Synthesized answer
Based solely on the provided passages, the profound and sustained influence of Chinese culture on early Japanese art can be explained by two key factors. First, Japan openly acknowledged China as its master, with the "Middle Kingdom" standing towards Japan "in nearly the same relation as that occupied by Italy towards western Europe" [4]. Chinese artists were "household words in Japan" [3], and to have studied under Chinese masters was considered the "highest possible education" [4]. This is exemplified by the earliest great Japanese artist, Kose no Kanaoka, who was an "unalloyed product of Chinese inspiration" [1].
Second, the spread of Buddhism in Japan created a direct pipeline for Chinese artistic influence. The best efforts of Japanese artists were devoted to the new faith [1], and Buddhist priests visiting China in "constantly increasing numbers" would copy Chinese models or procure paintings to bring back to Japan [2]. The prelate Kukai, for instance, carried "no less than thirty-six paintings" from China in 806 [3]. This religious connection ensured that Chinese models were continuously imported and copied, leading to religious pictures from China and Japan being…
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From the book
nd that, speaking generally, their work is superior to that of the Chinese in tenderness, grace, and, above all, humour. But, for the rest, they sit at China's feet. Korea should also be included among their masters, for there is evidence that Korean influence preceded Chinese. But the earliest really great Japanese artist—Kose no Kanaoka—is an unalloyed product of Chinese inspiration, and stands at the crest of a flood of Chinese influence that inundated his country in the eighth and ninth centuries. Two hundred years before his time (850-880 A.D. ), Buddhism had become established in…
ainted by him. It will be perceived, too, that there is nothing in all this to indicate a departure from Chinese models. The Tang masters also painted landscapes, portraits, and animals, and painted them in a manner never surpassed by the Japanese. In sum, therefore, nothing can be confidently affirmed except that from the close of the eighth century secular pictures began to be painted in Japan with sufficient success to command the warm admiration of connoisseurs whose judgment had been formed by study of Chinese masterpieces. Nor must it be imagined that because Kawanari and Kanaoka laid…
ould be to deprive it of its individuality, and therefore of much of its charm. ↑ See Appendix, note 1. Note 1. — Lit. , a "placed thing;" that is to say, an object of art, such as a vase or statue, serving merely for ornamental purposes. ↑ See Appendix, note 2. Note 2. —Pronounced "Go Dashi," according to the Japanese sound of the same characters. ↑ See Appendix, note 3. Note 3. —The greatest of these men whose names are household words in Japan, were Li Lung-yen (Japanese Ri Riumin), Ma Yuen (Japanese Bayen), Muh Ki (Japanese Mokkei), Hia Kwei (Japanese Ka-Kei), and Ngan Hwai…
also with gorgeous wealth of decorative detail. The religious pictures of China and Japan are scarcely distinguishable. That is not strange when the identity of their motives and calligraphic methods is remembered, as well as the fact that in early days the Middle Kingdom stood towards the island empire in nearly the same relation as that occupied by Italy towards western Europe in mediæval and modern times. China was the bourne of the Japanese art student as well as of the Japanese litterateur, and to have sat at the feet of the Tang, Sung, or Yuan masters or philosophers was counted the…
er, a difficult task at times, not because of their actual obscurity, but because means of identification are defective. Imperfect as is the Occident's knowledge of Japanese pictorial art, it compares favourably with its knowledge of Chinese. Of the latter virtually nothing was known by Western connoisseurs until they were introduced to it through the medium of the former; for, strange as the fact may seem, fine Chinese pictures are very much more accessible in Japan than in China. Japan is perfectly frank in acknowledging the debt she owes to the neighbouring empire. She does not pretend for…
More questions about this book
- The text details various notes on Japanese art terms and history, including a significant chronological difference in the development of wood-engraving between Japan and Europe. How might such a foundational difference in artistic technology influence the unique aesthetic qualities and societal role of art in each culture?
- Notes 8 and 9 discuss conflicting dates for the origin of color-printing and the evolving definitions of terms like "nishiki" and "suri-mono." If you were tasked with creating a timeline of Japanese printmaking, how would these inconsistencies challenge your work, and what steps would you take to address them?
- Note 6 describes maki-mono scrolls as either telling a story directly or illustrating accompanying text. What does this dual function reveal about the relationship between visual art and narrative in historical Japanese culture, and how might it differ from contemporary Western approaches to art and storytelling?
- This excerpt comes from the appendix of a 1902 academic work. What specific details within these notes hint at the historical context or scholarly debates prevalent at the time Captain Brinkley was writing, and how might this influence our modern interpretation of the information presented?