JAPAN CULTURAL CENTER
JAPAN CULTURAL CENTER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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HISTORY OF JAPAN
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LIFE IN JAPAN
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RELIGION OF JAPAN
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ART OF JAPAN
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THE SAMURI
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HISTORY OF JAPAN The first human habitation in the Japan has been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC by Paleolithic people from the Asian mainland. At the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, a culture called the Jomon developed. Jomon hunter-gatherers fashioned fur clothing, wooden houses, and elaborate clay vessels. According to DNA analysis, the Ainu people may be descendants of the Jomon. The second wave of settlement by the Yayoi people introduced metal-working, rice cultivation, and weaving to Japan. DNA evidence suggests that these settlers came from Korea. The first era of recorded history in Japan is the Kofun (A.D. 250-538), which was characterized by large burial mounds or tumuli. The Kofun were headed by a class of aristocratic warlords; they adopted many Chinese customs and innovations. Buddhism came to Japan during the Asuka period, 538-710, as did the Chinese writing system. At this time, society was divided into clans. The first strong central government developed during the Nara period (710-794). The aristocratic class practiced Buddhism and Chinese calligraphy, while agricultural villagers followed Shintoism. Japan’s unique culture developed rapidly during the Heian era (794-1185). The imperial court turned out enduring art, poetry, and prose. The samurai warrior class developed at this time as well.
Samurai lords, called “shogun,” took over the government in 1185, and ruled Japan in the name of the emperor until 1868. The Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333) ruled much of Japan from Kyoto. Aided by two miraculous typhoons, the Kamakura repelled attacks by Mongol armadas in 1274 and 1281. A particularly strong emperor, Go-Daigo, tried to overthrow the shogunate in 1331, resulting in a civil war between competing northern and southern courts that finally ended in 1392. During this time, a class of strong regional lords called “daimyo” increased in power; their rule lasted through the end of the Edo period, also known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, in 1868. That year, a new constitutional monarchy was established, headed by the Meiji Emperor. The power of the shoguns came to an end due to their loss of strengeth aswell as their overwellming rain of terror. After the Meiji Emperor’s death, the emperor’s son became the Taisho Emperor. His chronic illnesses kept him away from his duties and allowed the country’s legislature to introduce new democratic reforms. During World War I, Japan formalized its rule over Korea and seized control of northern China. The Showa Emperor, Hirohito, oversaw Japan’s aggressive expansion during World War II, its surrender, and its rebirth as a modern, industrialized nations similar to that of the U.S.
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LIFE IN JAPAN
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There’s no country in the world quite like Japan. Japan’s rulers kept the country isolated from the rest of the world for most of its history, and it successfully resisted colonization by a western power. That allowed it to maintain a culture undisturbed by the outside world. The unique cultural traditions of Japan — such as shinto temples, flower arrangements, minimalist design, and sumo wrestling — are a big draw for many Americans. There’s a lot you can see in Japan and only in Japan. Baseball is also very popular in Japan, so there’s still plenty of cultural overlap with America. The unique cultural traditions of Japan — such as shinto temples, flower arrangements, minimalist design, and sumo wrestling — are a big draw for many Americans. There’s a lot you can see in Japan and only in Japan. Baseball is also very popular in Japan, so there’s still plenty of cultural overlap with America. Japan is also a strongly organized society with a reputation for orderliness and cleanliness, even in public areas. Don’t expect to see trash on the street for an extended period of time, or to smell the kind of smells you can get accustomed to in some big cities.
It’s even common for some elderly Japanese citizens to clean up the sidewalks in front of their residences after the young folks have partied the night before. There’s a nationwide emphasis to keep things spic-and-span. In this interconnected modern world, a lot of countries the world over share many similarities. But life in Japan has some striking differences, both good and bad, from life in the USA. Japanese cities, especially Tokyo, are renowned for their nightlife scene. There are countless activities one can get up to after hours. Many bars and nightclubs are open all night, alcohol is sold around the clock, and you can drink on the street. Added to that, Japanese cities like Tokyo are quite compact, which means bars are close together, and close to residential areas. Be prepared to see a lot of partying. As with many countries, cost of living varies widely based on where one chooses to live. Urban areas are more expensive than rural areas. In Tokyo, Japan’s largest and most expensive city, you can get by for around $1200–$1,800 USD a month, for one person. Smaller cities and towns will obviously be cheaper.
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RELIGION IN JAPAN Shinto and Buddhism are Japan’s two major religions. Shinto is as old as the Japanese culture, while Buddhism was imported from the mainland in the 6th century. Since then, the two religions have been co-existing relatively harmoniously and have even complemented each other to a certain degree. Most Japanese consider themselves Buddhist, Shintoist or both. Religion does not play a big role in the everyday life of most Japanese people today. The average person typically follows the religious rituals at ceremonies like birth, weddings and funerals, may visit a shrine or temple on New Year and participates at local festivals (matsuri), most of which have a religious background. Shinto (“the way of the gods”) is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and as old as Japan itself. Shinto does not have a founder nor does it have sacred scriptures like the sutras or the Bible. Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions. “Shinto gods” are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto’s most important kami. Shinto shrines are the places of worship and the
homes of kami. Most shrines celebrate festivals (matsuri) regularly in order to show the kami the outside world. Important features of Shinto art are shrine architecture and the cultivation and preservation of ancient art forms such as Noh theater, calligraphy and court music (gagaku), a dance music that originated in the courts of Tang China (618-907). Where Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC. It consists of the teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha. Of the main branches of Buddhism, it is the Mahayana or “Greater Vehicle” Buddhism which found its way to Japan. Buddhism was imported to Japan via China and Korea in the form of a present from the friendly Korean kingdom of Kudara (Paikche) in the 6th century. While Buddhism was welcomed by the ruling nobles as Japan’s new state religion, it did not initially spread among the common people due to its complex theories. There were a few initial conflicts with Shinto, Japan’s native religion, but the two religions were soon able to co-exist and even complement each other. Nowadays about 90 million people consider themselves Buddhists in Japan. However, the religion does not directly affect the everyday life of the average Japanese very strongly. Funerals are usually carried out in a Buddhist way, and many households keep a small house altar in order to pay respect to their ancestors.
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ART OF JAPAN
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Brush Painting
Pottery
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, ukiyo-e paintings and woodblock prints, ceramics, origami, and more recently manga which is modern Japanese cartoons and comics along with a myriad of other types. It has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present-day country. Painting is the preferred artistic expression in Japan, practiced by amateurs and professionals alike. Until modern times, the Japanese wrote with a brush rather than a pen, and their familiarity with brush techniques has made them particularly sensitive to the values and aesthetics of painting.
Japanese pottery is among the finest in the world and includes the earliest known Japanese artifacts; Japanese export porcelain has been a major industry at various points. In architecture, Japanese preferences for natural materials and an interaction of interior and exterior space are clearly expressed. Japanese calligraphy also called shūji is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. For a long time, the most esteemed calligrapher in Japan had been Wang Xizhi, a Chinese calligrapher from the 4th century, but after the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese unique syllabaries, the distinctive Japanese writing system developed and calligraphers produced styles intrinsic to Japan.
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Woodblock Printing
Origami
Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from China date to before 220 AD. Woodblock printing existed in Tang China by the 7th century AD and remained the most common East Asian method of printing books and other texts, as well as images, until the 19th century. Ukiyo-e is the best-known type of Japanese woodblock art print. Most European uses of the technique for printing images on paper are covered by the art term woodcut, except for the block-books produced mainly in the 15th century.
Origami is the art of paper folding, which is often associated with Japanese culture. In modern usage, the word “origami” is used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. Modern origami practitioners generally discourage the use of cuts, glue, or markings on the paper. Origami is the most recreational art of Japanese for centuries. They made it as a part of their culture to foster the creativity among youngsters. Origami is served as an elegant yet amusing activity of Japanese done during their leisure times.
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THE SAMURAI The Japanese Samuri were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the 12th century to their abolition in the 1870s. They were the well-paid retainers of the daimyo (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords. They cultivated the bushido codes of martial virtues, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles. During the peaceful Edo era (1603 to 1868) they became the stewards and chamberlains of the daimyo estates, gaining managerial experience and education. In the 1870s samurai families comprised 5% of the population. The Meiji Revolution ended their feudal roles, and they moved into professional and entrepreneurial roles. Their memory and weaponry remain prominent in popular culture. The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching because it offered a process to calm one’s mind. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth led samurai to abandon torture and needless killing, while some samurai even gave up violence altogether and became Buddhist monks. Some were killed as they came to terms with these conclusions in the battlefield. The most defining role that Confucianism played in samurai philosophy was to stress the importance of the lord-retainer relationship—the loyalty that a samurai was required to show his lord.
Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) claims the most respect within Japan as best-known “samurai”. Beyond being a superb warrior and strategist, Nobunaga was responsible for setting in motion the chain of events that would reunify the nation and end the Warring States Period. Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese daimyō and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first “Great Unifier” of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other daimyō to unify Japan in the 1560s. Nobunaga’s rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering free trade, reform of Japan’s civil government, and encouraging the start of the Momoyama historical art period, but also for the brutal suppression of opponents, eliminating those who refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. Nobunaga was killed in the Honno-ji Incident in 1582 when his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide ambushed him in Kyoto and forced him to commit seppuku. Nobunaga was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who along with Tokugawa Ieyasu completed his war of unification shortly afterwards. Nobunaga was an influential figure in Japanese history and is regarded as one of three great unifiers along with his retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Toyotomi Hideyoshi would later unite Japan in 1591, and invade Korea a year later.
JAPAN CULTURAL CENTER
Editor/Art Director/Designer Narek Mkrtchyan Contrubuting Photographers Daniel Kordan Akira Kurosawa Arnold Genthe Luciano Mende Jordy Meow Ben Cheung Sakai Hoitsu Alex Knight Typography Brandon Grotesque by Hannes von Döhren Address 748 Brown Ave. Burbank CA Front/Back Cover by Narek Mkrtchyan
J A PA N C U LT U R A L C EN T ER
748 Brown Ave. Burbank. CA info@jccla.com 818-745-7787 JAPAN CULTURAL CENTER