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Resources Organized by Country/Region: Japan



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100 Views of Mount Fuji
The British Museum
Online presentation of the 2001 exhibition 100 Views of Mount Fuji, which explored "a wide range of manifestations of the mountain in Japanese art, as portrayed in 100 works by painters and print designers from the seventeenth century to the present." Featuring 19 images, each with explanatory text. Now hosted by Google Arts & Culture.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/QQ7n-PQc
 
Amaterasu, The Sun Goddess
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Liz Nichols, tells a Japanese story about Amaterasu, the sun goddess, in the museum’s Japan galleries.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/amaterasu-the-sun-goddess/
 
Animals in Japan
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson uses student’s love of animals to connect with Japanese culture through the examination of animal symbolism.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/animals-japan
 
Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar
Library of Congress
"In 1943, Ansel Adams (1902-1984), America's most well-known photographer, documented the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese-Americans interned there during World War II." From the left sidebar select Collection Highlights for a selection of images and About This Collection for a more in-depth overview, plus see images of the entire first edition of Born Free and Equal, Adams's publication based on his work at Manzanar. Also see the Collection Connection section for a list of classroom resources.

Go to Museum Resource: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/anseladams/
 
Art, Anti-Art, Non-Art: Experimentations in the Public Sphere in Postwar Japan, 1950-1970
Getty Museum
Online presentation of a 2007 exhibition highlighting "a dynamic phase of avant-garde art in postwar Japan, which was characterized by self-reflection and multimedia experimentation." With 7 topics -- 1) Experimental Workshop/Jikeen Kōbō; 2) Gutai Art Association; 3) Sōgetsu Art Center; 4) Fluxus/Tokyo; 5) Butoh and Angura Theaters; 6) Bikyōtō; 7) E.A.T. -- and nine works from the exhibition. See the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION link at the right for a timeline of postwar Japanese art movements (.pdf file).

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/postwar_japan/
 
Artist Profile: Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Learn about the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/artist-profile-katsushika-hokusai/
 
Artist Profile: Utagawa (Ando) Hiroshige (1797–1858)
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Learn about the Japanese artist Utagawa (Ando) Hiroshige (1797–1858). Download a map of "Tokaido Road in Japan."

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/artist-profile-utagawa-ando-hiroshige/
 
The Art of Calligraphy in Asia
Princeton University Art Museum
“Calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing, was long considered the supreme art form in China, Japan, and Korea. This elevated status reflects the importance of the written word in East Asian cultures. In ancient China, early emperors asserted their power by engraving edicts or pronouncements on stone in their own calligraphic script. The elite members of society were scholar ¬officials, whose status was attained by their command of the written word. In addition to the central role played by writing in Chinese culture, the visual form of the language also contributed to the distinctiveness of the calligraphic tradition. The vast number and complexity of the characters that make up the Chinese script presented artists with a unique platform on which to explore the creative possibilities of design. The writing of Chinese characters-which was then widely adopted in Korea around the fourth century and in Japan in the mid-sixth century-was thought to be the purest visual manifestation of the writer's inner character and level of cultivation. It was the medium through which a person's thoughts, feelings, and artistry were best conveyed. In looking at a piece of calligraphy, we may admire the way a calligrapher manipulated the brush to create an object of beauty in which rhythmic energy is conveyed through strokes and dots done with ink. Changes in ink gradation, the relationship between characters, and the elegance of a single line can entice viewers regardless of the legibility of the text.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/object-package/art-calligraphy-asia/104193
 
Art of East Asia: Curriculum Guide
San Diego Museum of Art
The Museum’s Education Department has created a series of lesson plans to help introduce art into the classroom. The following lesson plans have been designed to help educators create elaborate classroom activities that will enhance their students’ understanding of works of art at The San Diego Museum of Art. See also: Exploring the Art of East Asia [PDF}.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.sdmart.org/curriculum/
 
Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of artistic production in Japan during the Edo or Tokugawa period. With 9 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/edop/hd_edop.htm
 
Art of the Edo Period Lesson Plan - Chawan Tea Bowl
Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas
See site for lesson plans on this museum object.

Go to Museum Resource: https://spencerartapps.ku.edu/k12-lesson-plans#/k12/30723
 
Art of the Edo Period Lesson Plan - Inro Case with Fox Wedding Scene
Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas
See site for lesson plans on this museum object.

Go to Museum Resource: https://spencerartapps.ku.edu/k12-lesson-plans#/k12/3162
 
Art of the Edo Period Lesson Plan - Mitsukuni Defying the Skeleton Spectre Woodcut
Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas
See site for lesson plans on this museum object.

Go to Museum Resource: https://spencerartapps.ku.edu/k12-lesson-plans#/k12/15198
 
Art of the Pleasure Quarters and the Ukiyo-e Style
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A lengthy discussion of the social developments in the Edo period that gave rise to literary and visual arts such as kabuki theater and ukiyo-e paintings and woodblock prints. With 5 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/plea/hd_plea.htm
 
Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156–1868
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Online presentation of a 2009-2010 exhibition, the "first comprehensive exhibition devoted to the arts of the samurai" and "the first exhibition ever devoted to the subject of Japanese arms and armor conservation." With images of 27 objects.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2009/art-of-the-samurai/photo-ga...
 
Art of the Showa Period Lesson Plan - Misty Day in Nikkō Woodcut
Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas
See site for lesson plans on this museum object.

Go to Museum Resource: https://spencerartapps.ku.edu/k12-lesson-plans#/k12/12305
 
Arts of Edo Japan [PDF]
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
"This packet offers an in-depth examination of Edo period (1615–1868) Japan, focusing on the flourishing arts of the period. Art activities include creating a 3D model of a teahouse, a pilgrimage book, and seals."

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/Arts-of-Edo.p...
 
Arts of the Samurai [PDF]
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
"The term samurai is derived from the word saburau, or “one who serves.” The evolution of the samurai from mounted guards to the nobility (during the twelfth century) and their subsequent ascent to military leaders of Japan (until imperial restoration during the nineteenth century) is chronicled in distinctive warrior arts and literary tradition. This packet examines the samurai through precious art objects from the museum’s collection. These include authentic military equipment (arms and armor), paintings depicting famed conflicts, ceremonial attire, and objects created for religious and cultural pursuits strongly connected with the samurai class."

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/ArtsofSamurai...
 
The Asian Art Digital Teaching Project: Japan
Columbia University, Media Center for Art History
A module for "classroom presentation or student study" of two important scrolls from the Kamakura Period – Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine (Kitano Tenjin Engi) and Illustrated Sutra of the Miracles of Kannon.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.learn.columbia.edu/nehasian/html/neh_geo_con_japan.html
 
Asian Art Outlook
Asia Society
A resource for educators featuring highlights from the Asia Society's permanent collection. The site aims to serve as "an accessible and tangible starting point for discussion about the history, geography and cultures of Asia." Features 21 artworks (7 from the Indian subcontinent, 7 from China, and 7 from Japan), each with background text and a detailed guide on how to look at the work. Also includes 8 additional lesson plans related to Asian art, history, and culture.

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/education/AsianArt/index.htm
 
Asia Rising: Japanese Postcards of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"Imperial Japan’s 1904–05 war against Tsarist Russia changed the global balance of power. The first war to be widely illustrated in postcards, the Japanese view of the conflict is presented in images from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of Japanese Postcards at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston." See the ESSAY section for an in-depth, illustrated reading of the images from the historical record. See the VISUAL NARRATIVES section for a shorthand view of the unit's primary themes and images. A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Asia Rising" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/asia_rising/index.html
 
Asuka and Nara Periods (538–794)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. With 3 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/asna/hd_asna.htm
 
Asuka Period, 552-645
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"Korean envoys introduced Buddhism to Japan in 552. Empress Suiko and the prince-regent Shotoku championed the new religion." A brief one-paragraph overview, with one object representative of the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-asuka-period.cfm
 
Bamboo Masterworks: Japanese Baskets from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection
Asia Society
Online presentation of an exhibition from 1999, with 25 images and a detailed essay discussing the following topics: 1) Material: Bamboo; 2) Material to Object: Baskets; 3) Bamboo Baskets and the Tea Ceremony; 4) The Basket Makers.

Go to Museum Resource: http://asiasociety.org/arts-culture/asia-society-museum/past-exhibitions/bamboo...
 
Black Ships & Samurai: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan (1853-1854)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"On July 8, 1853, residents of feudal Japan beheld an astonishing sight—foreign warships entering their harbor under a cloud of black smoke. Commodore Matthew Perry had arrived to force the long-secluded country to open its doors." The ESSAY section "examines graphics from the American and Japanese sides of the momentous encounter"; the VISUAL NARRATIVES section "retells topics or stories from the encounter." A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Black Ships & Samurai" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/black_ships_and_samurai/index.html
 
A Brief History of Samurai Armor
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Learn about samurai armor in this video by exploring artworks in the Asian Art Museum’s collection.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/a-brief-history-of-samurai-armor/
 
Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Gardens & Collections
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Select the Cherry Esplanade, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, and Bonsai Museum for photographs, descriptions, and additional links. Flowering Cherries additionally include virtual visits on video.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.bbg.org/discover/gardens/
 
Bu and Bun: The Arts of War and Peace
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
In addition to superior strategic and military ability, most elite samurai were expected to be versed in the cultural arts. The warrior’s ideal balance of military and artistic skill is captured well in this description of the sixteenth century daimyo Hosokawa Yusai (1534–1610): “Renowned for his elegant pursuits, he is a complete man combining arts [bun] and arms [bu]. A man of nobility, a descendant of the sixth grandson of the emperor Seiwa, he was a ruler endowed with awesome dignity and inspiring decorum…He built a splendid castle, which was majestic, beautiful and high…He discussed Chinese poetic styles and recited by heart the secret teachings of Japanese poetry…" See also Archery Practice.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/bu-and-bun-the-arts-of-war-and-peace/
 
Buddhist Art from China and Japan
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson explores new objectives for art and examines how Chinese painting reflects Buddhist principles. Students learn to consider the meaning and significance of Buddhist mudras through the examination of images from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/buddhist-art-china-and-japan
 
Bunraku Collection Gallery
Columbia University, Libraries
"The images displayed on this site are from two separate productions of the play Kanadehon Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), as performed by the National Bunraku Troupe in Osaka in 1976 and 1978, and photographed by Barbara C. Adachi. "

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/eastasian/bunraku/
 
Capturing the Haiku Moment (Teacher’s Guide) [PDF]
Portland Art Museum
Poetic Imagination in Japanese Art: Capturing the Haiku Moment in Nature, Art, and Poetry curriculum is a series of lessons designed for 2nd–12th grade students to “awaken their senses” within the natural world. The lessons are rooting in the Japanese cultural value of Living in Harmony with Nature and find expression in the Japanese poetic form of haiku and in Japanese art.

Go to Museum Resource: https://portlandartmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Capturing-the-Haiku-Mo...
 
Chado: The Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson introduces students to the Japanese tea ceremony to consider the art and the tradition of the tea ceremony and study the serving pieces used in the ceremony by participating in a tea ceremony. Students will learn the importance of the performance of tea ceremony through the history of how it became what it is today.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/chado-japanese-tea-ceremony
 
Chanoyu: The Japanese Art of Tea
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The Japanese phrase Chanoyu, translated literally as “hot water for tea,” refers to the tradition of preparing and serving powdered green tea in a highly stylized manner. Learn more about this tradition. Download PDF on Japanese Tea Ceremony. See also Muromachi Period Tea (1338-1573) and Experience Chanoyu: The Japanese Art of Tea [PDF]

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/chanoyu-the-japanese-art-of-tea/
 
Confucius, Shotoku, and the Golden Rule
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Confucian thought, Prince Shotoku’s Constitution, and the Golden Rule provide an opportunity for teachers and students to develop a shared vision for learning and classroom relationships. By looking at these ancient sayings, modern-day students can formulate their own rules of conduct.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/confucius-shotoku-and-golden-rule
 
Courtship and Calligraphy in “The Tale of Genji”
The Cleveland Museum of Art
The purpose of this lesson is to discover through an examination of The Tale of Genji and other Japanese literature, the importance of calligraphy to courtship rituals in the Japanese court culture of the late Heian period (794-1185).

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/courtship-and-calligraphy-tale-g...
 
Create a Miniature Collagraph Screen Inspired by the Japanese Screens Crows in Early Winter
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Create a 2-dimensional design for a 3-dimensional structure in the form of a miniature tri-fold screen. Experiment with a collagraphy printmaking technique. Create a dynamic composition using only two colors.

Go to Museum Resource: https://content.sbma.net/education/lessonPlans/pdf/Miniature%20Collagraph%20Scr...
 
Create a Simulated Woodblock Print
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Students will be able to identify, compare and contrast images of traditional Japanese woodblock prints. They will then create their own simulated woodblock prints. Downloads include activities, slideshow and guides.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/create-a-simulated-woodblock-print/
 
Create Your Own Hanging Scroll and Name Seal
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Create your own hanging scroll and name seal. Downloads include a lesson plan, a slideshow of scroll examples, and a student handout.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/create-your-own-hanging-scroll-and-nam...
 
Create Your Own Illustrated Haiku
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry made of three lines (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables) that is commonly a meditation on nature. Make an image using colorful paper and ink, and then write a haiku inspired by your creation. Downloads include visual instructions and an activity.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/create-your-own-illustrated-haiku/
 
Creating a Japanese Screen
Asia Society
Lesson plan that introduces the idea that art is made to enhance our surroundings and also that the choices made about them reflect something about the person choosing. Uses two Japanese folding screens -- one from the Edo and the other from the Muromachi period -- as primary sources.

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/education/AsianArt/lessons.japanese.htm
 
Creating a Mixed Media Landscape: Inspired by the Japanese Woodblock Prints of Kawase Haui [PDF]
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Printmaking art activity with the following goals: 1) To create a Master Study of the print by Kawase Hasui, 2) To explore printmaking and watercolor painting techniques, 3) To experiment with the compositional components of a successful landscape painting or mixed media piece.

Go to Museum Resource: https://content.sbma.net/education/lessonPlans/pdf/22Hasui%20mixed%20media%20ar...
 
Cultivating Enlightenment: The Manifold Meaning of Japanese Zen Gardens
Education About Asia
An excellent visual and narrative introduction to Japanese Zen, and perhaps its most iconic symbols. While Zen gardens have been a fixture of Japanese aesthetics since the Muromachi Period (1336–1573), the purposes and meanings of these austere landscapes have been far less fixed, and indeed have changed somewhat since their first appearance as places for meditation in the Zen temples of medieval Japan. ...The image of the Zen garden, however,... “speaks” for itself, and provides us with a representation of spiritual quality that is best experienced rather than discursively argued. This is only appropriate since the transmission of Zen wisdom is supposed to be nonverbal. With PDF download.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/cultivating-enlightenmen...
 
Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project
Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project
"Densho's mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all." With background essays examining the causes of the incarceration, along with lesson plans, a timeline, glossary, and bibliography. The ARCHIVE section holds more than 270 visual/oral histories (more than 500 hours of recorded interviews) and nearly 9,000 historic photographs and documents.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.densho.org/
 
Edo Period, 1615-1868
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"With the decisive battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu effectively usurped control of the country. In 1603 he assumed the title of Shogun and established his seat of power in the small fishing village of Edo (modern-day Tokyo)." A brief one-paragraph overview, with 34 objects from the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-edo-period.cfm
 
Educator Resource Packet: Flowering Cherry with Poem Slips by Tosa Mitsukoi
The Art Institute of Chicago
"This screen celebrates the Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms to mark the arrival of spring. The tree’s blossoms and hanging poem slips create an elegant design against the gold of the silk. This teaching packet includes an essay, discussion questions, activity ideas, and a glossary."

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.artic.edu/collection/resources/educator-resources/21-educator-resou...
 
Educator Resource Packet: Southern Barbarians (Namban byobu)
The Art Institute of Chicago
"This screen portrays a ship arriving in Japan from Portugal with European merchants in pantaloons and broad-brimmed hats bearing exotic products. The Japanese, in long, flowing patterned robes and sandals, are on the shore picnicking and curiously watching the arrival of the Portuguese. This teaching packet includes an essay, discussion questions, activity ideas, and a glossary."

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.artic.edu/collection/resources/educator-resources/35-educator-resou...
 
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Buddhism—and the art it inspired—helped shape the cultures of Asia. Today, its extraordinary art is a source of beauty and contemplation for audiences across the world.Encountering the Buddha brings together more than two hundred artworks, spanning two millennia, to explore Asia’s rich Buddhist heritage. They represent diverse schools that arose from the Buddha’s teachings.Throughout the exhibition and the website, we explore how Buddhist artworks are endowed with sacred power. We ask, why were they created? How did Buddhists engage with them? And how do Buddhist understandings of such objects differ from those of art museums?

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.freersackler.si.edu/exhibition/encountering-the-buddha-art-and-prac...
 
Explore a Japanese Handscroll: The Art of Hon'ami Kōetsu (Edo Period, early 1600s)
Princeton University Art Museum
An excellent interactive website for exploring an Edo period handscroll by Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558-1637). "In this handscroll Kōetsu transcribed ten verses from the poetry anthology Shinkokin wakashū on sheets of colored paper that are decorated on the front and back with woodblock-printed mica designs." After exploring the scroll the user can write his/her own poem (by selecting from a set of phrases) and then see this poem "written" on his/her own handscroll in the style of Kōetsu.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/asian-art/japan/viewers/poem-scroll-viewer/
 
Felice Beato's Japan: People, An Album by the Pioneer Foreign Photographer in Yokohama
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"These photos of men and women from different walks of life catered to foreign curiosity about the 'exotic' Japanese. Most were taken in [Felice] Beato's studio in Yokohama." All images with captions transcribed verbatim from the ca. 1869 album. With an in-depth essay by Alona C. Wilson.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/beato_people/index.html
 
Felice Beato's Japan: Places, An Album by the Pioneer Foreign Photographer in Yokohama
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
A 50-image album of images by photographer Felice Beato (ca. 1833-1908) that "features scenes along the routes that foreign sightseers travelled in the opening years of the Meiji period." All images with captions transcribed verbatim from the ca. 1869 album. With an in-depth essay by Allen Hockley, professor of art history at Dartmouth College.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/beato_places/index.html
 
Fire Over Earth: Ceramics from the Collection of the Asia Society
Asia Society
Explores the interrelationships between the ceramic traditions of China, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia in terms of techniques, styles and the roles played by ceramics in different contexts. Features seven objects with accompanying text and a glossary.

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/arts/ceramics/
 
The Floating World of Ukiyo-e: Shadows, Dreams, and Substance
Library of Congress
Online presentation of a 2003 exhibition showcasing the Library's holdings of Japanese prints, books, and drawings from the 17th to the 19th century. Images organized into the following categories: 1) Early Masters (1600-1740); 2) Major Genres: Beauties, Actors, and Landscapes; 3) Images and Literary Sources; 4) Realia and Reportage; 5) Japan and the West: Artistic Cross-Fertilization; 6) Beyond Ukiyo-e: Modern and Contemporary Japanese Prints. The EXHIBITION OVERVIEW provides historical background about ukiyo-e.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/
 
The Four Religions of East Asia
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson provides an introduction to China and Japan's four major religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/four-religions-east-asia
 
Garden of the Phoenix (Chicago’s Jackson Park)
Garden of the Phoenix (Chicago’s Jackson Park)
In Chicago's Jackson Park, our future is growing from the past. The new Garden of the Phoenix symbolizes Japan and the U.S.'s 160-year story.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.gardenofthephoenix.org/
 
Getting Started with Zazen (Seated Meditation)
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
In Zen Buddhism, zazen (pronounced: zah-zen) is a sitting meditation. Zazen is not focusing on a specific object or thought. Instead, it is the liberating of one’s mind of all thought into a state of emptiness (a complete emptiness that is also complete fullness) from which the practitioner hopes to experience spontaneous awakening to the inner self (enlightenment). Download Includes a glossary.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/getting-started-with-zazen-seated-medi...
 
Globetrotter's Japan: People, Foreigners on the Tourist Circuit in Meiji Japan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"One of the most lavishly illustrated publications of Japan at the end of the 19th century was Captain Frank Brinkley’s 10-volume Japan. This unit highlights the spectrum of native people and activities depicted in this famous publication." With an in-depth essay by Allen Hockley, professor of art history at Dartmouth College.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/gt_japan_people/index.html
 
Globetrotter's Japan: Places, Foreigners on the Tourist Circuit in Meiji Japan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"View hand-colored photographs of the sights on a typical tour of late-19th-century Japan, reproduced here from a lush 10-volume set by Captain Frank Brinkley. Comments appear from travel books by 'globetrotter' tourists of the time." With an in-depth essay by Allen Hockley, professor of art history at Dartmouth College.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/gt_japan_places/index.html
 
Golden Fantasies: Japanese Screens from New York Collections
Asia Society
Online presentation of a 2004 exhibition of Japanese folding screens. Features 14 screens with descriptive text. Several of these illustrate Japanese literary classics such as the “Chronicle of the Great Peace” (Taiheiki); the Tale of the Heike; the Tales of Ise; and the Tale of Genji.

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/arts/japanesescreens/index.html
 
Great Waves: Chinese Themes in the Arts of Korea and Japan
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Online presentation of a 2003 exhibition that "explores how Chinese pictorial themes—Buddhist iconography, landscape imagery, flower and bird subjects, and figural narratives—were selectively adopted and reinterpreted by native artists in Korea and Japan." With images of 16 related artworks dating from the 10th to the 18th century.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2003/great-waves
 
Ground Zero 1945: A Schoolboy's Story
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"This unit presents the illustrated testimony of Akihiro Takahashi, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Illustrations by Goro Shikoku, with English translation by Yuki Tanaka."

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/groundzero1945_2/index.html
 
Ground Zero 1945: Pictures by Atomic Bomb Survivors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"These drawings and paintings by Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb were created more than a quarter century after the bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. They are provided by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum." The ESSAY section examines Ground Zero 1945 using the images by survivors of the atomic bomb blast; the VISUAL NARRATIVES section features the story of one survivor who tells her story through images.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/groundzero1945/index.html
 
Gutai: Splendid Playground
Guggenheim Museum
The first U.S. museum retrospective exhibition ever devoted to Gutai, the most influential artists’ collective and artistic movement in postwar Japan and among the most important international avant-garde movements of the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition aims to demonstrate Gutai’s extraordinary range of bold and innovative creativity; to examine its aesthetic strategies in the cultural, social, and political context of postwar Japan and the West; and to further establish Gutai in an expanded history of modern art. Includes audio tours and activity guides. See also: Teaching Materials.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/gutai-splendid-playground
 
Gyotaku
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
"Gyotaku (guh-yo-tah-koo) is the Japanese art of fish painting. It was developed more than a century ago as a fisherman's method of recording the size and species of his catch, and is now accepted as an art form worldwide. Students will study the history of fish printing and make their own prints." For grades 1 & 2.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.oberlin.edu/amam/asia/gyotaku/Default.html
 
Gyotaku: The Japanese Art of Fish Printing
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
"Gyotaku (gyo=fish, taku=rubbing) was invented in the early 1800's in Japan by the fishermen to record their catch. ... By acquiring knowledge of historical and cultural qualities unique to this particular art form students can gain an understanding of how Gyotaku reflects a part of Japanese history." In this lesson plan "[s]tudents will select a fish, prepare it, ink it, apply the paper or fabric, and complete the fish print for display. During this process they will also examine the fish and learn the correct names and uses of the external anatomical parts of the fish."

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-5/Gyotaku_Japanese_...
 
Haiku: Learning and Sharing the Beauty of Being Human (9-12)
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
Over the course of two classes, students will reflect on their daily lives to find small moments of peace and/or happiness. Using these moments and/or observations, students will create a haiku and an accompanying photograph, which will be combined into a digital visual class anthology.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-9-12/Haiku_Learning...
 
Heian Period (794–1185)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of political and cultural developments in Japan during the Heian period. With 4 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/heia/hd_heia.htm
 
Heian Period, 794-1185
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"With the transferal of the capital from Nara to Heian-kyo (modern Kyoto) in 794, a new era began." A brief one-paragraph overview, with one object representative of the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-heian-period.cfm
 
Heiji Monogatari Emaki (Tale of the Heiji Rebellion) Scrolls with A Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace
Princeton University Art Museum
The Heiji disturbance, which occurred late in 1159, represents a brief armed skirmish in the capital. ...The Heiji scrolls date from the thirteenth century and represent a masterpiece of "Yamato" style painting. The scene appearing here, entitled "A Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace," is the property of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, provides an excellent introduction to the genre of picture scrolls. The scrolls read from right to left, and all action flows to the left. They can be documented as being treasured artifacts in the fifteenth century, when nobles mention viewing them, but they now only survive in fragmentary form.

Go to Museum Resource: http://digital.princeton.edu/heijiscroll/
 
History and Traditions of the Samurai
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Students will use images of samurai armor and weaponry to learn related vocabulary. They will describe the functional and aesthetic aspects of armor through focused viewing and reading, and they will draw conclusions about the changing code of the samurai over the course of 800 years. Download includes a lesson plan, a number of guides, and slideshows.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/history-and-traditions-of-the-samurai/
 
Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints [PDF]
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
A historical and cultural overview of Edo period (1615–1868) Japan as a context for examining Japanese woodblock prints. See also 11 min Video.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/Hokusai_and_H...
 
Hokusai and Slow Looking [PDF]
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Students will experience “slow looking,” an observation technique that encourages students to slow down, select one artwork, and observe it deeply for a prolonged period in order to gain appreciation and insights. Refers this worksheet.

Go to Museum Resource: https://asia.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/edu-resources-lp-EVE202103-LP-Ho...
 
Hokusai: Mad About Painting
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Animated examination of works by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). This excellent interactive website features an introduction to Hokusai's life, plus an examination of his work, organized into the following categories: COLOR (Hokusai's innovative use of color); BRUSH & BLOCK (the range of Hokusai's creativity, and comparisons of painting and printing techniques); COMPOSITION; and SUBJECT. Uses Flash.

Go to Museum Resource: https://archive.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/hokusai/launch.htm
 
The Hokusai Museum
The Hokusai Museum
Website created by the Hokusai Museum Foundation for the Third International Hokusai Conference held in Obuse in 1998. Includes selected works from the museum's collection, a very detailed timeline outlining key events and artworks from the life of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), and a history of the Hokusai Museum in Obuse.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.book-navi.com/hokusai/hokusai-e.html
 
How to Identify a Buddha
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
"The earliest surviving representations of the Buddha date from hundreds of years after his death, so they are not portraits in the usual sense. Buddha images vary greatly from place to place and period to period, but they almost always show these conventional features..." Downloads includes student handouts and a teacher packet on Hindu Buddhist Art. See also An Introduction to Buddhism.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/how-to-identify-a-buddha/
 
How to Read a Woodblock Print
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Learn how to read a woodblock print. Download visual guides.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/how-to-read-a-woodblock-print/
 
The Influence of East Asian Lacquer on European Furniture
Victoria and Albert Museum
When lacquered objects made in East Asia first reached Europe in about the early 16th century, they were highly prized for their flawless finish and light-reflecting qualities. Lacquer became available to European elites, along with other luxury items including silk and porcelain, once Portuguese explorers discovered a sea route to the East around the southern tip of Africa and across the Indian Ocean. The flow of goods increased in the early 17th century when the Dutch and English East India Companies began to bring goods to markets in Amsterdam and London. By 1700 many European country houses and palaces contained examples of East Asian export lacquer. Asian lacquer was admired as a precious and mysterious material.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/east-asian-lacquer-influence
 
Interiors Imagined: Folding Screens, Garments, and Clothing Stands Source: Interiors Imagined: Fold
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The original function and context of a genre of screens referred to today as 'whose sleeves?' screens, or tagasode byôbu, are less well studied and understood. As revealed by more than forty extant examples, artisans from various painting schools depicted on folding screens an array of sumptuously patterned garments casually draped over clothing stands." With images of two screens from the Momoyama period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/fold/hd_fold.htm
 
An Introduction to Japanese Buddhism
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Buddhism was officially transmitted to Japan in 525, when the monarch of the Korean kingdom of Baekje sent a mission to Japan with gifts, including an image of the Buddha, several ritual objects, and sacred texts. Buddhism’s journey from India to China, Korea, and Japan had taken about a thousand years. See also An Introduction to Japanese Buddhism video with Professor Robert Sharf, University of California, Berkeley, discusses Japanese Buddhism at the Medieval Japan Teacher Institute at the Asian Art Museum.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/an-introduction-to-buddhism-in-japan/
 
Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics Interactive
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Two interactives follow Noguchi's three journeys to Japan and introduce the Japanese ceramic artists with whom he interacted. Noguchi's international acclaim admitted him to diverse spheres of the art world in postwar Japan. The Japanese ceramic artists with whom Noguchi associated were also pursuing profound questions of personal and artistic identity in the aftermath of war, although they chose varying paths to do so. Uses Flash.

Go to Museum Resource: https://archive.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/noguchi/default.htm
 
Japan! culture + hyperculture
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
"The Kennedy Center festival, JAPAN! culture + hyperculture, brings together more than 100 performances, workshops and student and family events during February 2008. This interactive passport, or iPass, is designed to provide pre- and post-visit information and activities for students, classrooms and families." With information on the following topics: Art, Theater, Dance, Music, Robots, Manga, Anime, and Installations.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/multimedia/series/VideoStories/japan
 
Japanese American National Museum: Collections Online
Japanese American National Museum
Featuring selected highlights from the museum's permanent collection of more than 60,000 artifacts -- including diaries, letters, and other documents -- as well as photographs and artworks. Many of these document the lives of Japanese Americans detained in concentration camps during World War II.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.janm.org/collections/
 
Japanese and French Art [PDF]
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Hokusai’s artwork was an inspiration to Henri Rivière and many other European artists including Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Vincent Van Gogh. They admired the bold designs, intense colors, and flat areas of pure color, as well as the elegant and simple lines of the Japanese prints. Lesson plan - See Also: Connecting the Art of Hokusai and Henri Rivière to Local Landscapes [PDF] and Three-Plate Landscapes Inspired by the Woodblock Prints of Katsushika Hokusai and Henri Rivière [PDF].

Go to Museum Resource: https://content.sbma.net/education/lessonPlans/pdf/23%20Hokusai%20and%20Riviere...
 
The Japanese Blade: Technology and Manufacture
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Discusses two important techniques of traditional Japanese sword-making -- kitae (forging the blade) and yaki-ire (hardening the edge). With 5 related art objects.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/japb/hd_japb.htm
 
Japanese Cloisonné: The Seven Treasures
Victoria and Albert Museum
"The Japanese characters used for the word shippō (the Japanese term for enamelware) mean 'Seven Treasures'. which is a reference to the seven treasures mentioned in Buddhist texts. Although these treasures may vary, they generally included at least some of the following: gold, silver, emerald, coral, agate, lapis lazuli, giant clamshell, glass and pearl. The Japanese applied this expression to the rich colours found on Chinese enamel wares and later to those they made themselves." A special features about Japanese cloisonné, with discussions of its history and manufacture, plus 39 examples from the V&A's collection. See also: Cloisonné Introduction.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/j/japanese-cloisonne/
 
Japanese Festivals and Celebrations
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson uses depictions of festivals in Japanese art to examine the cultural emphasis on nature and the seasons.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/japanese-festivals-and-celebrati...
 
Japanese Folktales
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson plan uses art to explore the rich history of folktales in Japan to teach about Japanese traditions, history, and customs.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/japanese-folktales
 
Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego: Online Tour
Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego
"The [San Diego] Japanese Friendship Garden is named 'San-Kei-En' meaning 'three scene garden' -- Water, Pastoral and Mountain. San-Kei-En is an expression of the ties between the people of San Diego and Yokohama and blends the two cultures to create a unique experience. The Garden was named in honor of the San-Kei-En Garden in Yokohama." A brief tour of the garden and the sukiya style Exhibit House, with photographs throughout.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.niwa.org/
 
The Japanese Garden
Bowdoin College
An excellent resource about Japanese gardens. Currently featuring 29 gardens (primarily "the historical gardens of Kyoto and its environs, including Nara"), the website was "designed simply to provide the visitor with an opportunity to visit each garden, to move through or around it, to experience it through the medium of high-quality color images, and to learn something of its history." With additional information about the origins and key elements of the Japanese garden, this is a truly outstanding resource on the topic of Japanese gardens. Also with a bibliography, glossary, and list of web links.

Go to Museum Resource: http://learn.bowdoin.edu/japanesegardens/index.html
 
The Japanese Garden: Seiwa-en
Missouri Botanical Garden
An excellent online tour of the Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese garden. Scroll to the bottom of this Introduction page to see 25 additional pages introducing each aspect of the garden, from the Entrance (#1) and Blue Boulder Cascade (#2) to the Kasuga Lantern (#24) and Stone Boat Basin (#25). With photographs throughout.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.mobot.org/hort/gardens/japanese/intro/index.shtml
 
Japanese Incense
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief look at the history of incense in Japan: "Incense wood was recorded for the first time in Japan in 595, during the reign of Empress Suiko. Not long before that date, in the mid-sixth century, Buddhism had been introduced into Japan from the continent, and along with Buddhist images and sutras, incense and its implements were also imported." With 13 related objects.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jinc/hd_jinc.htm
 
Japanese Mandalas: Emanations and Avatars
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Online presentation of a 2009 exhibition on the mandalas of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. With images of 25 artworks, mostly from the 12th to the 14th century.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2009/japanese-mandalas
 
Japanese Old Photographs in Bakumatsu-Meiji Period
Nagasaki University Library
Searchable database of approximately 6,000 photographs of Japan taken from the middle to the end of the 19th century. Browse the collection by photographer or location, or search by selecting from a list of keywords and categories. An advanced keyword search is also available.

Go to Museum Resource: http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/
 
Japanese Robots
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
"The term 'robots' covers a wide range of machines, from simple factory systems to ultra-lifelike humanoid helpers. Japanese engineers and designers have taken robotics to new heights, bringing robots out of the factory and into stores and homes. To interact with Japanese robots is to get a glimpse of the future today."

Go to Museum Resource: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/ipass/robots.html
 
Japanese Tea Garden: History and View
San Francisco Parks Trust
A very brief history of San Francisco's Japanese Tea Garden, with a list of fun facts and a link to a 360-degree view of the garden.

Go to Museum Resource: https://sfrecpark.org/destination/golden-gate-park/japanese-tea-garden/
 
Japanese Weddings in the Edo Period (1615–1868)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of Edo-period wedding customs: "The social structure of the Edo period (1615–1868) developed under the strict control of the Tokugawa military regime. During this period, the families of the shogunate and provincial leaders (daimyô) arranged marriages based on political interests, and the consent of the shogunate was necessary for a daimyô wedding." With images of 4 related objects.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jwed/hd_jwed.htm
 
Japanese Woodblock Prints (9-12)
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
Explore the history, evolution, and techniques of Ukiyo-e prints.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-9-12/Japanese_Woodb...
 
Japonisme
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief discussion of the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e woodcut prints on European Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters of the 19th century. With 12 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jpon/hd_jpon.htm
 
Jomon Culture (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A general overview of the Jomon period and its six phases. With 7 related artifacts from the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jomo/hd_jomo.htm
 
Jomon Period, ca. 11,000-300 B.C.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"The gradual melting of Ice Age glaciers caused the sea level to rise and isolate Japan from the Asian mainland around 11,000 B.C." A brief one-paragraph overview, along with one representative object from the period (an earthenware pot) described by an MIA curator.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-jomon-period.cfm
 
Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods (1185–1392)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods, with a focus on political developments and the shift that occurred in the Japanese aesthetic during this time. With 5 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kana/hd_kana.htm
 
Kamakura Period, 1185-1333
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"In 1185, Minamoto no Yorimoto proclaimed himself the Shogun (military dictator) of the country and moved the seat of government to Kamakura, a small village in Eastern Japan that gives its name to this historical period." A brief one-paragraph overview, with two objects representative of the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-kamakura-period.cfm
 
The Kano School of Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of the Kano school, established by Kano Masanobu (1434-1530). Prominent for more than 300 years, the Kano school is considered to be the "longest lived and most influential school of painting in Japanese history." Closely associated with their powerful patrons, the Tokugawa shogunate, the Kano school prospered throughout the Edo period. With 3 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kano/hd_kano.htm
 
Kimono
Victoria and Albert Museum
"Japan has a very rich textile history, a major focus of interest and artistic expression being the kimono. Meaning 'the thing worn,' the term kimono was first adopted in the mid-19th century." A special feature about the kimono, with in-depth discussions of the kimono's history, production (weaving, dyeing, embroidery), and decoration (symbols and motifs), plus 51 kimonos from the V&A's collection.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/k/kimono/
 
The Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A multimedia learning website about a 13th-century Japanese handscroll that illustrates the legends of the Kitano Shrine (Kitano Tenjin Engi). Included are a short introduction to the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki and audio introduction to the pieces.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45428
 
Kofun Period, 300-552
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"A ruling aristocracy with close ties to Korea emerges during this period. Kofun, literally "old tomb," refers to tumuli, or mounded graves, built for the imperial family and other high-ranking aristocrats." A brief one-paragraph overview, along with one object representative of the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-kofun-period.cfm
 
Kofun Period (ca. 3rd century–538)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
An overview of cultural production during the Kofun period, which is named after the tomb mounds that were built for members of the ruling class during this time. With 5 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kofu/hd_kofu.htm
 
Lacquerware Boxes
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
"Primitive lacquering was known in Japan as early as the third century B.C., but did not develop into a significant art form until the introduction of Chinese lacquering techniques in the seventh or eighth century A.D. Based upon the AMAM's own lacquerware document box, students will create their own versions as they study the history and techniques of lacquerware." For grades 3 & 4.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.oberlin.edu/amam/asia/lacquerware/Default.html
 
Lacquerware of East Asia
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
An introduction to East Asian lacquerware. Discusses production methods, as well as artistic techniques as they developed in China, Japan, and Korea, respectively. Includes a short glossary of decoration techniques. With 14 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/elac/hd_elac.htm
 
Learning from Asian Art: Japan
Philadelphia Museum of Art
"This online resource introduces students to Japanese art and culture as they explore works in the Philadelphia Museum’s collection. Each art image is accompanied by background information, a set of looking questions, and related classroom activity suggestions that students can use individually, in small groups, or as a whole class." With 10 images, plus a map, timeline, and list of recommended print resources and websites.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.philamuseum.org/booklets/4_22_39_1.html
 
The Legends of Hachiman
Smith College Museum of Art
"This particular pair of lavishly ornamented handscrolls illustrates the legends of the Shinto deity Hachiman. The paintings, which date to the mid-seventeenth century, are rendered in the yamato-e style favored by the members of the Tosa school to which they are attributed. Both the painting and the calligraphy exemplify the highly refined styles favored by the court at the start of the Edo period (1615-1868)." This project of Smith College now hosted here.

Go to Museum Resource: https://hachimanhandscrolls.com/
 
Look for the Symbol in the Sculpture
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Uses a 12th-century wooden sculpture of the Japanese Buddhist deity Fudô Myô-ô to demonstrate the role of symbolism in art.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1975.268.163
 
Make a Temple Book or Japanese Screen
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Students will create their own books and stamps, and can inscribe poetry or good wishes on each others books. They will then take their books with them on a pilgrimage to the Asian Art Museum, the Japanese tea garden, or the beach, and record their impressions. Downloads include instructions and visual guides.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/make-a-temple-book-or-japanese-screen/
 
Making a (Katazome) Kimono
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Make a (katazome) kimono using this template. Downloads include the template and instructions.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/making-a-katazome-kimono/
 
Meiji: Tradition in Transition
Virtual Museum Canada
This website for younger students introduces Meiji Japan from the perspectives of three generations of a fictional family, the Nakamuras, who are depicted as manga characters. The following topics are covered: 1) The Go Game (The Emperor, The Samurai, Politics, Industry, Religions); 2) The Western Parlor (Furniture, Education, Wedding Ceremony); 3) The Japanese Parlor (Decorative Arts, Tea Ceremony, etc.); 4) Ginza (Architecture, Transportation, Fashion, etc.); 5) Sumo. With images of related artworks throughout.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitCollection.do;jsessionid=4207067E8DBC83...
 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Asian Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum's content-rich website offers many options for exploring its online collection of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan art. Browse artworks by country/culture, time period, or subject area; or search for artworks and featured content for a specific country/culture or topic by using the Timeline website's search tool.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/
 
Military History of China and Japan
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson examines how art and literature was used for political means in Japan and China, such as bolstering the legitimacy of military regimes.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/military-history-china-and-japan
 
Minneapolis Institute of Arts: The Art of Asia
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Explore the Collection section of this content-rich site features nearly 3,500 objects from the MIA's collection of Asian art. All images have a Zoom View; most images have descriptions. A Featured Objects section highlights 20 objects from the collection in great detail (through curator interviews), and six Featured Collections showcase objects in the following categories: 1) Ancient Chinese Bronzes; 2) Architectural Models; 3) Chinese Furniture; 4) Imperial Silks; 5) Taoist Art; and 6) Ukiyo-e. Users can also browse objects by country/region or by one of 15 subject categories (architecture, paintings, ceramics, drawings, etc.) or use the keyword search. An Add to My Collection feature allows users to create an online gallery to save and to share.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/explore/index.html
 
Miyake, Kawakubo, and Yamamoto: Japanese Fashion in the Twentieth Century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
An introduction to Japanese fashion since the 1960s, with a focus on the designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto. With 10 examples of the artists' works from the museum's collection.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jafa/hd_jafa.htm
 
Momoyama Period (1573–1615)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of cultural developments in Japan during the Momoyama (Peach Hill) period, an era characterized by constant warfare as the daimyos (feudal barons) struggled for control of Japan. With links to 2 related art objects and the museum's shoin room, which is modeled after a formal Japanese reception room from 1600.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/momo/hd_momo.htm
 
Momoyama Period, 1573-1615
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"After a period of civil strife, the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi reunified the country and built a castle in Momoyama, literally "Peach Mountain," south of Kyoto." A brief one-paragraph overview, with one object representative of the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-momoyama-period.cfm
 
Monet & Japan
National Gallery of Australia
Online archive of a 2001 exhibit with "carefully chosen works of Japanese art [that] give us the context for exploring Monet's changing perception of Japan through masterpiece after masterpiece. ... [The exhibit gives] everyone who loves Monet's paintings a chance to understand the ways in which he absorbed the lessons of Japanese art, from his first encounter in the 1860s until the final years after the First World War." Select THEMES from the gray menu at top for text discussions with related images; select COMPARE WORKS to see Monet's paintings next to Japanese prints with related composition, design, and subject elements; and select EDUCATION for information on how to teach using this website.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.nga.gov.au/monetjapan/Default.cfm
 
More Than Meets the Eye: Japanese Art in the Asia Society Collection
Asia Society
Online presentation of a 1998 exhibition that, according to the introductory text, sought to ask new questions and offer fresh insights into Japan's artistic traditions. Featuring 26 objects, mostly from the 15th to the 18th century, from Buddhist paintings and sculptures to woodblock prints, folding screens, and bronze, ceramic, and porcelain objects, most with short descriptive text. Choose the Standard Tour option under Virtual Gallery for a list of featured objects. Number 12 on this list is a 14th-century sculpture thought to represent Prince Shotoku (r. 593-622), and the accompanying text discusses his significance as a cultural icon. Also included in the Bibliography section is a link to "A Reader's Guide to the Arts of Japan," an online resource featuring more than 450 annotations on the best publications on Japanese Art, organized by medium and period, and fully searchable.

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/arts/japan/index.html
 
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens: Garden Guide
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
An introduction to the Japanese gardens at the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida -- "a series of six diverse gardens, each inspired by a different historical period and type of Japanese garden." Download the GARDEN GUIDE (.pdf) at the top of the page or select from the menu at the top left for more in-depth information about the gardens, a statement from the gardens' designer, and a Bonsai exhibit (with photographs). Also see the EDUCATION section for information about the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Go to Museum Resource: https://morikami.org/roji-en/#tab-1
 
Muromachi Period (1392–1573)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of cultural and artistic developments during the Muromachi period, when members of the Ashikaga family occupied the position of shogun. The Muromachi era was characterized by social and political upheaval, but it was also a time of economic and artistic innovation. With 6 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/muro/hd_muro.htm
 
Muromachi Period, 1392-1573
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"Following the fall of the Kamakura military government, the Ashikaga family established a new military a regime in Kyoto." A brief one-paragraph overview, with three objects representative of the period.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-muromachi-period.cfm
 
Museum Dictionary: A Young Person's Guide to the Collections of the Kyoto National Museum
Kyoto National Museum
"Museum Dictionary: A Young Person's Guide to the Collections of the Kyoto National Museum": excellent teaching resource for students of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean art. Images enlarge, text in story format.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/index.html
 
Nagoya TV Ukiyo-e Museum
Nagoya Broadcasting Network
A virtual museum of ukiyo-e prints from the collection of the Nagoya Broadcasting Network. "The collection not only contains prints beginning with Hishikawa Moronobu, who is considered to be the founder of Ukiyo-e, going all the way to prints from around the end of the Edo Period, but also contains local prints such as Kamigata-e, Nagasaki-e, Yokohama-e Kaika-e (blossoming prints), as well as more recent prints from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. As the works vary in diversity, one is able to trace the history of wood-block prints since the Edo Period." Select ENTER THE COLLECTION TO see works by a particular artist; select LIST OF THE COLLECTION to see works in a particular subject area (select from PORTRAIT, LANDSCAPE, KABUKI & SUMO, and ECCENTRIC CHARACTERS at the top of the page). With descriptions in Japanese and English.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.nagoyatv.com/ukiyoe/
 
National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
The United States National Arboretum
"The miniature masterpieces that we call bonsai and penjing are the pinnacle of gardening skill, and the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum has one of the largest collections of these timeless trees in North America. The Japanese art of bonsai, and its precursor, the Chinese art of penjing, are rooted in the traditions of Asian culture. The placement of branches, styling, and the pot all convey deep symbolism and reverence for nature." One-page historical background about the museum. Select BONSAI VIRTUAL TOUR for a 38-slide presentation that guides the visitor through the museum.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.usna.usda.gov/discover/gardens-collections/national-bonsai-penjing-...
 
Nature and Art in Asia [PDF]
Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida
Family guide to works from China, Japan, and India.

Go to Museum Resource: http://harn.ufl.edu/linkedfiles/publication-asianfamilyguide.pdf
 
Nature of the Beast: Animals in Japanese Paintings and Prints
Pacific Asia Museum of USC
Paintings and prints from the Edo period to the late 20th century. The inclusion of characters such as Godjira (Godzilla), Doraemon, and the Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke makes this an especially fun unit for students. Text essays with images on the following topics: 1) Tradition; 2) Reality; 3) Imagination. With an Edo-period timeline, glossary of related terms, lesson plans for teachers, and a "Random Monster Generator" activity for students.

Go to Museum Resource: https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/exhibitions/past/online-exhibition-nature-of-...
 
Netsuke: From Fashion Fobs to Coveted Collectibles
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
An introduction to the netsuke, a decorative accessory worn with the kimono since the 17th century. With images of 15 related objects.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nets/hd_nets.htm
 
The New Way of Tea
Asia Society
Online presentation of a 2002 exhibition about chanoyu, the Japanese way of tea. Includes good background text on the history, principles, and process of the tea ceremony, as well as images of tea rooms and utensils from the exhibition.

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/arts/newwayoftea/index.html
 
Nitobe Memorial Garden
University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
Garden honoring the memory of Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933), "agriculturalist, scholar, Quaker, philosopher, statesman, educator ... [who] devoted much of his life to promoting trust and understanding between the United States and Japan.] See the FOR THE SCHOLAR section for information about Inazo Nitobe, the tea house of the Nitobe Garden, the symbolism of lanterns like the ones seen at the Nitobe garden, and more.

Go to Museum Resource: https://botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/visit/nitobe-memorial-garden/
 
The Noguchi Museum
The Noguchi Museum
A comprehensive resource about the life and work of the Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi (b. Los Angeles, 1904; d. New York, 1988). See NOGUCHI'S LIFE & WORK for images of Noguchi's work, from sculpture and furniture to gardens, fountains, theater sets, monuments, and memorials. The RESEARCH & RESOURCES section has texts by and about Noguchi, available for reading online. See EDUCATION > STUDENTS & TEACHERS for a Curriculum Guide; the PERMANENT COLLECTIONS section features 274 objects from the museum's collection.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.noguchi.org/
 
Noh Costume
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
An introduction to the development of Noh costumes since the 14th century. With images of 10 Edo-period robes from the MMA's collection.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nohc/hd_nohc.htm
 
Noh Theater
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
In this lesson plan "students study the art of the Japanese Noh theater and act out a Noh play. In learning about the history, theatrical elements, music and dance, and costuming, they are also comparing and contrasting these to the other theater elements they have studied involving Greek, Elizabethan and Modern Theater. Students will be assigned or allowed to choose essay questions that they will need to research and answer."

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-9-12/Noh_Theater
 
Oceans: A Sensory Haiku
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
After exploring a virtual ocean with their five senses, students capture the sensory experience by writing haiku, bringing science and creative writing together as one.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-3-4/Oceans
 
On Kawara—Silence
Guggenheim Museum
Online exhibit of "On Kawara—Silence." Through radically restricted means, On Kawara’s work engages the personal and historical consciousness of place and time. Kawara’s practice is often associated with the rise of Conceptual art, yet in its complex wit and philosophical reach, it stands well apart. On Kawara—Silence is the first full representation of Kawara’s output, beginning in 1964 and including every category of work, much of it produced during his travels across the globe. Includes videos, and audio tours. See also: Teaching Materials.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/on-kawara-silence
 
A Picture of Change for a World in Constant Motion
New York Times
An animated and annotated walk through of a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai: “Ejiri in Suruga Province,” from his renowned cycle “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.” Written in 2020 by Jason Farago, an art critic for the New York Times, the charming and informative annotation and enlarged images provide excellent historical background for this period in Tokugawa history and examples of artistic exchange between Japanese and other Western traditions of the time.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/07/arts/design/hokusai-fuji.html?fb...
 
Pictures of the Floating World
Victoria and Albert Museum
"Ukiyo-e means 'Pictures of the Floating World.' Images of everyday Japan mass-produced for popular consumption in the Edo period (1615-1868), they represent one of the high points of Japanese cultural achievement." A special feature on ukiyo-e discussing the following topics: 1) What are Ukiyo-e?; 2) The Production Process; 3) Popular Themes in Ukiyo-e Prints; and 4) Fan Prints; plus a selection of 30 prints with descriptions.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/u/ukiyo-e-pictures-of-the-floating-world/
 
Poetic Imagination in Japanese Art
Portland Art Museum
Poetic Imagination in Japanese Art focuses on one of the great strengths of the Cowleses’ holdings: visual art closely tied to poetic traditions. Poetry, painting, and calligraphy have always been deeply intertwined in East Asia, but in Japan the nature and meaning of those relationships have evolved over time, responding to larger cultural changes. The artworks in this exhibition, spanning the eighth to 20th centuries, illuminate the central role of poetry in the visual arts across time and in diverse social contexts.”

Go to Museum Resource: https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/poetic-imagination-in-japanese-art/
 
Popular Protest in Postwar Japan: The Antiwar Art of Shikoku Gorō
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
This online exhibit, organized by Oberlin College faculty professor Ann Sherif, situates the art of Hiroshima native Shikoku Gorō in the context of antiwar, antinuclear, and social justice movements from 1945 to 2020. The exhibit guides viewers through the diverse art that Shikoku, in collaboration with grassroots networks of artists & writers, created to promote social justice: guerilla art protesting the Korean War, poems against the nuclear arms race, a children’s book about war, cityscapes critiquing Hiroshima’s wartime past, and recent performing arts that trace this activist history.

Go to Museum Resource: http://scalar.oberlincollegelibrary.org/shikoku/index
 
Portland Japanese Garden: Guide to the Gardens
Portland Japanese Garden
Guide to the five distinct garden styles represented at the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon: 1) Flat Garden; 2) Strolling Pond Garden; 3) Tea Garden; 4) Natural Garden; 5) Sand and Stone Garden. Brief text and a small photograph under each style section, plus a general history of the gardens (under BACKGROUND). Also see the ARTICLES section for texts about Japanese culture.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.japanesegarden.com/gardens/
 
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Fine Prints, Japanese, pre-1915
Library of Congress
"The Library's Prints and Photographs Division houses more than 2,500 woodblock prints and drawings by Japanese artists of the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries including Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Sadahide, and Yoshiiku. ... About seventy percent of the collection is currently available online." The BACKGROUND AND SCOPE section has selections from the collection organized into the following categories: Actors; Women; Landscapes; Scenes from Japanese Literature; Daily Life; Views of Western Foreigners. Also with brief discussions of ukiyo-e and Yokohama-e prints, the latter being the images of foreigners in the port city of Yokohama produced by Japanese artists following the 1852-54 expedition of Commodore Matthew Perry (1794-1858).

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/jpd
 
Red-haired Barbarians: The Dutch and Other Foreigners in Nagasaki and Yokohama, 1800-1865
International Institute of Social History
"From the 1630s to the middle of the nineteenth century, Japan was practically closed to foreigners. The only Westerners allowed to stay in Japan and engage in trade were the Dutch. They had to submit to very strict regulations, however, and were only allowed to live on Deshima, a small artificial island in Nagasaki harbor. This is a digital exhibition of a collection of 40 Japanese woodblock prints published between 1800 and 1865, depicting Dutch traders in Nagasaki."

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.iisg.nl/exhibitions/japaneseprints/
 
Red Luster (Lacquer)
The Newark Museum
Much of East Asia Lacquer is made from a toxic resin produced by the so-called ‘varnish tree’ (Toxicodendron vernicifluum, formerly identified as Rhus vernicifluum) native to parts of China that also grows in areas of Korea and Japan. Initially, this tree’s resin is processed into a liquid that may be applied over any surface such as woods, metals, cloth, ceramics, baskets, shells, and so forth. To maximize lacquer’s significant protective coating, multiple thin layers are applied and each layer must fully dry before the next is added. Drying is carefully controlled to prevent cracking that would weaken the functional and decorative properties. Raw lacquer dries into a naturally dark color. Adding opaque minerals, such as cinnabar reds (mercury sulfide), orpiment yellows (arsenic sulfate), and malachite greens (copper carbonate) creates colored lacquers. In different processing stages, lacquer can be worked in a variety of techniques.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.newarkmuseum.org/red-luster
 
Rinpa Painting Style
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to the Rinpa school of painting, which was "a key part of the revival in the Edo period of indigenous Japanese artistic interests described by the term yamato-e." With 5 related artworks and links to related essays about yamato-e painting and seasonal imagery in Japanese art.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rinp/hd_rinp.htm
 
Samurai
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to the bushi or samurai of Japan. With 3 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/samu/hd_samu.htm
 
The Samurai (Vocabulary)
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
A guide to Medieval Japan and Samurai terms both online and as a download Word Doc.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/the-samurai-vocabulary/
 
Samurai Warrior Codes: Comparing Perspectives from the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Edo Periods
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The term, bushido, is often used to describe the samurai warrior code during medieval and modern times. The definition refers to a late 19th century description and was actually quite different than codes from earlier times. Compare warrior codes from different times with the modern definition of bushido. Then, choose which code you think matches the samurai in the screen painting, the Battles at Ichi-no-tani and Yashima, from The Tale of the Heike. Downloads include a Lesson Plan, slide show, and Student Handout.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/samurai-warrior-codes-comparing-perspe...
 
Samurai War Tales: Battle of Awazugahara, from The Tale of the Heike
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Based on real events from the 900s to 1600s and then embellished over time to create powerful narratives full of good storytelling, sympathetic characters, and poignant and stirring events, War Tales provide information and insights into the lives of Japans warriors. The Tale of the Heike is among Japan’s most celebrated war tales. It traces the rise, brief glory, and fall of the Taira clan (also known as the Heike clan). “This scene illustrates an episode from the chapter 'The End of the Life of Kiso Yoshinaka' in The Tale of the Heike, a thirteenth-century recounting of the wars between two powerful clans, the Heike and the Genji (also called the Taira and the Minamoto).” Also see the video “The Samurai and the Storyteller” and Battles at Ichi-no-tani and Yashima.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/battle-of-awazugahara-from-the-tale-of...
 
Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions Annotated
Princeton University Art Museum
This site allows you to view individual scenes depicting the Mongol Invasions of Japan. Takezaki Suenaga, a warrior who fought against the Mongols in both 1274 and 1281, commissioned scrolls recounting his actions. This unique record of the invasions, and important eyewitness account, was heavily damaged in the ensuing centuries – according to lore they were even once dropped into the ocean! By the time of their rediscovery in the eighteenth century, the scenes and text of the scrolls were scattered into separate sheets. See also the partner site: Mongol Invasions of Japan - 1274 and 1281.

Go to Museum Resource: http://digital.princeton.edu/annotatedscrolls/
 
Seasonal Imagery in Japanese Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A discussion of seasonal imagery in Japanese art, with an emphasis on the importance of Shinto, Zen Buddhism, and poetry. With 9 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/seim/hd_seim.htm
 
Selling Shiseido: Cosmetics Advertising & Design in Early 20th-century Japan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"The 20th-century history of the Shiseido cosmetics company provides a vivid image of the efflorescence of modernity in Japan—reflecting the changing ideals of feminine beauty, the emergence of a vibrant consumer culture, cutting-edge trends in advertising and packaging, and the persistence of cosmopolitan ideals even in the midst of the rise of militarism in the 1930s. This unit draws on Shiseido’s vast archives, focusing on the marketing of concepts of modern beauty from the 1920s through 1943, when wartime exigencies eventually curtailed the promotion of an international aesthetic of worldly chic." With an in-depth essay by Gennifer Weisenfeld, professor of art history at Duke University.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/shiseido_01/index.html
 
Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Asia Society
"The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were a group of Chinese learned men from the third century CE. During a time of political upheaval, the group distanced themselves from governmental service, choosing instead to spend time engaged in Daoist-inspired discussions, poetry, and music, sometimes while inebriated. ... Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, featuring traditional works of art from China and Japan, has been organized to accompany and provide some cultural context for Asia Society’s exhibition of Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest, the contemporary video work by Chinese artist Yang Fudong."

Go to Museum Resource: https://asiasociety.org/new-york/exhibitions/seven-sages-bamboo-grove
 
Shintaro-san of the Mountain: Mountains, Minyo, and Japanese Culture
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
This tutorial provides an introductory view into Japanese traditional ballads or folksongs, known as minyo, and folktales involving the cultural heritage of Japanese mountains. Basic background of Japanese traditional music and Japanese mountain folklore will be discussed; musical activities, experiences, and stories support this lesson.

Go to Museum Resource: https://folkways.si.edu/shintaro-san-of-the-mountain-mountains-minyo-and-japane...
 
Shintō
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to Shintō. With 4 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shin/hd_shin.htm
 
Shintō
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
A brief introduction to Shintō. With one related artwork.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/japan-shinto.cfm.html
 
Shofuso, Japanese House and Garden: Historical Narrative
Shofuso, Japanese House and Garden
An in-depth history of Shofuso, a traditional Shoin-zukuri Japanese house in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. See Chapter 9 for description of the Shoin style. Also see the PHOTO GALLERY and VIRTUAL TOUR sections for photographs of the house and gardens.

Go to Museum Resource: http://japanphilly.org/shofuso/
 
Shoguns and Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A discussion of shoguns and their role in the artistic and cultural history of Japan from the late 12th century until the end of the Edo period (1868). With 9 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shga/hd_shga.htm
 
The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 in Woodblock Prints from China and Japan
The British Library
Produced in conjunction with theJapan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR), this web exhibition “The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895: as seen in prints and archives” has been produced as a collaboration between the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) and the British Library. Its aim is to bring together the collection of prints of the Sino-Japanese War held by the British Library and documents made public by JACAR to show how the events of the Sino-Japanese War were depicted and recorded by the people of the time. Both the Japanese and the Chinese prints included in this special web exhibition were produced at the time of the Sino-Japanese War to show the people of their respective countries what the war was like, a role played nowadays by news photographs. Therefore each country had a tendency to portray its own soldiers as strong and brave, but those of the opposing country as weak and small. Moreover many of the depictions seem to be based not on actual observation of the locations or events but on hearsay. Indeed some of them show scenes which could not have happened. From this it is clearly evident that these works were intended as propaganda at the time.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.jacar.go.jp/english/jacarbl-fsjwar-e/index.html
 
Soran Bushi: Exploring Japanese Work Song
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Soran Bushi, a Japanese work song, allows for exploration into Japanese culture (work song/environment/nature) as well as exploration in creative composition/arranging. This unit takes students on an aural journey from the boats of the Hokkaido fishermen to their own perspective & interpretation, giving students a sense of pulse and rhythm as they compose and arrange, inspired by Japanese traditional music.

Go to Museum Resource: https://folkways.si.edu/soran-bushi-exploring-japanese-work-song/music/tools-fo...
 
Sotatsu’s Waves at Matsushima (Teaching poster) [PDF]
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Tawaraya Sōtatsu (act. ca. 1600–40). Japan, early 1600s. Pair of six-panel folding screens. Ink, color, gold, and silver on paper.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.freersackler.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/education-sotatsu.pdf
 
The Spiritual Life of a Samurai: Meditation and Brushpainting
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Students will discuss the ways in which spiritual belief supported and enhanced the military func¬tion and cultural values of the samurai. They will experience this practice through an ink painting activity. Downloads include lesson plan, slide show, and glossary. See also Code of the Samurai in Art and Literature.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/the-spiritual-life-of-the-samurai-medi...
 
The Spread of Buddhism Across Asia
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Understand, through the analysis of artifacts and maps, how Buddhism changed as it spread across Asia and came to reflect the countries that embraced it. Downloads include a slideshow and handout on Buddhist artifacts and a lesson plan.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/the-spread-of-buddhism-across-asia/
 
Steeped in History: The Art of Tea [PDF]
Fowler Museum at UCLA
"Throughout its history tea has been a prevalent theme in the visual arts—scenes of tea embellish ceramics and textiles and are the subject of paintings and drawings, and all manner of vessels have been fashioned for the preparation and presentation of tea. Steeped in History brings together rare Chinese ceramics and paintings, 18th- and 19th-century Japanese ceramics and prints, extraordinary English and Colonial American paintings, vintage photographs and historical documents, tea-serving paraphernalia and furniture from many countries, and much more —to tell the fascinating history of tea." This curriculum guide to the exhibition includes five lessons corresponding to the five themes of the exhibition: 1) China, Cradle of Tea Culture; 2) The Way of Tea in Japan; 3) Tea Craze in the West; 4) Tea and Empire; 5) Tea—Parties and Poetry.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.international.ucla.edu/media/files/Fowler_tea_curriculum.pdf
 
The Symbol of the Dragon and the Tiger in Chinese and Japanese Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson plan looks at the dragon and the tiger, symbols of power, are portrayed in the art of China and Japan.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/symbol-dragon-and-tiger-chinese-...
 
Takezaki Suenaga's Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan
Bowdoin College
This excellent interactive website is now hosted on Princeton University.

Go to Museum Resource: http://digital.princeton.edu/annotatedscrolls/
 
Tan Tan Bo – Character in Art by Murakami [PDF]
The Brooklyn Museum
Educator packet for a special exhibit © Murakami in 2008. With questions for discussion.

Go to Museum Resource: http://s3.amazonaws.com/brooklynmuseum.org-public/education/docs/Murakami_Teach...
 
Teahouse (Chashitsu)
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
With introductory overview and images of this permanent architectural installation at the MIA that replicates the Sa-an, an 18th-century teahouse in the Gyokurin-in, a temple complex within the famous Zen monastery of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto. The CURATOR INTERVIEW section examines aspects of the room in greater detail. There is also a link to another installation -- an audience hall modeled after a formal 17th-century shoin (study) at the Konchi-in temple in Kyoto -- also with an image gallery and curator interview.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/architecture/japanese-teahouse.cfm
 
Theater in China and Japan
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Students will explore then compare and contrast the Chinese (Beijing Opera) and Japanese (Kabuki) forms of theater.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/theater-china-and-japan
 
Throwing Off Asia II: Woodblock Prints of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"The 'Westernization' of Japan included strengthening the military and engaging in major wars against both China and Tsarist Russia. These remarkable propaganda prints illustrate Japan's startling victory in the Sino-Japanese War." See the ESSAY section for an in-depth, illustrated reading of the images from the historical record. See the VISUAL NARRATIVES section for a shorthand view of the unit's primary themes and images. A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Throwing Off Asia II" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_02/index.html
 
Throwing Off Asia I: Woodblock Prints of Domestic "Westernization" (1868-1912)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"The remarkably swift 'Westernization' of Japan in the late-19th and early-20th century was most vividly captured in popular woodblock prints. The images in this unit illustrate the great political, social, cultural, and industrial transformations that took place." See the ESSAY section for an in-depth, illustrated reading of the images from the historical record. See the VISUAL NARRATIVES section for a shorthand view of the unit's primary themes and images. A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Throwing Off Asia I" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_01/index.html
 
Throwing Off Asia lll: Woodblock Prints of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"Meiji Japan’s 'Westernization' culminated in a titanic war against Tsarist Russia that stunned the world and established Japan as a major imperialist power with a firm foothold on the Asian mainland. This unit draws on photographs and rare war prints." See the ESSAY section for an in-depth, illustrated reading of the images from the historical record. See the VISUAL NARRATIVES section for a shorthand view of the unit's primary themes and images. A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Throwing Off Asia III" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_03/index.html
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1000–1400 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"While enjoying a lifestyle of material wealth and cultural elegance in the capital Heian-kyo, the imperial court's political authority enters a period of decline." With a period overview, list of key events, and 10 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Heian (794-1185), Kamakura (1185-1333), Nambokucho (1336-1392), and Muromachi (1392-1573) periods, an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=07®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"From about the fourth century B.C., Jomon culture is gradually superceded by the more advanced Yayoi culture." With a period overview, list of key events, and 4 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Jomon (ca. BCE 10,500-300) and Yayoi (ca. BCE 4thC-3rdC CE) cultures, an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=04®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1400–1600 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are the most turbulent period in Japanese history, as military warlords clash violently and frequently in attempts to increase their own power and territory." With a period overview, list of key events, and 9 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Muromachi (1392-1573) and Momoyama (1573-1615) periods, an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=08®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1–500 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Around the third century A.D., the practice of building sepulchral mounds and burying treasures with the dead is transmitted to Japan from the continent." With a period overview, list of key events, and 7 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Yayoi culture (ca. BCE 4thC-3rdC CE) and the Kofun period (ca. 3rdC-538), an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=05®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1600–1800 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The Edo, also known as the Tokugawa, period is a time of relative peace and stability, following centuries of warfare and disruption." With a period overview, list of key events, and 10 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Momoyama (1573-1615) and Edo (1615-1868) periods, an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=09®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1800–1900 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"In the nineteenth century, Japan experiences a dramatic shift from the conservative, isolationist policies of the shogun-dominated Edo period to the rapid and widespread drive to modernize and engage with the rest of the world that characterizes the Meiji Restoration." With a period overview, list of key events, and 9 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Edo period (1615-1868), an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=10®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 1900 A.D.–present
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The twentieth century is a turbulent time in Japan, as the country vacillates between unprecedented heights of power and wealth and the depths of poverty and devastation." With a period overview, list of key events, and 10 related artworks. Also has links to an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=11®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 2000–1000 B.C.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The people of this period live primarily in the foothills and along the coast." With a period overview, list of key events, and 4 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about Jomon Culture (ca. BCE 10,500-300), an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=03®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 500–1000 A.D.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The introduction of Buddhism to the Japanese archipelago from China and Korea in the sixth century causes momentous changes amounting to a fundamentally different way of life for the Japanese." With a period overview, list of key events, and 5 related artworks. Also has links to additional information about the Kofun (ca. 3rdC-538), Asuka (538-710), Nara (710-794), and Heian (794-1185) periods, an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06®ion=eaj
 
Timeline of Art History: Japan, 8000–2000 B.C.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Japan's Neolithic Age coincides with a long period of climatic warming that begins about 10,000 B.C. and causes sea levels to rise—separating the Japanese archipelago from the Asian continent." With a period overview, list of key events, and 1 related artwork. Also has links to additional information about Jomon Culture (ca. BCE 10,500-300), an abridged list of rulers in Japan, and timelines of China and Korea during this time.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=02®ion=eaj
 
Tokyo Modern: Koizumi Kishio's "100 Views" of the Imperial Capital (1928-1940)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"100 Views of Great Tokyo in the Shōwa Era, a series of woodblock prints produced between 1928 and 1940 by Koizumi Kishio, explore the rebirth of Tokyo in the years following the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923. Koizumi’s prints depict the transformation of an important Asian city as it embraced modernity, maintained traditions, and became the site of ultimately disastrous political policies. In addition, Koizumi was a member of a new, modern printmaking movement in Japan known as sōsaku-hanga or 'creative printmaking.'" With an in-depth essay by James T. Ulak, deputy director of the Freer/Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/tokyo_modern_01/index.html
 
Traditional Dress from East Asia
Victoria and Albert Museum
An introduction to the traditional clothing of Japan, China, and Korea. With four examples and two patterns (for a kimono and a dragon robe).

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/traditional-dress-from-east-asia/
 
Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth-Century Japan
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Online presentation of a 2003-2004 exhibition that "explores the genesis of the dramatic stylistic changes in Japanese art during the brief but brilliant Momoyama period (1573–1615), which witnessed the struggles of ambitious warlords for control of the long-splintered country and Japan’s first encounter with the West. ... Serving the last two leaders [of the period] as warrior and tea master—or cultural adviser—was Furuta Oribe (1543/44–1615), who left an indelible mark on the aesthetics of the period." Featuring related artworks with descriptions, organized by medium (genre painting on folding screens and hanging scrolls; ceramics for the tea ceremony; lacquerware; and tsujigahana textiles for garments worn by the society's elite). Images and maps available in the publication of the exhibit.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2003/oribe/
 
Ukiyo-E
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
"During the Edo Period (1615-1868), a uniquely Japanese art form developed known as ukiyo-e, or 'pictures of the floating world.' A Buddhist concept, ukiyo originally suggested the sadness (uki) of life (yo). But during the peace and prosperity of the 17th century, another ideograph, also pronounced uki but meaning "to float," emerged. Instead of connoting sadness, ukiyo came to be associated with the momentary, worldly pleasures of Japan's rising middle class." Brief introductory text and 362 prints from the MIA collection, plus a short video (Pictures of the Floating World) and two featured collections of images: 1) Images of Women by Kitagawa Utamaro; 2) Rain in Woodblock Prints.

Go to Museum Resource: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/explore/explore-collection-ukiyo-e.cfm
 
Ukiyo-e: Japanese Prints Depicting the Floating World
The Cleveland Museum of Art
This lesson plan examines the significance and popularity of the ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints during the Edo period (1615-1868).

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/ukiyo-e-japanese-prints-depictin...
 
Ukiyo-e Painting and Prints: The Late Period
The British Museum
A short introduction to color woodblock printing in late-18th-century Japan. Now hosted on Google Arts & Culture.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsandculture.google.com/usergallery/ywLSLgE3paUOIg
 
Uses of Gold in Japanese Paintings
Kyoto National Museum
Gold has traditionally been a sacred color associated with deities and Buddhist beings. Gold also represents the bright rays of light that illuminate our world. Artists used either gold leaf or gold paint depending on the desired “light” effect, and employed many different techniques—such as kirikane (gold foil is cut into strips or other desired shapes and affixed to objects to be decorated)—for their application. Among the objects in the Kyoto National Museum’s collection are works demonstrating the fascinating and richly varied effect of gold on Japanese art. Museum content on Google Arts & Culture.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/use-of-gold-in-paintings-kyoto-nation...
 
Using Mystery Objects to Draw Conclusions about Ancient Chinese and Japanese Culture
The Cleveland Museum of Art
In this lesson, students use art to draw conclusions about ancient Chinese and Japanese civilizations and cultures.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.clevelandart.org/lesson-plan-packet/using-mystery-objects-draw-concl...
 
Visions of Enlightenment: Arts of Buddhism
Pacific Asia Museum of USC
An excellent site for students, with many additional resources for teachers. Text essays with images on the following four topics: 1) The Perfected One: The Buddha; 2) Compassionate Beings: Bodhisattvas, Deities, Guardians, Holy Men; 3) Buddhist Places; and 4) Signs, Symbols, Ritual Objects. Also features an extensive glossary of Buddhist-related terms and an excellent interactive map and timeline outlining the life of the Buddha and the spread of Buddhism. Teaching unit at the link below. See also Introduction.

Go to Museum Resource: https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/exhibitions/past/exhibitions-at-usc-pam-prior...
 
Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to the development of the ukiyo-e style in woodblock printing, with a focus on the technical aspects of polychrome printing. With 11 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ukiy/hd_ukiy.htm
 
The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Online presentation of a 2002-2003 exhibition. "The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection ... traces the evolution of Japanese calligraphy from the Nara period (710–784) through the 19th century." With images of 10 related artworks.

Go to Museum Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2002/sylvan-barnet-and-william-b...
 
The Yamato Colony: Pioneering Japanese in Florida
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
"Yamato —an ancient name for the country of Japan. Why do we find the name here in Palm Beach County? Because Yamato, Florida, was a small community where Japanese farmers once lived. The story of Yamato begins with Jo Sakai's visit to Florida in 1903." Online presentation of a permanent exhibition at the Morikami Museum in Florida. Informative text with a few small historical photographs.

Go to Museum Resource: https://morikami.org/yamato-island/
 
Yayoi Culture (ca. 4th century B.C.–3rd century A.D.)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief overview of cultural developments during the Yayoi period. With 3 related artifacts.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/yayo/hd_yayo.htm
 
Yellow Promise/Yellow Peril: Foreign Postcards of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"Imperial Japan’s 1904-5 war against Tsarist Russia changed the global balance of power. The first war to be depicted internationally in postcards, it is captured here in these dramatic images." See the ESSAY section for an in-depth, illustrated reading of the images from the historical record. See the VISUAL NARRATIVES section for a shorthand view of the unit's primary themes and images. A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Yellow Promise/Yellow Peril" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/yellow_promise_yellow_peril/index.html
 
Yokohama Boomtown: Foreigners in Treaty-Port Japan (1859-1872)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visualizing Cultures
"This window on the imagined life of foreigners in Japan at the dawn of the modern era is based on the catalogue of the 1990 exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Yokohama: Prints from Nineteenth-Century Japan, by Ann Yonemura." The ESSAY section provides historical background and analysis; the VISUAL NARRATIVES section "enables the user to scroll through two sequences of Yokohama prints" -- one sequence telling the story of foreign settlement in Yokohama, the other surveying the scene through the work of woodblock artist Sadahide. A CURRICULUM section for teachers and students can be found under the "Yokohama Boomtown" menu at the top of the page.

Go to Museum Resource: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/yokohama/index.html
 
Yoshihiro Suda: In Focus
Asia Society
"Asia Society is pleased to present the first solo New York museum exhibition of Yoshihiro Suda (born 1969, Japan), a Japanese contemporary artist known for his hyper-realistic sculptures of plants and flowers created in the tradition of Japanese wood carving. ... Through the juxtaposition and installation of his new work with traditional works, Suda questions the way we view objects, in both nature and museums."

Go to Museum Resource: http://sites.asiasociety.org/suda/
 
You Too Can Haiku
The Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge
This lesson will introduce students to the Japanese poetic form called haiku.

Go to Museum Resource: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-3-4/You_too_can_Hai...
 
Zen Buddhism
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A brief introduction to Zen Buddhism and its influence on Japanese culture and art.

Go to Museum Resource: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zen/hd_zen.htm
 
Zen Buddhism
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
An introduction to Zen, a form of Buddhism that emphasizes seeking one’s own Buddha nature through meditation. Download a Zen glossary and activity.

Go to Museum Resource: https://education.asianart.org/resources/zen-buddhism/
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