Life in Medieval Japan

Chapter 5 Lesson 3

Question # 2Subject: Japan

Describe what you think Japan culture was like. Put your answer under the question section.

I. Japanese Religion and Culture

During the Middle Ages there was a great exchange of ideas through many Japanese artists, scribes, traders, and diplomats who visited China.

The Chinese influenced literature, science, and religion.

Religion became an intricate part of their everyday life. Most Japanese adopted both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs.

Buddhism inspired many Japanese to produce paintings and to write both poems and plays

II. Art and Architecture

The arts of Japan revealed the Japanese love of beauty and simplicity.

Artisans made wooden statues, furniture, and household items with many of them having a shiny black and red coating called lacquer.

They used watercolors and ink to paint landscapes on paper scrolls or on silk.

The art of origami and arranged flowers became part of the culture.

Buddhist monks and the samurai turned tea drinking into a beautiful ceremony.

Japanese Wood Bath with Lacquer

Medieval Japanese Cabinet

Tea Ceremony

The person enters and rinses his hands and mouth with water from a wooden dipper, guests crawl through a small passageway to enter the tea room.

The guest clears their mind and prepares for the meal.

The host enters and serves a light meal, which is followed by tea.

Tea bowls are made by hand. The bowls are different according to summer and winter

Chanoyu : Tea Ceremony

Chanoyu : Tea Ceremony

Tea Ceremony Equipment

Tea Ceremony Equipment

Green TeaGreen Tea

A Japanese Tea Master

A Japanese Tea Master

A Japanese Tea House

A Japanese Tea House

Origami : The Art of Japanese Paper

Folding

Origami : The Art of Japanese Paper

Folding

Origami : The Art of Japanese Paper

Folding

Origami : The Art of Japanese Paper

Folding

Ikebana : The Art of Japanese Flower

Arranging

Ikebana : The Art of Japanese Flower

Arranging

e Tallest --> Heaven

e Middle --> Man

e Smallest --> Earth

e Tallest --> Heaven

e Middle --> Man

e Smallest --> Earth

III. Poems and Plays

During the Middle Ages the Japanese wrote poems, stories, and plays.

Japan’s oldest form of poetry was the tanka. The tanka was an unrhymed poem of five lines. They were to capture nature’s beauty and the joys and sorrows of life.

In the 1600’s a new form of poetry called the haiku developed.

Haiku : 17-syllable poem

Haiku : 17-syllable poem

Matsuo Basho, Master of HaikuMatsuo Basho, Master of Haiku

Spring departs.Birds cryFishes' eyes are filled with tears.

Spring departs.Birds cryFishes' eyes are filled with tears.

Poems and Plays continued..

In 1000 A.D. a woman named Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote Japan’s first novel.

It describes the adventures of a Japanese Prince.

Some believe it’s the world’s first novel, or long fictional story.

Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Tale of Genji (first novel)

Tale of Genji Scroll(first novel)

Plays and Poems Continued..

The Japanese created plays. The oldest type of play is called Noh.

Created in the 1300’s, Noh plays were used to teach Buddhist ideas.

They danced, gestured, and chanted poetry to the music of drums and flutes.

Noh TheaterNoh Theater

TraditionalWeepingGesture

TraditionalWeepingGesture

Woman Heavenly-beingDemonness Woman Heavenly-beingDemonness

 Old Man Warrior Demon God  Old Man Warrior Demon God

Noh TheaterNoh Theater

The PlayAoi no UeThe PlayAoi no Ue

Noh Theater : 8-man chorusNoh Theater : 8-man chorus

Beauty in Japan

1. Hair: the longer the better!

2. Lightness of skin was admired.

3. Both women and men wore white powder.

4. Blackened teeth

5. Shaved eyebrows and painted false one.

Clothing

Members of the court wore clothing embroidered with gold, silver, and multicolored thread

Women wore 12 or more silk robes at a time, all tied with a single sash. The sleeve of each robe was different length so that the woman’s arm was a rainbow of colors.

Reflection # 2

List three new things you learned about Japanese culture!

When you are done, share with the class!!