Decorative and applied arts of Japan general characteristics. Japanese arts and crafts

Japan is an amazing country, which very carefully honors and preserves its customs and traditions. Japanese handicraft just as diverse and amazing. In this article, the main handicraft arts, whose homeland is Japan - amigurumi, kanzashi, temari, mizuhiki, oshie, kinusaiga, terimen, furoshiki, kumihimo, sashiko. You've probably heard about some types, maybe you yourself have started creating using this technique, some are not so popular outside of Japan itself. A distinctive feature of Japanese handicraft is accuracy, patience and perseverance, although... most likely these features can be attributed to world handicraft).

Amigurumi - Japanese knitted toys

Japanese kanzashi - fabric flowers

Temari - the ancient Japanese art of embroidering balls

In the photo there are temari balls (Author of embroidery: Kondakova Larisa Aleksandrovna)

- the ancient Japanese art of embroidering balls, which has won many fans all over the world. True, Temari’s homeland is China; this handicraft was brought to Japan about 600 years ago. Initially temari were made for children using the remains of old ones; with the invention of rubber, braiding balls began to be considered a decorative and applied art. Temari as a gift symbolizes friendship and devotion, it is also believed that they bring good luck and happiness. In Japan, a temari professional is considered to be a person who has passed 4 levels of skill; to do this, you need to weave 150 temari balls and study for about 6 years!

Another thriving type of Japanese applied art, its technology is reminiscent of macrame weaving, but more elegant and miniature.

So what is it mizuhiki- this art of tying various knots from cords, as a result of which stunningly beautiful patterns are created, has its roots in the 18th century.

The scope of application is also varied - cards, letters, hairstyles, handbags, gift wrapping. By the way, it is thanks to gift wrapping mizuhiki have become widespread. After all, gifts are due for every event in a person’s life. There is such a huge number of knots and compositions in mizuhiki that not even every Japanese knows them all by heart; along with this, there are also the most common basic knots that are used to congratulate the birth of a child, for a wedding, funeral, birthday or admission to university.

- Japanese handmade on creating three-dimensional paintings from cardboard and fabric or paper using appliqué technology. This type of needlework is very popular in Japan; here in Russia it has not yet become particularly widespread, although learning how to create paintings using oshie technique very simple. To create oshie paintings, you need Japanese washi paper (which is based on the fibers of mulberry, gampi, mitsumata and a number of other plants), fabrics, cardboard, batting, glue, and scissors.

The use of Japanese materials - fabric and paper in this form of art is fundamental, because washi paper, for example, in its properties resembles fabric, and, therefore, is stronger and more flexible than ordinary paper. As for the fabric, the fabric from which it is sewn is used. Of course, Japanese craftswomen did not specifically buy new fabric for oshie; they gave their old kimonos a new life, using it to create paintings. Traditionally, osie paintings depicted children in national costumes and scenes from fairy tales.

Before you start working, you need to choose a design for the picture, such that all its elements have a finished, clear look, all lines should be closed, like in a children's coloring book. Briefly, the technology for creating oshie is as follows: each cardboard element of the design is wrapped in fabric, and batting is first glued onto the cardboard. The batting gives volume to the painting.

combined several techniques at once: wood carving, patchwork, applique, mosaic. To create a picture of a kinusaiga, you first need to make a sketch on paper, then transfer it to a wooden board. Indentations, a kind of grooves, are made on the board along the contour of the design. After that, small shreds are cut from an old silk kimono, which then fill the cut grooves on the board. The resulting picture of kinusaiga amazes with its beauty and realism.

- Japanese art of folding fabric, the history of its appearance and the main methods of packaging in this technique can be read. Using this technique for packaging is beautiful, profitable, and convenient. And in the Japanese computer equipment market there is a new trend - laptops packaged in the style Furoshiki. Agree, very original!

(Chirimen craft) - antique japanese handicraft, which originated in the era of late Japanese feudalism. The essence of this arts and crafts is the creation of toy figures from fabric, mainly the embodiment of animals and plants. This is a purely female type of needlework; Japanese men are not supposed to do it. In the 17th century, one of the directions of “terimen” was the production of decorative bags into which aromatic substances were placed, worn with oneself (like perfume) or used to scent fresh linen (a kind of Sachet). Currently theremen figurines used as decorative elements in the interior of the house. To create terimen figures, you don’t need any special preparation; all you need is fabric, scissors and a lot of patience.

- one of the most ancient types of lace weaving, the first mentions date back to the year 50. Translated from Japanese kumi - folding, himo - threads (folding threads). Laces were used both for functional purposes - fastening samurai weapons, tying armor on horses, tying together heavy objects, and for decorative purposes - tying a kimono (obi) belt, wrapping gifts. Weave kumihimo laces mainly on machines, there are two types, takadai and marudai, when using the first, flat cords are obtained, while when using the second, round cords are obtained.

- simple and elegant japanese handicraft, somewhat similar to patchwork. Sashiko- This is a simple and at the same time exquisite hand embroidery. Translated from Japanese, the word “sashiko” means “small puncture”, which fully characterizes the technique of making stitches. The literal translation from Japanese of the word “sashiko” means “great luck, happiness.” This ancient embroidery technique owes its appearance to... the poverty of rural residents of Japan. Unable to replace old, worn clothes with new ones (fabric was very expensive in those days), they came up with a way to “restore” them using embroidery. Initially, sashiko patterns were used for quilting and insulating clothing; poor women folded worn fabric in several layers and joined it using the sashiko technique, thus creating one warm quilted jacket. Currently, sashiko is widely used for decorative purposes. Traditionally, patterns were embroidered on fabrics of dark, mostly blue, tones using white thread. It was believed that clothing embroidered with symbolic designs protected against evil spirits.

Basic principles of sashiko:
Contrast of fabric and thread - the traditional color of the fabric is dark blue, indigo, the color of the threads is white, a combination of black and white colors was often used. Nowadays, of course, the color palette is not strictly adhered to.
The stitches should never intersect at the intersections of the ornament; there should be a distance between them.
The stitches should be the same size, the distance between them should also not be uneven.

For this type of embroidery, a special needle is used (similar to a sewing machine needle). The desired design is applied to the fabric and then a needle and thread are inserted; a small loop should remain on the inside. This embroidery is characterized by speed of work; the difficulty lies only in the ability to apply strokes and mix colors. Entire pictures are embroidered this way, the main thing is to choose the threads to get a realistic drawing. The threads used for work are not quite ordinary ones - it is a special “cord” that unravels during work and due to this, a very beautiful and unusual stitch is obtained.

- translated from Japanese kusuri (medicine) and tama (ball), literally “medicine ball”. The art of kusudama comes from ancient Japanese traditions where kusudama was used for incense and a mixture of dried petals. In general, kusudama is a paper ball consisting of a large number of modules folded from a square sheet of paper (symbolizing flowers).

Japanese traditional art is based on original and original principles. The tastes and preferences of the Japanese are very different from the aesthetic priorities of residents of other countries. Decorative and applied arts in Japan also have their own characteristics.

Decorative works have been created in this country for many centuries. These include ceramic and porcelain products, decorated fabrics and clothes, wood, metal and bone carvings, beautiful weapons and much more.

In general, decorative and applied art has a certain focus. Various products are created not only to aesthetically enjoy their contemplation, but also to be used in everyday life.

And for the Japanese it is very important not only to use works of such art, but also decorate your life, admiring their beauty. The people of Japan have always had a special attitude towards beauty. They imagined that splendor and grace could be conveyed in words. However, beauty was beyond the ordinary world. The whole life of a person was transient; after death, the soul moved to a beautiful and mysterious world.

All of the listed features of the Japanese worldview were reflected in the creation of works of decorative and applied art. Any action accompanied by the use of gizmos specially made for this purpose.

For example, tea or sake They drank from rough and uneven cups. However, it was they who were valued for their beauty, which existed in the other world.

Great Japanese Masters created objects, giving them an aesthetic appearance. Figures - netsuke, boxes - inro, lacquerware, elegant kosode, screens, fans - all this was decorated with artistic taste and grace.

Netsuke - miniature sculpture

Miniature sculptures were used by men to carry a variety of items. A pipe, pouch or purse was attached to the belt of the kimono using netsuke.

Each miniature figurine carried symbolic notes, i.e. meant something.

Professionalism of execution was discernible in Japanese sculptures. By the way, the art of creating netsuke originated relatively recently, in 1603 - 1868 of the year. This period of time in Japan is called Edo.

The most famous artists of that period were Dorakusai(XVIII century), Xiumin(end of the 18th century), Tomotada(XVIII century), Masatsugu(XIX century), Gyokumin(XIX century) and others.

What kind of images were not used to create netsuke. And the daily activities of citizens, and religious ideas, and images of animals. Masters loved to depict heroes of literary works, fairy tales, and famous Japanese warriors.

If before the 19th century one could notice in the sculptures disproportionality of forms and inconsistency with actual images, then later Japanese masters tried to more accurately portray the character and convey his characteristic features. The natural world has become more attractive to netsuke makers.

Over the decades, the technology for creating miniature figurines has been improved.

If at the beginning of the emergence of this trend in the decorative and applied arts of Japan, the material was more often used wood or ivory, then in the 19th century masters began to use porcelain, coral, metal, agate and other materials. Wooden netsuke were necessarily polished with charcoal powder, rubbed with flax oil, and given shine with silk. The process of painting the figures took a more complex path.

Inro - a box for necessary things

The most exquisite things in Japanese arts and crafts are considered to be boxes - more like miniature boxes.

They were part of a woman's or men's costume. If men hung inro, like netsuke, from the belt of a kimono, then women wore them behind their sleeves.

Translated inro is stamp box, which was used to carry various small things. It had several internal branches. The craftsmen who made this kind of product sought to finish the inro with grace and artistic taste. Lacquer painting, mother-of-pearl inlay, and finishing with ivory and precious stones were used, and various techniques for decorating the interior were also used.

Kosode - short sleeve kimono

Kosode It has been known for a long time as a piece of Japanese clothing. However, it was only in the Edo era that short-sleeved kimonos began to be brightly decorated using new fabric dyeing technologies.

Kosode became an object of decorative and applied art. It should be noted that depending on the occasions in a person’s life, the Japanese wore kosode decorated in a certain way. The varied use of silk threads had amazing results. Each kosode represented object of decorative art Japanese people.

Fan as a work of Japanese arts and crafts

Fan also attracted the attention of Japanese masters and became a subject of art. Fan - sensu came to Japan, most likely from China. And already the Japanese masters gave it their own unique, elegant look.

Type of fan - utiva considered a purely Japanese invention. This is a petal fan that was made from a single piece of wood, then covered with expensive silk or paper, onto which beautiful designs were applied.

The subjects of the drawings had different characters. Japanese traditions were visible to the naked eye in every work of art such as a fan.

By the way, the Japanese also created a version of the fan that was also used in combat. As usual, such an item was used when giving instructions on the battlefield. A certain type of decoration accompanied this fan. More often it depicted a red circle on a yellow background on one side, and a yellow circle on a red background on the other.

Japanese artistic sword

The aesthetic principles of Japanese arts and crafts were fully expressed in the manufacture and decoration of artistic swords.

M ech is a special object of worship for the Japanese, and various materials and techniques were used to create it.

Japanese sword not only elegant in its form. The special structure of the steel, the shining line of the blade, the surface of which was carefully polished, characterizes such an object as the highest work of Japanese art. Some blades were also decorated with relief figures of dragons, samurai coats of arms, and trimmed with hieroglyphs.

In Japan there were gunsmith schools, who made various combat swords, specialized in the artistic decoration of weapons. Such a famous gunsmith as Masamune (endXIIIcentury - beginningXIVcentury) famous throughout Japan for his skill. Many of our contemporaries, connoisseurs of Japanese weaponry, dream of purchasing a sword made by him.

Lacquer and ceramic products

Lacquer products used everywhere in Japan. These include dishes, household utensils, various necessary things for personal care, armor, and even weapons. The houses of noble people were decorated with similar products.

Traditional varnishes The colors used by Japanese craftsmen were red, black and gold. End of the Edo era was marked by the production of green, brown and yellow varnishes. And already at the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese produced white, purple and blue varnish colors. Lacquer painting using gold, mother-of-pearl and silver inlays is the most magnificent way of finishing various products by Japanese craftsmen.

Ceramic products were also the subject of Japanese decorative and applied arts. Many technologies are taken from China and Korea. However, Japanese ceramics is distinguished by the fact that the craftsmen paid great attention not only to such parameters as shape, ornament and color, but also to the sensations the ceramic product will evoke when it comes into contact with the human palm.

Ceramic art products in Japan it is a wide variety of different types of dishes, such as teapots, sake vessels, decorative dishes, pots, and others. Porcelain thin-walled vases are still in demand in Western countries.

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Works of Japanese decorative and applied art traditionally include lacquer, porcelain and ceramics, wood, bone and metal carvings, artistically decorated fabrics and clothing, works of weaponry, etc. The specificity of works of decorative and applied art is as follows: they, as a rule, have a purely practical, utilitarian application, but at the same time they also play a purely aesthetic role, serving as a decoration for a person’s everyday life. The aesthetics of surrounding objects for the Japanese was no less important than their practical purpose: admiring beauty. Moreover, the traditional consciousness of the Japanese is characterized by a special attitude towards beauty as one of the mysteries of the universe. Beauty for the Japanese is a phenomenon that goes beyond the boundaries of our everyday world, which can be described in words and understood with reason.

For the Japanese, despite their extreme practicality and pragmatism in everyday affairs, the everyday, material world was certainly perceived as illusory and transitory. And that beyond its borders there is another, unmanifested world, which fundamentally defies the standards of “common sense” and which cannot be described in words. Higher beings live there, the mystery of life and death is associated with it, as well as many mysteries of existence, including the principles of beauty. That world is reflected in ours, like the moon in the surface of water, echoing in the souls of people with a sharp and poignant feeling of the beautiful and mysterious. Those who are not able to see and appreciate this subtle and multifaceted play of meanings and shades of beauty are considered by the Japanese to be hopeless, rude barbarians.

The practical implementation of traditional aesthetic principles in Japanese decorative and applied arts is reflected in the example of Japanese artistic swords.

For any Japanese, a sword is an object of almost religious worship, mystically connected not only with the fate of the current owner, but also with entire generations of warriors who owned it. Moreover, many swords are considered animate - they have their own soul, their own will, their own character. Since ancient times, the sword has served as a symbol of power, a symbol of the samurai fighting spirit and has been associated with both Shinto and Buddhist cults. The process of forging a sword is equated to a religious sacrament, to a Shinto mystery. When a swordsmith starts forging a sword, he performs strict ritual actions: he fasts, performs cleansing ablutions, and offers prayers to the kami gods, who invisibly help and guide his work. The created sword is infused with the spirit of the kami, so the sword must be flawless in all respects.

The Japanese have a special passion for ceramic products. The earliest of them are known from archaeological excavations and date back to the Jomon period. The development of Japanese ceramics and, later, porcelain was significantly influenced by Chinese and Korean technologies, in particular firing and colored glaze coating. A distinctive feature of Japanese ceramics is that the master paid attention not only to the shape, decorative ornament and color of the product, but also to the tactile sensations that it caused when it came into contact with the palm of a person. In contrast to the Western approach, the Japanese approach to ceramics assumed uneven shape, surface roughness, spreading cracks, glaze streaks, fingerprints of the master and demonstration of the natural texture of the material. Artistic ceramic products include, first of all, bowls for tea ceremonies, teapots, vases, pots, decorative dishes, sake vessels, etc. Porcelain products are mainly thin-walled vases with exquisite decoration, tea and wine sets and various figurines.

Art of Japan

The Japanese did not separate themselves from Nature, the cat is Everything to them. The Japanese are characterized by a view of things as existing in themselves and therefore deserving of reverent attitude towards themselves. Neither in their architecture nor in their art did the Japanese oppose themselves to nature. They sought to create an environment that would correspond to nature, its rhythms and patterns. Art that celebrates the beauty of nature is distinguished by its emotional embodiment of the harmony of nature, soft flowing rhythms and asymmetrically organized composition, sophistication and sophistication of ideas.

The Japanese master creates, obeying his own heart.“The Japanese have turned the whole life of man into art,” wrote Rabindranath Tagore. “For the Japanese, Beauty is Truth, and Truth is Beauty.” Tagore. The Japanese took care of the original. In the Heian era, despite the fascination with China, the principle of the incompatibility of foreign and native makes itself felt. There was no substitution, there was a combination: they took only what enriched their mind and soul. The Japanese would not be Japanese if they did not value their past and know how to enrich it.Ienaga Saburo History of Japanese culture. (1972) Ienaga strives to understand Japanese culture in the synthetic unity of its constituent elements.Grisheleva L.D. Formation of Japanese national culture .(1986) A broad picture of the cultural life of the country: socio-political thought, religion, entertainment and music, visual arts and performance art. art, architecture, everyday culture.Japan: people and culture. At the political map of the world.S.A. Arutyunov, R.Sh. Dzharylgasinova (1991) About other residents of Japan, about the features of Japanese folk architecture, clothing, food, religious views of the Japanese, about family, holidays, rituals.Grigorieva T.P. Born of the beauty of Japan. The book consists of 2 parts. 1 reveals the specific features of Japanese aesthetics and the formation of its culture. In part 2, an anthology of medieval poetry of Japan, classical prose. (1993)

Decorative and applied arts.

Artistic craft and applied arts in Japan are called kogei.
The source of most thin. plans works of art and literature was deeplove of nature . People have long felt its beauty in the most ordinary, small, everyday phenomena. As evidenced by the poems collected in VIIIcentury in the anthology "Man'yoshu" - the oldest poetic monument of Japan - not only flowers, birds, the moon, but also leaves eaten by a worm, moss, stones, withering grass gave impetus to the rich poetic imagination of the people. This heightened sense of the beauty of nature is largely due to the peculiarpicturesque landscapes of the Japanese islands. The pine-covered hills on a sunny day give the impression of bright decorative panels of Yamato-e painting. In cloudy weather, humid air envelops fields, forests, and mountains in a melting silvery haze. The contours of objects are blurry and seem to gradually dissolve in the gray haze. It is no coincidence that Japanese landscapes resemble monochrome paintings, painted with thick black ink and its washes on white silk.Observation and closeness to nature taught the Japanesefeel the material subtly , from cat. a thing is created. Sharp proportionality, which grows from a deep knowledge of the material, helps the master to identify the hidden natural qualities of wood, bamboo, reed, etc. and use them to the greatest effect. Tireless search for thin. expressiveness led to amazingvariety of technology processing of the material, which is another feature of the Japanese deck-prik. willow. In the works of Japanese prik. and the direct practical value of the thing itself was emphasized.Simplicity and rigor - this is ch. distinctive features of the app. islands of Japan. Japanese masters prefer clear, calm forms without any pretentiousness or artificiality.
Developing throughout the twentieth century II century, national Yamato-e painting school , had a huge impact on both the fine and decorative arts of subsequent times. Artists of this school created works on screens, partitions and sliding doors in the palaces of the feudal aristocracy or illustrated chronicles of those times and novels written on long horizontal scrolls and telling about the life and pastime of the court elite. The flatness and generality of the image, the conventionality and bright colors of the features, in the cat. The decorative qualities of Yamato-e painting, which are also characteristic of the applied art of Japan, emerged. The close connection between painting and art. and-va was expressed in the fact that even the most famous artists collaborated with masters of art. and-va, providing them with sketches and samples of ornament and calligraphy. Outstanding artists themselves created products from varnish, metal, ceramics, and porcelain. Therefore, the commonality of plots is not surprising. observed both in works of painting and in the decor of things surrounding the Japanese.Similarity methods in fine and decorative art was expressed, in addition, in the practice of combination in paintings and on household itemsgraphic element with calligraphy. The skillfully written hieroglyphs, as if flowing over the image, making up a short poem or part of it, evoke lit in the viewer. associations and increase the decorative effect. While admiring an object, a Japanese person derives pleasure not only from its appearance, but also from reading and deciphering the cursive writing that complements the composition.

Jomon era.

(stone Age)

Most scientists believe that the Japanese islands were inhabited by humans already during the Paleolithic period (40-12 thousand BC). There is no ceramics in the Paleolithic, therefore Japanese archaeologists sometimes call the Paleolithic the period of non-ceramic culture. The culture of the Neolithic era is rich and diverse, the ancient period of which in Japan was called “Jomon” ( VIIIthousand - first half 1st millennium BC e.). Among the achievements of the Jomon culture, a special place belongs to ceramic vessels that were sculpted without the use of a potter's wheel. The shape of the vessels changed over time.Initially the shape of the vessel was made from branches and grass, then it was coated with clay; when fired, the branches and grass burned, leaving their marks on the walls of the vessels.Later The craftsmen sculpted the vessel and, to prevent it from falling apart, wrapped it with grass rope. (“Jomon” means “rope ornament”). As the Jomon culture developed, the functional purpose of the vessels changed, many of them began to acquire ritual symbolism. Vesselsmiddle and late the Jomon period already resemble sculpture vessels. Ornaments applied with a stick or shell, as well as molded patterns, reflected the complex mythological and aesthetic concept of the worldview of their creators. At this stage, a high technique has already developed. product processing. The complexity of the religious ideas of the Jomon creators is also evidenced by dogu - clay sculptures. Dogu amulets are small in size. They have an oval or rectangular shape and are necessarily decorated with ornaments.

Yayoi culture

(culture of the initial period of the ancient society)

In the middle of Ithousand BC e. Qualitative changes are taking place in the ethnic and cultural history of Japan. The Jomon culture is being replaced by the Yayoi culture. ( III century BC e.-III century n. e.) (There are 2 points of view about the appearance of Yayoi. Some believe that Yayoi grew out of the Jomon. Others that the creators of Yayoi were tribes that migrated from the territory of the Korean Peninsula.)The Han people, who lived on the continent, had already entered the metal age and brought it to the Japanese islands. Japan immediately entered the Bronze and Iron Ages.Yayoi ceramics are unique. What was new was the use of a potter's wheel. The simple, calm, plastic form and pattern of straight lines inherent in Yayoi ceramics have nothing in common with Jomon ceramics, which are distinguished by the variety of shapes and the complexity of the design. Made using a potter's wheel, these vessels are spherical and symmetrical. The designs consist of wavy or straight lines running throughout the vessel. The beauty of the shape of such vessels lies in their geometricity, clear silhouette, and their compliance with their functional purpose. Finally, in the Yayoi era there was a transition from stone tools to bronze, and then to iron. Individual items accompany Yayoi monuments: bronze swords and spears (especially in the north of Kyushu), bronze bells (Kinai).The formation of the ancient Japanese people, which essentially began with the appearance of Yayoi culture carriers on the Japanese Islands, lasted for several centuries (from the 6th-5th centuries BC to the 1st-2nd centuries AD). During the Yayoi period, the features of the economic and cultural type that is inherent in the Japanese to this day and at its core were finally formed. There is intensive arable-irrigated cultivation of rice with the planting of seedlings pre-grown in special areas in the field. Without rice and products made from it, it is impossible to imagine any aspect of Japanese culture and the development of its modern forms. And another important element of culture is related in origin to the Yayoi culture. This element is the Japanese language itself. In terms of basic roots, grammar, and syntax, the Japanese language is related to Korean. It was brought from Korea by settlers, carriers of the Yayoi culture.

Bronze Age.

One of the centers of bronze culture at the turn of our era took shape in the north of Kyushu. The three main symbols of this culture were bronze broad-bladed swords, bronze mirrors and magatama amulets.. ( a bone, and later a jasper or jade pendant of a curved shape, like a “comma”. These three items are still symbols of Japanese imperial power. Perhaps these objects were symbols of the emerging aristocracy. Many broad-bladed swords were found outside the temple fence, perhaps they were offered as sacrifices. Many of the bronze mirrors found have a unique linear ornament on the reverse side, enclosed in encircling ribbons, triangles, and geometric figures. The very appearance of this linear ornament evokes an association with the sun's rays. The population of Northern Kyushu revered mirrors and associated them with the cult of the Sun. To worship the rising Sun, mirrors (along with swords) were hung on tree branches.) Another center of bronze culture in Ancient Japan was in Kinai (Central Honshu). The most interesting monuments of this culture are bronze arrowheads, bracelets and especially bells - dotaku. The earliest bells did not exceed 10 cm in height, and the largest later ones reached 1 m 20 cm. All bells have an oval cross-section and a flat top. Some are completely devoid of decor or have a magical ornament in the form of spiral curls. Most dotaku have an arch at the top, decorated with ornaments. The lower part of the outer surface of the bells is almost always free of ornaments. It seems that this particular part served as a striking surface, and the bell was struck from the outside. It is mysterious that memories of bells have disappeared from people's memory; there are no mentions of them in Japanese myths and legends.(Most of the bells were found in special trenches on the top of the hills. They probably had ritual and magical significance for the worship of Heaven or Mountains. The bells preserved images of boats, a hunting house on high savages.) Archaeological, mythological data, as well as evidence from written sources, allow us to establish that in the process of interaction between these two centers of bronze culture, the process of formation of the ancient Japanese ethnic group began intensively, culminating in the cat. became the Iron Age culture - the Yamato culture.

Yamato.

(Iron Age)

The most important stage in the ethnic history of the ancient Japanese occurred in the first half Ithousand N. e. During this period, the formation of the ancient Japanese ethnos was completed. Yamato Country Society ( III - early VI centuries) stood on the threshold of the formation of statehood. In IV-VIin n. e. Japan was unified politically under the ancient city of Yamato.B IVJapan invaded the Korean Peninsula. The process of perceiving a highly developed continental culture begins. This process is reflected in i-va objects: copper mirrors, gold helmets, gold and silver earrings, silver bracelets, belts, swords,sueki vessels , made on the basis of highly developed pottery techniques imported from the continent.

The culture of the society during the period of the Ritsure law system.

(until XII)

Introduction of Buddhism. Enormous funds are spent on the construction of luxurious temples, the erection of magnificent statues of Buddhas, and the manufacture of temple utensils.A luxurious culture of aristocrats is developing.
Ceramics. Having originated in ancient times, ceramic art in Japan developed, however, extremely slowly.VI-XIcenturies, under the influence of the potters of Korea, Japanese masters switched to firing clay products with a greenish-yellow glaze. Around the same time, products made from real faience appeared - hygroscopic clay, covered with glaze. Until XVIcentury, ceramic production was represented by a few kilns. Roughly fashioned vessels were made of faience, and more often from the so-called. “stone mass” - hard, non-hygroscopic clay, and therefore does not require glaze. Only the town of Seto in Owari province produced products of higher quality. The products were covered with green, yellow and dark brown glaze and were decorated with stamped, carved and applied ornaments. The ceramics of this center were so different from the crude products of other places that they received their own name, setomono.Metal. The Japanese first became acquainted with bronze and iron products imported from the continent at the turn of our era. In subsequent centuries, having improved the methods of mining and processing metals, Japanese craftsmen began to make swords, mirrors, jewelry, and horse harness. WITH beginning in XII century of bloody feudal feuds, the number of blacksmiths-gunsmiths who made armor, swords, etc. increased. The renowned strength and strength of Japanese blades owes much to the gunsmiths of that time, who passed on to their descendants the secrets of forging and hardening swords.Varnish products. The artistic production of lacquer products has reached an exceptional peak in Japan, although the birthplace of lacquer technology is China.Varnish is obtained from the sap of the lacquer tree. They repeatedly cover the previously prepared smooth surface of the base of a product made of wood, fabric, metal or paper. The first reliable information about varnish production in Japan as an art. craft belongs to the heyday of court culture VIII-XIIcenturies. Then the production of architectural details, Buddhist statues, luxury items and household utensils from lacquer, from furniture to chopsticks, became widespread. Over the following centuries, lacquer products became increasingly important in the everyday life of the Japanese people. Products such as dishes, boxes for writing instruments, toilet boxes, hanging boxes on belts, combs and pins, shoes, and furniture began to be widely used.Objects of the maki-e technique are especially elegant: gold or silver powder scattered on the surface is fixed with varnish and then polished. This type of lacquerware was known back in VIII century.

XVI-XVII

Arts and crafts and end XVI – early XVII V. was very diverse, since it met the lifestyle needs of various social networks. layers of society. In d-p i-ve, as in other areas of culture, all the main ideological and aesthetic trends of the time were reflected. New tendencies for ostentatious pomp and excessive embellishment for Japanese culture and culture, associated with the lifestyle and cultural demands of the rapidly rising new military-feudal elite and the rapidly growing rich urban strata, were clearly reflected in the city.Weapon. Weapons occupied a special place in the life of the military class. The main weapon of the samurai was the sword; the quality of the blade and its design were valued. The production of swords was carried out by families of gunsmiths who passed on their skills from generation to generation. The products of different schools differed in proportions, blade shape and quality. Outstanding craftsmen wrote their names on blades, and their products are kept in museum collections to this day. The hilt and scabbard of the blade were decorated by gunsmiths and jewelers. Combat swords were decorated quite strictly, but swords worn with civilian dress were decorated very richly. A flat guard, usually thin, was placed between the blade and the handle. registrationGuard decoration has become a special branch of Japanese art. The intensive development of this i-va began in the second half XVV. An outstanding artist who laid the foundation for a dynasty of craftsmen specializing in sword decoration was the samurai Goto Yujo. The heyday of guard manufacturing is coming to an end XVI- beginning of XVII V. To decorate them, all types of metal processing were used - inlay, carving, notching, relief.At the turn of XVI-XVIIcenturies in the decoration of weapons, as in other types of weapons, features of extravagance began to appear. Parts of the horse harness and scabbards for samurai swords, in violation of steel tradition, are made of ceramics covered with bright glaze. (Furuta Oribe) With the spread of tea and tea ceremonies in XV-XVIIcenturies, a new profession of craftsmen arose who madetea utensils and in particular iron teapots, strict and refined in form, with sparse ornamentation. Varnish products. The lush and flowery tastes of that time were fully embodied in lacquer products, and they received especially significant development as decorative objects. On Lake Biwa there is the island of Chikubu, where a temple has been preserved, which is an example of the use of gold lacquer to decorate the interior of a building. Richly ornamented varnish was also used to make household items and dishes used in ceremonial residences. Among them are all kinds of tables, stands, boxes, boxes, trays, sets of tableware and teaware, pipes, hairpins, powder compacts, etc. These things, richly decorated with gold and silver, clearly embodied the spirit of the Momoyama era. (lacquer master Hon'ami Koetsu). Ceramics. Another stylistic direction in the development of d-p-i-va was associatedwith the Wabi-cha tea ceremony culture . In line with this direction, the production of products from inexpensive materials (bamboo, iron) and ceramics developed, the heyday of which began in the second half of the year. XVI V. Traditional products made from rough ceramics had that simplicity that corresponded to the new ideals of beauty of the tea ceremony. This served as a strong stimulus in the development of Japanese ceramics. This ceramics was close in shape and color to folk products. And since many customers turned away from the slightest floweriness, the beauty of these products was often deliberately gloomy. Masters of ceramic production showed great ingenuity in the shape and color scheme of the glaze. At the turn of XVI-XVIIcenturies a characteristic phenomenon of the time was the process of isolating thin. individuality and the desire of craftsmen to put their name on a manufactured item. Among ceramicists, the first such master was Tejiro. Porcelain. At the end of the XVIV. On Kyushu near Arita, deposits of kaolin and feldspar were found. On this basis, porcelain production began to develop, based on the experience of Chinese and Korean masters.

XVII-XVIII

Wood carving. In the XVII-XVIII in Japan there was significant progress in ornamental carvingtree, the cat has reached a high degree of perfection. It decorated temple buildings, palaces and residences of shoguns, and was widely used in the manufacture of small household items for citizens. A very important area of application for carvers wasmaking masks for the theater but also heads for puppets of the Dzeruri theater. It is believed that the best examples of masks for the theater were created in the 15th-16th centuries, at the time of its heyday, and masks of the 17th-28th centuries. were only an imitation of the old ones, but the imitation was so skillful that they are still used today and are very highly valued.Varnish. Until about the middle of the 17th century. Kyoto remained the main center of development of the city. Started his career thereOgato Korin . He created masterpieces not only of painting, but also of ceramics, lacquerware, fabric painting, fans, etc. Korin’s famous lacquerware products were marked by a special unity of form and decor, smoothly “flowing” from one side of the product to another. The combination of various materials created an unusual surface texture and a rare range of colors. Among other masters of varnish work, he stood outIse Ogawa Haryu . In his works, he widely used inlay with porcelain, ivory, red carved varnish, tortoiseshell, gold, silver, lead and other materials. Ceramics . From the second half of the 17th century. The flourishing of Japanese ceramics began, which had decorative qualities characteristic of the entire period of the country’s isolation. The beginning of this blossoming is associated with creativityNonomura Ninsei . He was born in the province of Tamba. Ninsei is a traditional form of folk pottery from its province, painted with enamel paints. He created a new type of ceramics, purely Japanese in spirit and imagery (ninsei-yaki), used for the tea ceremony. He had a noticeable influence on the development of ceramic production in Kyoto and other provinces.Ogata Kenzan . The fame of his products was brought to him by his paintings. he used the techniques of multicolor painting of the Yamato-e school and restrained monochrome painting with black ink. Porcelain . In the mass of porcelain products, cat. V XVII-XVIIIcenturies was produced throughout the country, there were two main types: expensive, finely painted products from the workshops of Kutani and Nabeshima, and porcelain from Arita and Seto, produced in large series. Workshop productsKutani of the early period had a plastic, uneven shape. Their painting was done using large spots of color and was freely located on the surface of the vessels. Later Kutani porcelain took on dry, patterned forms and decoration. Products Nabeshima usually decorated with the image of a single plant motif, made with underglaze painting, sometimes supplemented with overglaze polychrome painting. Workshops Arita And Seto produced mass products. This dishware was decorated with elegant, decorative compositions of flowers, birds, butterflies, etc. Metal . Significant successes during the period of isolation of the country were noted by thin. metal works. The applied metal parts that decorated the hilt and scabbard of the sword were made by specialist jewelers; as before, the main attention was paid to the manufacture of the guard. Weaving and dyeing. Weaving and dyeing also developed successfully. The most significant development in textile production during this period was the invention of the yuzen-zome dyeing process. This method made it possible to reproduce fine graphic designs on clothing and is still a Japanese-specific type of dyeing.

One of the cultural achievements of Japanese townspeople at the time of the transition from the Middle Ages to modern times was the development of the tea ceremony ritual, borrowed from Zen monasteries and in its own way meaningful. Tea drinking was a widespread form of communication between people in different social networks. spheres. Zen monks are already in XIIV. During long and night meditations, they practiced temple tea drinking, for cats. there was a certain ritual. In the XIVV. A widespread entertainment in Japan was tea competitions during the cat. Different varieties of tea were served to the participants, and they had to find out the type of tea and the place where it was grown. Tea competitions organized by the shogun and major feudal lords were the most magnificent. They were held in the palace chambers of the estates and turned into a solemn ceremony. Under the Ashikaga shoguns, crowded tea competitions gradually turned into a tea ceremony for a narrow circle of people, which was held in the residences of feudal lords and was called “sein-cha.” It was a decorous aristocratic ritual, distinguished by strict etiquette and sophistication. It was decorated with expensive Chinese utensils and works of art by Chinese masters. By the second half XVIV. tea bowls and all accessories for making tea began to be given great importance. The whole action was given a strict form. Tea drinking has become an elaborate, philosophically based, deliberately complicated ritual. In parallel with the sein-cha tea ceremony, a completely different type of tea drinking developed among the lower classes, cat. was called "chan no eriai".peasants showed significant socialism during this period. activity. Peasant uprisings broke out throughout the country. Joint tea parties, which became a form of peasant meetings, helped them unite to fight against feudal rule. oppression. At these meetings, no one made any comment about what type of tea was served or where it came from. There were no disputes. Everyone sat in a shabby room in a village house, drinking tea from whatever cups the owner happened to have. Tea drinking in the circles of merchants and artisans of Japanese cities was also not originally a ceremony. It was a reason for communication and a form of communication. They valued a sense of equality, freedom, spiritual closeness and unity of views, as well as simplicity and ease of the atmosphere. From these heterogeneous and diverse elements, the tea ceremony was gradually formed, which became one of the most important components of a single complex of Japanese traditional culture. The beginning of this process is associated with the name of the monk Murata Juko (1422-1502). Dzyuko felt close to the people, his connection with the peasants. He found in their tea parties a cha-no-eriyai type of simple beauty, a cat. there was no sein-cha in tea ceremonies. Taking rural tea drinking as a basis, he began to develop a new type of ceremony, free from excessive beauty and complexity. This was the beginning of the wabi-cha (simple, solitary) tea ceremony. Juko preferred ceremonies in modest small rooms (4 and a half tatami). This line of tea ceremony formation was continued by Sen Rikyu, considered the most famous of all masters of the ceremony. Rikyu reduced the size of the chashitsu to 3 or even 2 tatami, minimized the decorations in the room and the number of accessories used in the ceremony, and made the whole nature of the ritual simpler and stricter. Nijiriguchi (hole for crawling in) was about 60 by 66 cm. In order to emphasize the superiority of the spiritual over the material. Rikyu continued and completed Murata Juko's course on simplification and departure from Chinese standards in the aesthetics and design of the tea ceremony. Instead of expensive Chinese tea accessories, they began to use simple things made of bamboo and ceramics made in Japan. This turn to simplicity expanded the circle of tea ceremony lovers.Scrolls with Japanese paintings and poetry began to be used for decoration. Rikyu introduced small simple compositions of branches and flowers into use, tried to fill them with internal content and made them an obligatory attribute of the tea ceremony, calling them “chabana”. This was the impetus for the development of Ikebana. The spiritual load of tea drinking was determined by the requirements of ceremony and etiquette. The indispensable achievement of external harmony in the atmosphere and behavior of tea party participants was prescribed, which should be a reflection of the internal one. Etiquette determined the desired topics of conversation: art, beauty of the surroundings, poetry.(Tea ceremony in the Japanese garden in the Botanical Garden )

Works of Japanese decorative and applied art traditionally include lacquer, porcelain and ceramic products, wood, bone and metal carvings, artistically decorated fabrics and clothing, works of weaponry, etc. The specificity of works of decorative and applied art is as follows: they have , as a rule, have a purely practical, utilitarian use, but at the same time they also play a purely aesthetic role, serving as a decoration for a person’s everyday life. The aesthetics of surrounding objects for the Japanese was no less important than their practical purpose: admiring beauty. Moreover, the traditional consciousness of the Japanese is characterized by a special attitude towards beauty as one of the mysteries of the universe. Beauty for the Japanese is a phenomenon that goes beyond the boundaries of our everyday world, which can be described in words and understood with reason. Modern Western culture, the more it tries to reduce human life to the framework of a rational, everyday worldview, where the laws of the so-called “common sense” prevail. For the Japanese, despite their extreme practicality and pragmatism in everyday affairs, the everyday, material world was certainly perceived as illusory and transitory. And that beyond its borders there is another, unmanifested world, which fundamentally defies the standards of “common sense” and which cannot be described in words. Higher beings live there, the mystery of life and death is associated with it, as well as many mysteries of existence, including the principles of beauty. That world is reflected in ours, like the moon in the surface of water, echoing in the souls of people with a sharp and poignant feeling of the beautiful and mysterious. Those who are not able to see and appreciate this subtle and multifaceted play of meanings and shades of beauty are considered by the Japanese to be hopeless, rude barbarians.

In order to establish their involvement in the transcendental world, the Japanese (primarily the elite, the aristocracy) attached great importance to ritual actions, and especially their aesthetic side. From here come the ceremonies of admiring the cherry blossoms, scarlet maples, the first snow, sunrises and sunsets, as well as poetry competitions, flower arranging (ikebana), theatrical performances, etc. Even such simple everyday situations as drinking tea or sake, meeting guests or entering into intimate intimacy, the Japanese attached importance to a mystical act. At the same time, household items simultaneously played the role of ritual attributes. The craftsmen who created such objects sought to give them an impeccable aesthetic appearance. For example, many bowls for the tea ceremony, at first glance rough and uneven, were valued unusually highly, primarily because they bore the stamp of “otherworldly” beauty; they seemed to contain the entire Universe.

The same fully applies to many other works of decorative and applied art: figurines, netsuke, boxes, inro, lacquerware, elegant kosode (short-sleeved kimono) with exquisite and whimsical decor, screens, fans, lanterns and, especially , a traditional Japanese weapon. We will consider the practical implementation of traditional aesthetic principles in Japanese decorative and applied arts using the example of Japanese artistic swords.

Indeed, Japanese traditional swords have special qualities, both combative and aesthetic; Connoisseurs can contemplate and admire a good sword indefinitely, as if it were a genuine work of art with many unique details. It is believed that the Japanese sword has “four types of beauty”: 1) an elegant, perfect shape (there are many options for the shape of the sword; as a rule, Japanese blades have one blade and a graceful curve; however, there are double-edged and straight blades); 2) the special structure of the steel formed during forging (for example, on some blades a pattern is formed that resembles the layered structure of a crystal or wood, on others small or large “grains” appear, giving the steel the illusion of transparency); 3) a special shining line (jamon), formed along the blade as a result of hardening the blade (there are many varieties of hamon - some resemble sharp mountain peaks, others - smoothly rising waves, others - fancy clouds, etc.); 4) thorough polishing, giving the blade a specific shine and shine. Some blades were also carved with relief figures of dragons, samurai coats of arms, individual hieroglyphs, etc. On the shanks of many blades, their creators carved calligraphic inscriptions, sometimes inlaid with precious metals.

Particular importance was also attached to the mount of the sword, consisting of a fairly large number of individual parts, many of which are independent works of art. The sword handle was carved from magnolia wood, then covered with stingray or shark skin and braided with silk or leather cord. The sword guard (tsuba) served as the main decoration of the hilt. Tsuba could be of different shapes (round, oval, square, trapezoidal, chrysanthemum flower shape, etc.), they were forged from iron, copper, bronze, many were decorated with silver, gold or specific Japanese alloys. Each tsuba had its own unique decor (carved silhouettes, engraving, inlay, overlays made of various metals in the form of dragons, fish, all kinds of animals, people, gods, flowers, trees) and was, in fact, a work of jewelry art. Like blades, many tsuba were decorated with hieroglyphic signatures of the masters who created them. In addition to the tsuba, the handle had several other decorative elements, including small metal figures - menuki, located under the cord. Menuki, often decorated with silver and gold, could have the most bizarre shapes: a dragon playing with a pearl; moon in the clouds; a man sleeping on a paulownia flower; demon - tengu; sea crayfish or insect. Menuks played the role of amulets; in addition, they prevented the hilt of the sword from slipping out of the warrior’s palm. Much attention was paid to the aesthetics of the scabbard. The scabbard was usually carved from wood and coated with varnish - black, red, gold. Sometimes they were covered with polished stingray skin or metal plates; sometimes they were carved from ivory or inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gold or silver notches, etc. The scabbards of many swords had special grooves for small knives - kogatana and kogai (throwing pin), which also had their own decoration. The scabbard could contain decorations similar to those on the hilt, thus creating a unified style of decorative design of the sword - for example, a motif with dragons or sea creatures was common. In addition, the sheaths of many swords (especially tachi, which were worn on special pendants with the blade down, in contrast to the katana, which was tucked into the belt with the blade up) were decorated with luxurious silk cords with tassels and decorative knots. By the color, shape and decoration of the scabbard one could judge the rank of the samurai; in addition, in a number of cases, etiquette prescribed a special type of sheath: for example, samurai came to funerals with swords in simple black sheaths, devoid of any decoration. Representatives of the highest aristocracy had swords in gilded sheaths, richly trimmed with precious stones.

In Japan, there have long been many family schools of gunsmiths engaged in forging blades, polishing them, making sheaths and decorations for swords, producing bows, arrows, quivers, armor and helmets. There were legends about the skill of many gunsmiths (such as Masamune, who lived at the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th centuries). They were considered wizards who communicated with ka-spirits, and magical properties were attributed to the creations of their hands.

Lacquer products have been known in Japan since ancient times; their remains are found in archaeological sites of the Jomon era. In hot and humid climates, varnish coatings protected wooden, leather and even metal products from destruction. Lacquer ware found the widest use in Japan: dishes, household utensils, weapons, armor, etc. Lacquer ware also served as interior decoration, especially in the houses of the nobility. Traditional Japanese varnishes are red and black, as well as gold; By the end of the Edo period, the production of yellow, green, and brown varnish began. By the beginning of the 20th century. A varnish of white, blue and purple colors was obtained. The varnish is applied to the wooden base in a very thick layer - up to 30-40 layers, then polished to a mirror finish. There are many decorative techniques associated with the use of varnish: maki-e - the use of gold and silver powder; urushi-e - lacquer painting; hemon - combination; lacquer painting with gold, silver and mother-of-pearl inlay. Japanese artistic lacquer products are highly valued not only in Japan, but also in the West, and their production continues to flourish to this day.