How The Edo Period Affected Western Art

In Japan, during the end of the first millennium, the samurai went to war with the emperor. This war is known as the Genpei War and the Emperor was defeated by the Samurai. This led to the first established shogunate. During the Edo period (1603-1868) or also known as the Tokugawa shogunate, there was an era of stability that led to the rise of shoguns. Shoguns were considered the single ruler of Japan although, the emperor was above the shoguns on the social class. Tokugawa Ieyasu ruled Japan for 15 generations, controlling about 25% of the peoples land, leaving the rest of the 75% to be put into domains, ruled by 275 daimyos. The shogun of Japan controlled government, however, when the Meiji Restoration began in the 19th century, Japans stable society ended and the Shoguns lost all power, due to Matthew Perry. Matthew Perry was a Christian who was seen as a threat to Japan as he wanted to create a divide within Japan. Japan was split into two sections, one being the shogunate and its supporters to remain in power and the Japanese nationalists who wanted the Emperor to regain power. This divide in Japan led to a civil war known as the Boshin war or the

The warring states period in Japan was one of constant military dispute. It started in 1467 and went for 136 years and only ended when all the clans unified under the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603. This period definitely had a large effect in the making of modern Japan because it was a time of growing culture and strong economics. The economy grew despite the wars raging and trade was big this indicates the sophisticated craft and manufacturing industries in Japan. These are the main reasons for the start of the warring states period and how this era affected modern Japan.

Japan’s literati paintings where inspired by China, which was only connected with Japan through Korea. One of the most famous painters of this style was Yosa Buson, using poetic ability with both haiku and his paintings. (Kleiner 1075) These changes soon led to the availability of cheap prints and ukiyo-e to depict the delights of the city. One of the most famous ukiyo-e printmakers was Suzuki Harunobu who influenced the development of polychrome prints. These prints were very sumptuous and colorful and called nishiki-e (“brocade pictures”). These prints were made of the best quality materials and costly pigments and were not very common in the Edo period. Harunobu’s genius in his work is well shown in the Evening Bell at the Clock (Fig. 34-1). This print was based on a Chinese series where the images depicted a certain time of day or time of year in the work. In Harunobu’s version, the subjects were beautiful young women and their activities in their daily lives. The two women in the pint are seen from a regular Japanese elevated point of view, with one drying herself and the other looking away at a clock. Private scenes like this were very common in ukiyo-e. Before Harunobu’s Evening Bell at the Clock, this theme was not a regular subject seen in ukiyo-e, but soon became a common sight. These prints used flatness and rich colors to

But soon, the shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu felt that Christianity’s foreign source of power and loyalty and it’s conflict with Shintoism and Buddhism was a threat to him and his country in 1612. He then implemented

The Tokugawa period or otherwise known as the Edo period has been recognised as an extremely significant aspect of Japanese history and left history changing effects on the country. In this essay, five primary aspects of the Edo period, which has helped produce present day Japan and had greatly impacted on the nation during this period will be addressed:

Japan at the turn of the century was clearly trying to westernize and change is isolated society into one more intellectually and scientifically involved with the rest of the world. When the Japanese open their ports to the western civilization food and merchandise were not the only things being traded. When ports were open the western way of living was integrated with the Japanese culture which gradually changed the way the

The ‘Sengoku period’ or the ‘warring states period’ is known as the period of time before Japan’s unification. Once unified, the government was known as the Tokugawa Shogunate which continued from 1603 to 1867. Unknown author of popular Japanese website, Nakasendoway

It was during the Edo period, also known as the Tokugawa period (1600 - 1868) when Japan made the decision to isolate itself from the rest of the world. The Japanese believed any contact with the outside world would contaminate and disrupt their strictly organized society, which was why they limited their contact with other civilizations. This period of isolation led to many factors such as, no warfare or exchange with other countries. This also meant that there was not any influence from different cultures, knowledge, or economy. For most of the Edo period, Japan was a peaceful place with happy people.

Fuji. As usual he used blue as the color that stands out with a strong white to draw the eye and show motion. The Great wave is a Woodblock Print not a painting contrary to popular belief. This made it easier for hokusai to replicate and sell. This means it isn’t located in just one place as there are multiple originals. This print is also part of hokusai’s most popular series “Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji. At the time that Hokusai had created this Mt. Fuji was a huge part of Japan even having cults formed for it, this caused everything Hokusai made about Mt. Fuji to sell like crazy. I think the painting is one of his more traditional paintings it appears calm yet dangerous at the same time and is definitely one of his more dimensional

Ieyasu's successor differed from him in his position of foreign influence. Iemitsu Tokugawa started his reign in 1633 and forbade Japanese citizens from leaving Japan to travel abroad. He went as far as isolating Japan in 1639 by limiting trade to China and the Netherlands.

Ultimately, the Tokugawa shogunate wanted to maintain political and social stability in Japan. By seizing power, Ieyasu was able to quell domestic unrest but another threat was still presented for total control. Foreign influence proved to be a serious threat to stability within Japan. The initial threat to Japan was presented by Christian missionaries. After an initial introduction to Christianity, the shogunate conducted a purging and outlawed the religion. This led to a prolonged isolation of Japanese society from Western influence. The shogunate wished to prevent daimyo from conspiring with foreigners thus

When Commodore Perry arrived with a squadron in Edo Bay in 1853, the Japanese realized that they were very behind and needed to modernize and industrialize. The Tokugawa shogunate ended and the Meiji period began, during which many reforms were introduced and Japan industrialized. The Meiji government abolished feudalism and replaced the daimyo in 1871 with a system of nationally appointed perfects, district administrators chosen from different regions. Political power was centralized and the emperor and his close advisors began to expand the power of the state. The Japanese government also sent samurai officials to Western Europe and the United States to study economics, politics, and technology. The goal of the samurai was Japan’s domestic

The Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573 - 1603), and The Edo Period (1603 - 1768). The Period that directly followed the end of the Edo Period was the Meiji Period (1868 - 1912) which was shortly followed by the Taisho and Early Showa Period (1912 - 1945) and the Postwar Period (1945

Japan is an unique oriental country in many aspects, especially in politics and economy, both western practices and traditional nationalism are coexisted in this country. The period 1890-1940 was just followed the Meiji restoration, and was typical in the history of Japan, at that time, Japan was on the way from a feudal country to a capitalistic country, called modernization. Many western practices were being more and more adopted, however, at the same time, traditional rules still had strong influences in Japan. Under this background, this report will discuss the Japanese cultural factors during 1890-1940 that influenced the disclosure

Portrait of an Arhat (Rakan) was created in Edo period of the Japanese art culture. This period started in 1615-1868 when culture expression started to really blossom for the Japanese culture (Singer). From statues, lavish paintings, and religion the art speaks vibrant vibrations. This culturally diverse period gets its name from the city of Edo, known as Tokyo modern day. Which became the headquarters of the government when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) unified the country (Department of Asian Art). The Tokugawa regime was started in 1603, when the emperor, in “recognition of Ieyasu’s supremacy on the battlefield”, appointed him shogun. Shogun is the highest military position you can carry in Japan (Singer). After this Japan had strict laws on not using motor vehicles were put into place. Going into the 1630s, contact with the outside world was stopped through “official prohibition of foreigners” (Department of Asian Art). Around 1720 Edo had a population of “more than one million residents having more population than London or Paris at the time” (Singer). According to Art of Edo Japan Kyoto, was city of temples and shrines. It was the leading center of arts and crafts production with a population of close to 400,000 (Singer).