This week we learned about how the subsection of Buddhism, called Zen Buddhism, became more popular overtime in Japan along with the new art styles that were emerging in Japan. We saw an exhibition in class of Ryoanji’s Dry temple along with other pictures relating to the time with texts (if I am correct, I believe they were poetry or the given rules at the time). I admit during the exhibition I was originally confused when looking at Ryoanji’s Dry Temple as though it did look man made it had this sense of minimalism attached to it where I saw land and a couple of rocks, compared to the text and images of war that I had just seen along in the exhibition, this one had me the most confused. The art during the exhibition displayed the different temples that were there along different people at the time. The Muromachi period was the period when the Shogun had taken Kyoto, the Capital. In order to lead by a new example and solidify their rule, the upper echelon Shogun started to adapt Zen Buddhism along with arts. They adapted Zen Buddhism to be in stark contrast with the Chinese even though for trading and economic purposes, they started trading back with the Chinese which many did not like because the Chinese made them bow to them (essentially they only traded with the degradation that the Japanese were below them). Also, at this time the Tea ceremony became very important a centerpiece (while Tea was important previously with the myths that it helped people with a lot of things, including pseudo health benefits and more, the Tea Ceremony elevated the importance of Tea as now there was a ritual attached to the already mythological ideas surrounding the importance of tea at the time.
Citations
Ellwood, Robert, and Ellwood. “Zen Buddhism.” In Encyclopedia of Global Religions, by Wade Roof, and Mark Juergensmeyer. Sage Publications, 2011.
Satō Shōzō. Sumi-E: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting. Tokyo: Tuttle Pub., 2010.
Photo Citation: “Japanese Art – Muromachi Period.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-art/Muromachi-period.
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