8-2 Growth of Japanese Culture: 3
Distinctive Japanese Arts by Mason Clark
Essential Question: What themes are reflected in Japanese arts?
Calligraphy
Calligraphy: Calligraphy, or otherwise known as the art of beautiful writing, is one of the ways the Japanese like to express themselves through story instead of painting. In this style people write with brushes in a set style of strokes and they also very the shapes of the "letters" to help describe the meaning of the writing.
Painting
Painting: The Japanese painted with ink on paper and silk scrolls. This began in the 600s and they tried to make their pictures as detailed as possible and they normally painted historical events, daily life, and landscapes
Flower Arranging and Gardening
This was very popular in Japan with many people. Flower arranging is the art of trying to show the most amount of natural beauty in a group of flowers while keeping the arrangement simple (this was because of the very popular sect of Buddhism, Zen). Gardening was the art of creating very simple Zen Gardens or creating Bonsai Trees. Zen Gardens were very simple gardens meant for meditating in. Bonsai Trees were small trees that were trained to grow a certain way by cutting off unwanted branches over a long period of time.
How to Grow Bonsai Trees : How to Make your Own Bonsai : Bonsai Lessons for Beginners
Review Question: How did Japanese culture reflect an interest in natural beauty?
Japanese culture tried to reflect natural beauty by highlighting that in every kind of art they did, whether it was flower arranging or a haiku, they always tried to highlight natural beauty.