A new religion—Buddhism—was introduced in Japan in the Asuka period, significantly changing Japanese culture and society.
Japan
In Japan, the lavish Tang style was intertwined with Buddhist devotional art during the Nara period.
Nara period, an introduction
The Kofun period in Japan is named after the monumentally sized burial mounds of the ruling class.
Kofun period, an introduction
Around 300 B.C.E., people from the Asian continent who were cultivating crops began to migrate to the Japanese islands where they began to make objects like copper and bronze bells.
Yayoi period, an introduction
During the Heian period, a lavish culture of refinement and poetic subtlety developed, and it would have a lasting influence on Japanese arts.
Heian period, an introduction
Hokusai’s picture books captivated audiences in Japan in the nineteenth century, and later in Europe and America as well.
Hokusai’s printed illustrated Books
A portrait that celebrated Francis Xavier, the “Apostle of Japan” whose mission had inaugurated the Japanese Catholic Church.
A portrait of St. Francis Xavier and ...
Learn about floating worlds and the art of the literati from Japan's Edo period.
A brief history of the arts of ...
Learn about tea-ceremonies, opulent palaces, and splashed-ink paintings from Japan's Kamakura to Azuchi-Momoyama periods.
A brief history of the arts of ...
Learn about Japan's modern cityscapes, art in a time of peace, and the dawn of a new era.
A brief history of the arts of ...
Learn about Japan's famous haniwa, tales from behind palace walls, and enormous wooden buddhas.
A brief history of the arts of ...
A fisherman and a woodcutter — at age 90, the great Japanese artist Hokusai painted these moving images of contentment.
Beyond the Great Wave — Hokusai at ...
Shōsōin repository held nine thousand artifacts from China, Southeast Asia, Iran, and the Middle East—connecting ancient Japan to the cultural trade of the Eurasian continent.
The Shōsōin Repository and its treasure
Discover what was found inside this 13th century sculpture
Prince Shōtoku at Age Two
In this example of ukiyo-e, the artist represents a modern woman in the guise of Komachi, a legendary poetess.
Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi, from the ...
Originally a sliding wall, these golden panels use bamboo, a Chinese motif, to illustrate a Japanese poetic trope.
Bamboo in the Four Seasons: painting and ...
This boyish bodhisattva reminds us that through humble bearing, we can spiritually blossom—like a lotus flower.
Jizō Bosatsu
From printed books and fan paintings to screens and sliding doors, two-dimensional art took many forms in Japan.
Japanese art: the formats of two-dimensional works
This atmospheric space awakens the eye, heightens the senses, and prepares the path for enlightenment.
Ryōanji (Peaceful Dragon Temple)
Complete mayhem! The violent scenes of this remarkable handscroll meld grisly horror with morbid humor.
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