THE ARTS OF JAPAN
An Illustrated History
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DR. HUGO MUNSTERBERG received his Ph.D. in Oriental art from Harvard. He has taught at Wellesley College, Michigan State University, International Christian University in Tokyo, and presently teaches at New York State University College at New Paltz. He is the author of many published books, including: The Folk Arts of Japan; The Arts of Japan: An Illustrated History; The Art of the Chinese Sculptor; The Ceramic Art ofJapan: A Handbook for Collectors; Zen & Oriental Art, and Chinese Buddhist Bronzes.
Seated Bodhisattva, Wall Painting in the Kondō (Golden Hall). Nara period.
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Published by the Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
of Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan
with editorial offices at
Osaki Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo 141-0032
Copyright in Japan, 1957
by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 56-13414
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0885-1 (ebook)
First edition, 1957
Fourth printing, 1962
Paper-bound edition, 1962
Seventeenth printing, 1988
Printed in Japan
TO HACHIRO YUASA
WHO TAUGHT ME TO
APPRECIATE THE FOLK ART OF JAPAN
PREFACE
This book represents an attempt to fill a long-felt need for an account of the history of Japanese art which would deal with the crafts as well as with the so-called fine arts and carry the story of Japanese art up to the present day instead of ending with the death of Hiroshige. It was written in Japan while I served as professor of art history at the International Christian University in Tokyo and was able to examine most of the masterpieces of Japanese art in the original.
It would be impossible to list the many people who through their help and advice contributed to the completion of this book. But above all I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to my wife, who with untiring patience revised the manuscript, my assistant, Miss Mio Onchi, who helped me with the Japanese literature, and my secretary, Miss Fumiko Tomoyama, who typed the manuscript. I am also deeply indebted to the staff of the Bijutsu Kenkyujo (Art Research Institute) and the Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsu-kan (Tokyo National Museum) for their help in matters of scholarship. I should like to express my gratitude to the collectors who let me reproduce works from their collections and to the Art Research Institute, the Tokyo National Museum, the Sakamoto Photograph Company, the Asuka-en Photograph Company, Mr. Bunji Kobayashi, Mr. Shu Ito, Mr. Lloyd Craighill, and Mr. William Moore for supplying the photographs which are reproduced. I also wish to express my gratitude to the Bijutsu Shuppan-sha and the Heibon-sha for their kindness in letting me use their color plates.
Tokyo, Japan Hugo Munsterberg
Contents
| LIST OF PLATES | xiii | |
| 1. | THE PREHISTORIC ART OF JAPAN | 3 |
| Jōmon Pottery | 5 | |
| Yayoi Pottery | 7 | |
| The Art of the Sepulchral Mounds | 8 | |
| Ise Shrine and Early Japanese Architecture | 12 | |
| 2. | THE BEGINNINGS OF BUDDHIST ART IN JAPAN | 17 |
| Buddhist Architecture of the Asuka Period | 19 | |
| Buddhist Sculpture of the Asuka Period | 24 | |
| Buddhist Painting of the Asuka Period | 29 | |
| The Crafts of the Asuka Period | 31 | |
| 3. | THE ART OF THE NARA PERIOD | 35 |
| The Architecture of the Nara Period | 38 | |
| The Sculpture of the Nara Period | 41 | |
| The Painting of the Nara Period | 48 | |
| The Crafts of the Nara Period | 51 | |
| 4. | THE ART OF THE EARLY HEIAN PERIOD | 55 |
| The Architecture of the Early Heian Period | 57 | |
| The Sculpture of the Early Heian Period | 60 | |
| The Painting of the Early Heian Period | 63 | |
| The Crafts of the Early Heian Period | 67 | |
| 5. | THE ART OF THE HEIAN PERIOD | 69 |
| The Painting of the Heian Period | 72 | |
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