Edo Period

1603 - 1868

ShogunEdo Period - Ruled Japan for 250 yearsMilitary dictatorship

Shoguns Ruled Japan1603-1868 for 250 years

Military dictatorship – no outside trade allowed-Peaceful period-Political stability-Economic stability

Edo (Tokyo) seat of power

Merchants (wealthiest) were placed @ bottom of society – became Ukiyo-e artists

Turned to Art & culture = elite upper class (warriors, farmers & artisans)

Shogun rule ended when opened the country to trade

Ukiyo-e – “Pictures of the Floating World”To read the pictures required a high level of understanding – classical texts, cultural literacy and historical sources At first considered “low” art - Wood block prints were easy to duplicate

Ukiyo-e artists attained status outside of the Shoguns

Wood block prints – could copy for low cost – All could afford to buy – like a newspaper

Emperor Meiji Ends Shogun rule

Meiji rule Japan – Open trade with foreign countries

Katsushika Hokusai

Objects That Speak

Katsushika Hokusai(1760-1849) Edo, JapanUkiyo-e “pictures of the floating world” -Everyday life

1775 @ 15 years old learned woodcut printmaking – and created 30,000 book illustrations and color prints

Best known for: 36 Views of Mt. Fuji woodblock prints (1826-33) -Between 70 and 80 years old

13 volume sketchbook: Hokusai Manga – begun 1814

Objects That Speak

Symbolism In Art

Mt. FujiTallest mountain in Japan-Active volcano-Triple junction of tectonic activity-62 miles from Tokyo

Popular tourist attraction-200,000 visitors a year-“Huts” on mountain path “cater” to visitors: food, medical, rest

Land of the Rising Sun

Shinto shrines – kami of Mt. Fuji is Princess Konohanasakuya – her symbol is the “cherry blossom”1,000 shrines to her in Japan – main @ Mt. Fuji

Cherry BlossomSymbolic flower of spring: A time of renewal-The fleeting nature of life

Koi (Carp) = Perseverance in adversity and Strength of purpose

Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period control of the government in 1603 with a commitment to bring peace and economic and political stability to the country; shogunate survived until 1867, open the country to foreign trade One of the dominant themes in the Edo period was the closing of the country to foreigners and the accoutrements of their cultures, and the imposition of strict codes of behavior affecting every aspect of life, the clothes one wore, the person one married, and the activities one could or should not pursue.In the early years of the Edo period, however, the full impact of Tokugawa policies had not yet been felt, and some of Japan's finest expressions in architecture and painting were produced: Katsura Palace in Kyoto and the paintings of Sotatsu, pioneer of the Rimpa school.