars. Rather than disrupting the local economies, however, the frequent movement of armies stimulated the growth of transportation and communications, which in turn provided additional revenues from customs and tolls. To avoid such fees, commerce shifted to

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2268-461: The port of Nagasaki , in northwestern Kyūshū, was established by a Christian daimyō and was turned over to Jesuit administration in 1579. By 1582 there were as many as 150,000 converts (two percent of the population) and 200 churches. But bakufu tolerance for this alien influence diminished as the country became more unified and openness decreased. Proscriptions against Christianity began in 1587 and outright persecutions in 1597. Although foreign trade

2322-454: The premier art exhibition in Japan; the Japan Art Academy originally ran the Nitten but since 1958 the exhibition is run by a separate private institution. The Japan Art Academy headquarters is in Ueno Park , Tokyo. The Japan Art Academy should not be confused with the Japan Art Institute , which is a completely different organization. The Japan Art Academy was founded in 1907 as the Fine Arts Reviewing Committee ( Bijutsu Shinsa Iinkai ) of

2376-442: The thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology . The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on art-related issues, and promotes arts in three categories: 1) fine art, 2) literary arts, 3) music, drama, and dance. It is closely associated with the annual Japan Art Academy Exhibition (Nitten ),

2430-417: The tribute system, describing himself in a letter to the Chinese Emperor as "Your subject, the King of Japan". Japanese wood, sulfur, copper ore, swords, and folding fans were traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, books, and coins, in what the Chinese considered tribute but the Japanese saw as profitable trade. During the time of the Ashikaga bakufu, a new national culture, called Muromachi culture, emerged from

2484-474: Was a student of English artist Charles Wirgman . In 1868, Togai started a private art school and published A Guide to Western Style Painting (1871). Takahashi is regarded by many as the first true Yōga painter. Yuichi believed that Western style could help to build a Japanese national identity. In 1876, the Kobu Bijutsu Gakkō ( Technical Art School ) was established by the Meiji government as Japan's first dedicated Yōga art school. Foreign advisors , such as

2538-563: Was an example of this trend. Tsuguharu combined oils with materials proper to Nihonga for the nude. Yōga in its broadest sense encompasses oil painting , watercolors , pastels , ink sketches , lithography , etching and other techniques developed in western culture. However, in a more limited sense, Yōga is sometimes used specifically to refer to oil painting. [REDACTED] Media related to Yōga at Wikimedia Commons Muromachi period The Muromachi period or Muromachi era ( 室町時代 , Muromachi jidai ) , also known as

2592-459: Was brought to a close. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki , was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga . From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama cultures (later 15th – early 16th centuries). The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the Nanboku-chō or Northern and Southern Court period. This period

2646-458: Was greatly preoccupied with civil war. Not until the rule of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (as shōgun , 1368–94, and chancellor, 1394–1408) did a semblance of order emerge. Yoshimitsu allowed the constables, who had had limited powers during the Kamakura period, to become strong regional rulers, later called daimyōs . In time, a balance of power evolved between the shōgun and the daimyōs ; the three most prominent daimyō families rotated as deputies to

2700-559: Was left impoverished, and the bakufu was controlled by contending chieftains in Kyoto. The provincial domains that emerged after the Ōnin War were smaller and easier to control. Many new small daimyō arose from among the samurai who had overthrown their great overlords. Border defenses were improved, and well fortified castle towns were built to protect the newly opened domains, for which land surveys were made, roads built, and mines opened. New house laws provided practical means of administration, stressing duties and rules of behavior. Emphasis

2754-416: Was put on success in war, estate management, and finance. Threatening alliances were guarded against through strict marriage rules. Aristocratic society was overwhelmingly military in character. The rest of society was controlled in a system of vassalage. The shōen (feudal manors) were obliterated, and court nobles and absentee landlords were dispossessed. The new daimyō directly controlled the land, keeping

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2808-426: Was renamed the Shinbunten . After the end of World War II , the dissolution of the Empire of Japan , and the start of the American occupation of Japan , the Imperial Art Academy was restructured as the Japan Art Academy (日本芸術院, Nihon Geijutsuin ). Its annual exhibition was renamed the Japan Arts Exhibition ( 日本美術展覧会 , nihon bijutsu tenrankai ) starting from the 1946 editions (spring and fall, to make up for

2862-411: Was still encouraged, it was closely regulated, and by 1640, in the Edo period , the exclusion and suppression of Christianity became national policy. Japan Art Academy Japan Art Academy ( 日本芸術院 , Nihon Geijutsu-in ) is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in

2916-443: Was widespread even among the commoner class. The Italian Jesuit, Alessandro Valignano (1539–1606), wrote: "The people are white (not dark-skinned) and cultured; even the common folk and peasants are well brought up and are so remarkably polite that they give the impression that they were trained at court. In this respect they are superior to other Eastern peoples but also to Europeans as well. They are very capable and intelligent, and

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