Japanese Traditional Music
The purpose of the video and slide show is to give a brief introduction to the instruments and a visual description of how they are played. The pictures of the instruments are heavily associated with the Gagaku musical styling of the Japanese Heian period. Typically Known as the court music of Japan, there are three different groups of instruments associated with Gagaku music: Aerophones (wind instruments), Chordophones (Strings), and Percussion (Drums).
Japanese Emaki (Handscrolls)
Emaki were the cultural counterpart to the illuminated manuscripts of Europe, offering a unique spiritual or secular narrative to the reader. Many emaki told terrible tales of death, destruction and eternal damnation, yet others showed simple scenes of daily life in small Japanese villages. These handscrolls were carefully crafted by highly trained artists, ultimately residing on a central shelf or custom-made box within a person's home. These prized possessions were viewed with a sense of respect and awe, gently removed and slowly unfurled, the narration steadily revealing itself to the transfixed reader in a right to left fashion.
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During the twelfth to the fourteenth century, stories of Japan's military conquest and tales of the outrageous and daring acts of the samurai became especially popular. Many incredibly detailed scenes of chaos and carnage were depicted,slowly unfolding before the viewer, flooding their senses with unbelievable valor and destruction. These interactive images likely had the same impact to the medieval reader that a modern action flick has today, intended to both entertain and inform while completely immersing the viewer in the moment. These scrolls were intentionally made small enough to be held in the lap, creating a sense of intimacy and emotional tension between the reader and the narration.
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The emaki could only have created more drama, intrigue and mystique around the samurai. As these warriors were rising to prominence across Japan, their feats and exploits were being recorded and disseminated by these popular scrolls, the intense action and fearlessness of these skillful warriors permanently preserved in these extremely descriptive narratives, precursors to the movies, comics and popular imagery that immortalize them today.
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Ukiyo-e Samurai Prints - Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi
“Living only for the moment, turning our full attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking wine, diverting ourselves in just floating, floating; … refusing to be disheartened, like a gourd floating along with the river current: this is what we call the floating world…”
-Asai Ryoi, 1661
-Asai Ryoi, 1661
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797- 1861) was born into a textile dyeing family and became interested in heroic themes at a young age. After years of practice in the art of woodblock printmaking, Kuniyoshi slowly made a name for himself; his career took a turning point when he created his One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Suikoden series in 1827. After becoming a popular print-maker, Kuniyoshi took Tsukioka Yoshitoshi as an apprentice.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi is considered to be the last ukiyo-e master. He witnessed Japan transition into a modern society. In his print, Nagayama Yaichi, Yoshitoshi depicted a samurai dodging bullets. Without armor, the warrior is particularly vulnerable to being hit. Perhaps Yoshitoshi was toying with the concept of the changing world he lived in: the way of the samurai was losing its hold in modern Japanese society.
Yoshitoshi is known for violent and gruesome scenes as well as images of beautiful women, known as binjin-ga. Yoshitoshi frequented the Yoshiwara quarters as well as kabuki theatres and these hobbies are reflected in many of his works.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi is considered to be the last ukiyo-e master. He witnessed Japan transition into a modern society. In his print, Nagayama Yaichi, Yoshitoshi depicted a samurai dodging bullets. Without armor, the warrior is particularly vulnerable to being hit. Perhaps Yoshitoshi was toying with the concept of the changing world he lived in: the way of the samurai was losing its hold in modern Japanese society.
Yoshitoshi is known for violent and gruesome scenes as well as images of beautiful women, known as binjin-ga. Yoshitoshi frequented the Yoshiwara quarters as well as kabuki theatres and these hobbies are reflected in many of his works.
The Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters
The Yoshiwara pleasure quarters are located on the upper right hand corner of this map.
Due to the popularity and growth of the quarters, the Yoshiwara pleasure district was moved to the outskirts of Edo (modern day Tokyo). Samurai were discouraged from visiting the pleasure quarters, but many frequented the brothels. Though many examples of the pleasure quarters in ukiyo-e prints displayed the quarters as alluring and romantic, brothel keepers were known to have dishonorable business practices. Some courtesans were slaves while some paid family debts. If courtesans contracted a disease or refused to properly serve their guests, they would face punishments from their brothel keeper. |
OiranOiran were high ranking courtesans.
Courtesans were known to wear elaborate and expensive garments as well as multiple hair ornaments. Many Oiran were considered fashionable, and were often trend-setters. Oiran were skilled in multiple talents including playing a small hand drum and participating in tea ceremonies. |
GeishaThe term, Geisha stems from the Japanese word Gei, meaning art, and Sha, meaning person. From the origins of the term, we understand Geisha as "person with many talents."
Geisha talents ranged from singing, reciting, making jests, entertaining, and performing the tea ceremony. Geisha were not prostitutes and were not to compete with the courtesans in the Yoshiwara. Geisha did not wear as elaborate of clothing as courtesans, and wore no more than two hair ornaments. |