Ukiyo Greek Culture

Greece is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, with rituals and ceremonies dating back to ancient times. The same wedding dances still occur at modern day Greek weddings that started centuries ago. Greece is a non-unilineal culture, which means that they trace their ancestry through both their mother and father. Greece is a peninsula located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Greece is a nation of islands with 227 inhabited, and 6,000 total temperate islands (“Visit Greece/Islands”). Greece’s population has increased from 1960 to 2012, but has recently been declining in recent years. The majority of the Greek population practices Eastern Orthodox Christianity, or Greek Orthodox so the majority of modern day weddings take place in an Orthodox Church.

Time and time again, Meraki’s has managed to bring the latest of gossip, fashion trends, and architectural digest for our devoted followers. And we will not disappoint in this latest edition. In this issue of Meraki we’ll be discussing our own Greece era.

The Edo period set in the era of 1603-1867 was commonly known as the Tokugawa Period, this was when the Japanese society was ruled by Tokugawa Shogunate and the country’s 300 regional Daimyo, which at the time were powerful territorial lords who rules most of Japan which then was contained under strict social order, economic growth and prohibited foreign contact with outside countries. Many of japans historical artists would usually create illustrations on large scrolls of paper which are called ‘Emakimono’. Paint ceramics, calligraphy on silk or paper, use ink wash to paint vast landscapes. The most popular art form was ukiyo-e.

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

Ukiyo-e is the name given to one of the most important art forms in all of Japan. Arriving as a new form of art in the 1700's these prints served as a record of daily life and pleasures in a newly wealthy Japanese society. The Japanese themselves had long regarded pleasure as transient because of their Buddhist heratige, because of this the word Ukiyo-e actually means "pictures of the floating world". These prints were truly art which reflected the whims of the masses. They record popular styles of dress, new hairstyles etc. They also record the popular Kabuki theater actors, the most beautiful geisha's (or prostitutes), and later even landscapes. Within the realm of Ukiyo-e there are many masters, but there is one master,

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:

Between the 12th and 19th centuries, Japan existed as a feudal society. The feudal class system was made up of shogun, daimyo, samurai, peasants, artisans and merchants. The shogun was the most important figure in society, the daimyo served the shogun and was in charge of the samurai, the samurai were the warriors, the peasants were farmers and the artisans were crafts people. Each of these classes had their own traditions which significantly influenced Japanese society. These customs or beliefs have been passed down from generation to generation.

Wood block printing is a technique that was originally chinese and then in the Edo period (1603-1867) was widely adopted by japan.

In 1603, the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate allowed Japan to stay at peace until 1868 (Theatre histories 203). The return of peace allowed for a new culture to emerge that was the opposite of samurai elegance and control; there was a new form of entertainment called Kabuki. These types of performers reversed gender roles and mocked samurai rulers, which caused the samurai, traders and workers in wealthy towns to disapprove of these performers. Even though they were annoyed at these performances, it “confirmed what they took to be their innate superiority to the rowdy culture of the cities” (203). The success of these performances can be explained by the cultural hierarchy theory. The cultural hierarchy is the idea that cultures create a divide to depict the ethical differences. There is a high-status

The primary beneficiaries of the emerging money economy were the merchants. Daimyo and samurai traded their rice for money with the merchants who soon became very rich. Merchants, cashing in on daimyo debt attained positions of authority within the daimyo households. Many were living lavish lifestyles only dreamt of by samurai. This caused resentment in Japanese society because, although they were socially inferior, merchants enjoyed an elevated status economically (Kunihiko 1997). Perhaps the social class that suffered the most indignities was the samurai who, lacking the means to earn a living on their regular income, indulged in the lifestyle of Edo. Many had to resort to engaging in handicraft for income vice training at the martial arts thus leading to inherent corruption (Nobumitsu 1997).

“Greek civilization is alive; it moves in every breath of mind that we breathe; so much of it remains that none of us in one lifetime could absorb it all.” Ancient Greeks are known to be one of the greatest and most advanced people and have left behind a legacy that helped define the Western civilization. Cultural diffusion helped spread Greek culture all over the world, and its effects can still be felt today in almost every aspect. Greek culture has greatly affected different parts of my daily life including architecture, food, government, inventions, music, religion, and education.

The Edo Period in Japan (1600-1868) was ruled by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who was appointed by the Emperor. During this time, many changes happened to promote stability among the people and Japan. Early The Shogun adoptive a system which was later called Neo-Confucianism based on Confucianism (From China). This system stressed the importance of morals, education and hierarchical order in the government and society (Japan Guide.com).The Shogun needed to create peace and by using segregation, there were four types of divisions during the Edo period. First at the top was the Shogun and Samurai, they created structure and peace among the domains. Second in line was the peasants because without them the most important need would not be filled which was food. Artisans were third in line being they added some value for the reason that they produced goods like swords for the Samurai, artwork, music, and painting/printing. Last on the list of importance was the merchants. Merchants made money off people and therefor held no value to the Shogun.

The Edo era was the final period of traditional Japanese governing. This period, governed by Tokugawa shoguns, propelled art and common folk in Japan into a new era. Ukiyo-e, a genre of woodblock prints, is a japanese art form that came to be during this period. The invention of this kind of woodblock print has it’s own long and beautiful history in shaping the Japanese art and culture, but it also has had a massive impact on western modern art history. As the described the genre of ukiyo-e, we need to understand what it is and how it has impacted future artist.

The floating world, or Ukiyo represents an urban lifestyle that indulges in pleasures and was developed in the red-light district within Edo that contained brothels, tea rooms,

Artists were commissioned to create works that dealt with religion, illustrations on courtly hand scrolls, or even seasonal scenes. As ukiyo-e prints were further developed, the demand for prints increased as new ukiyo-e paintings appealed to the chonin, the emerging social class of merchants and craftsmen. As a result, prints were being mass produced and became more affordable using carved wooden blocks at the end of the 17th century (The Evolution of Ukiyo-e and Woodblock Prints). Works were done in black and white, however Japan was able to create the first colored ukiyo-e prints, producing original works of art published on a single