The Ashmolean Museum's Japanese Classic Collection

The subject of Japanese artwork is a very fascinating topic at the famous Ashmolean museum. According to folklore, the people of Japan are direct descendants of the Sun Goddess. It is also thought that the land of Japan is itself of divine origin! To anyone familiar with the history of East Asia, the Japanese are indeed a very distinctive group of people. Of course, they are very aware of their unique heritage. There does exist some common ties with the mainland of Asia, but the Japanese have always lived their lives separately as an "island" people. It is with a sense of pride that there has been Japanese artwork in the Ashmolean collection from the very beginning of the museum's long history. There is the cabinet of curiosities assembled by the royal gardeners. The Tradescants, in the early 17th century, included a pair of Japanese zori. It was described in the 1656 catalogue of the collection as "sandals made of twigs." There is a circular leather shield lacquered in Japan with a European coat of arms. However, until the Ashmolean's Eastern Art Department was founded in 1961, the museum's Japanese holdings remained small. The highlight was a group of around 1300 tsuba sword guards created in the late 19th century by the eminent scientist Sir Arthur H. Church.

Since 1961 the Ashmolean's Japanese collections have grown progressively. It has been steadily shaped by the generosity of patrons and also by the vision of the museum's curators. The most notable contribution came from Oliver Impey who was the curator of Japanese art at the Ashmolean museum from 1968-2005. During his very long career at the museum, Oliver Impey build up a broad based collection of fine Japanese art. It now numbers around 5,000 objects, plus some 3,000 potsherds. There is also a small amount of early material in the collection, including haniwa, a few Buddhist sculptures, and some early lacquerware. Most of the collection dates from the Edo (1603-1867 CE) and Meiji (1868-1912 CE) periods. There were particular strengths in the fields of 17th to 18th century export porcelain as well as other export art of the Meiji period.

The Ashmolean's new Japanese galleries opened in December 2009. They are designed around these very significant collections of export art. It is true they also reflect the museum's new approach to its displays. These displays emphasize connections, contracts, and cultural exchanges. It should be understood that the Japanese collections were formerly separated into decorative and fine art galleries. The two new Japanese galleries are organized as chronological displays: "Japan 1600-1850" and "Japan from 1850." Furthermore, Japanese displays are open in the thematic galleries around the facility. They illustrate the significance of international trade during the 17th century in "West Meets East" and also different approaches to conservation in "Restoring the Past." Another reflection comes in the form of decorative uses of script in "Reading and Writing."

The Japanese collections are an important part of the Asian heritage present at the Ashmolean museum. To view classical Japanese artworks correctly, one must reflect upon the unquestioned facts about ancient scholarship in East Asia. The scholars of both China and Japan were entirely distinct from the scholars of the West. In the West scholars tended to restrict their learning to specific areas of study through rigorous discipline of the mind. Asian scholars did not follow this same path toward understanding. They were at one and the same time scholars, philosophers, artists, poets, calligraphers, essayists, and very often historians. Quite naturally, these scholars conceived of their culture as a cohesive, organic whole. The artwork of Japan should be studied through all avenues of art, religion, and economic and social life. As one views such collections like the one at the Ashmolean, it is necessary to contemplate the meaning of Japanese culture first. This is the best way to honor the people of Japan who painstakingly produced these excellent pieces for their civilization. Such artwork is a direct snapshot into the past which abides with us to the present. To know the present better, we must understand the past.

Harlan Urwiler answering all your Asian collectibles questions.

For more information, please feel free to visit my website at: http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

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Japanese Netsuke: Collectors Delight

Japanese netsuke, while it served with a practical purpose in seventeenth century Japan, has in recent times become a treasured art form with immense historical value to both the Western and Eastern worlds. These carved clasps contain such detail as to hold its own in the critical circles of the art world. The time taken to craft the small, almost animate-like figurines leaves a feeling of awe in those who see and touch them. There are stories that art pieces tell with each nick and crevice created by their maker is priceless. It reflects the histories of this cultured and progressive civilization.

The netsuke began as a means of closure. During the Edo period, the robes and kimonos of the Japanese people were without pockets and in a world that based its value system off of simplicity and nature, purses and such of great adornment were looked down upon. From this state of mind and need for a practical means of storing and caring valuables and necessities on one's person, the idea of having a small purse-the inro- evolved. This small purse of clutch could be hung from a string and hidden beneath one's robes. The netsuke became the means by which a person could clasp the purse to his or her neck.

Quite a bit of time and thought were put into the Japanese netsuke. Yes, they were meant to be simple and practical. However, the Japanese culture is rich with myths and spiritualism. It is no wonder that such ideas would present themselves in the forms of the netsuke. People, places, things, religion, sex, no category was left unturned and the netsuke has represented them all. These pieces were made from materials such as hardwoods and ivory, stone and whatever else an artisan could find that was malleable enough to be carved but sturdy enough to be used as more than a trinket.

The Japanese netsuke packs quite a punch for such a small item. The value that they hold today, with aesthetics only, is equal to that of their practical value in Japan during the seventeenth century. They can be found in private homes, popular museums and even on some persons as jewelry or the like. So, while the use of the netsuke has evolved in to something other than what it was created for it is still a treasure to be had and admired by all.

Anita Satin Choudhary writes for JapaneseNetsuke.org. Browse the gallery for a collection of Japanese netsuke and get more information.

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Japanese Mythology - The Legend of Issun Boshi

One of the most famous myths of Ancient Japan is that of Issun Boshi, or "Little One Inch," as his name translates to.

Boshi's parents had been married several years without being able to conceive, and after many years of frustration they prayed at a local shrine for divine assistance. They would be happy with any child, they claimed in their prayer, even if the child was only as big as a finger. The gods were pleased with their humility, and decided to grant their wish.

Though Boshi is the subject of several legends, he is most associated with a story that took place when he was fifteen years old. Wanting to visit Kyoto, the capital of Japan, he set out with his sword (in reality a needle), a bowl of rice, and a set of chopsticks. These items soon came in handy- upon encountering a river, he sat down in his rice bowl, and using his chopsticks as a pair of oars, promptly waded across the river.

Upon reaching the city, Boshi was lucky to find employment in the house of a wealthy family. He was a dedicated guard and servant, and became a favorite to the family. One day, accompanying the daughter to a prayer shrine, two oni (ogres) attacked the pair. Despite his size, Boshi bravely jumped in front of the daughter to protect her, and one of the oni swallowed him whole. From inside the monster's stomach, Boshi took out his needle and stabbed away at the ogre's gut. The monster spit him out in disgust, and Boshi climbed into the face of the other oni. Boshi stabbed away at the beast's eye, and the two oni ran away in a panic, leaving behind a magic mallet that they had stolen from an earlier victim.

The daughter picked up the mallet and struck it on the ground. Instantly, the God of Luck appeared, willing to grant her one wish. Still impressed by the bravery of her defender, she wished for Boshi to be restored to full size. Pleased with the selflessness of her wish, the God of Luck clapped his hands and vanished into the air.

Boshi, now full-sized, brought the daughter home, and they were soon married, with the blessing of her parents. He enlisted as a soldier, and because of his bravery and cunning, became a famous samurai. Though he would be the subject of many more legends, he is most famously known as the one-inch-man who drove off two oni with only a needle!

Charles E. Bush is a college fundraiser. He writes fiction and non-fiction in his spare time. His interests include librarianship, data mining, science fiction, history, and mythology.

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The Layered Past of Japanese Culture

For most of its history, the island nation of Japan existed in nearly complete isolation, even from its nearest neighbors. Although the first European trade ships arrived in the mid-16th century, the country's rulers soon imposed a series of ever-tighter restrictions that effectively kept the country in isolation until 1844. This resulted in an unusually distinct culture, one with different art forms and different traditions from any other.

Because it developed with few outside influences, contemporary Japanese culture is more likely to reflect layers from its own distant past than from geographically closer cultures, or cultures it is has much in common with today. For example, even in the midst of this busy, densely populated, and largely urban country, the ancient reverence for nature remains strong. Natures presence is everywhere in art, in large public gardens and the miniaturized bonsai trees, in pursuit of traditional pastimes such as sumi-e, the ink wash painting whose in stylized motifs on everything from tea cups to playing card.

A surprising number of holidays are dedicated to the appreciation of nature. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are public holidays, as is Greenery Day. February though April is blossom viewing season, when families go on excursions and picnic in public parks to enjoy the blossoming plum, peach, and cherry trees. With the fall harvest comes the Moon Viewing Festival, which dates back thousands of years.

A more recent layer of Japanese culture, very much in evidence today, is an intense appreciation of art and the artistic way of doing things. The long period of isolation saw the rise of unique forms of poetry, dance, and other arts. Three forms of theater reached particularly high levels of achievement noh, whose rice-white mask with raised, caterpillar-like eyebrows is now familiar throughout the world bunraku, in which large puppets whose finely articulated faces, hands, and feet are manipulated by three-man teams of master puppeteers and kabuki, a story told through stylized dance and song. Kabuki was not the offspring of court life but of real life. It flourished in red light districts and all manner of society mingled together in the audience. With it came, ukiyo-e, the art of woodblock prints, which often depicted actors, geisha, and other commoners as favorite subjects.

The emphasis on aesthetic achievement and appreciation also found its way into ordinary life. Calligraphy, preparing tea, presenting food, and arranging flowers all became acts of artistic expression as well as day-to-day living. These arts still flourish, and it is not at all unusual for contemporary Japanese to pursue mastery of calligraphy or join a society whose sole function is to participate in a festival hundreds of years old.

To Westerners, the idea of taking lessons to prepare tea within a framework of choreographed gestures, or learning to arrange flowers in harmony with the placement of heaven and earth, may seem baffling. To contemporary Japanese, it is no mystery at all. These flashes of the past are part of the present culture. People still attend kabuki, heckling actors as enthusiastically as their ancestors did, and ukiyo-es bold actors are still visible in the fluid lines and exaggerated characters of today's manga.

To learn more about travels in Asia, check out my blog where you can read lots of articles on my travels around the orient, including my life at a Koh Tao Island Resort in Thailand.

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Significance of Japanese Netsuke in Art

The major significance of the Japanese netsuke lie in their practical beginnings and becomes solidified with their metamorphosis into a cultural art form. The netsuke originated in Japan around the late sixteen hundreds and became steadily popular amongst the male classes throughout the late 1800's. This is considered the Edo period of Japan a time greatly focused on the morality of the people and war. The code of the Samurai greatly influenced the region during this time as well as the root of Zen Buddhism. Because of this latter influence care was taken to add simplicity to ones way of life and this was especially represented in the clothing of the time.

Men wore robes and tunics of simple materials with little to no adornment and minus pockets. Because of this it became necessary for them to find ways to store necessities on their person. Tobaccos, pipes, papers and even money were stored in containers or pockets that were hung around their neck and placed beneath their garments for safe keeping. These "purses" were held by rope or twine that was clasped at the base of the neck by the netsuke.

This netsuke evolved from simply clasps to a variety of styles and forms. The Kataborinesuke (sculpture netsuke) was and is the most popular group of these objects. They were often made of the more fancy materials and depicted animals and religious motifs. They were one to five inches long. Other sets of netsuke include the Anaborinetsuke (hollowed netsuke), Sashinetsuke, Obihasami, and the Mennetsuke or Mask Netsuke.

Often times the netsuke was the extent of adornment and jewelry worn by the men of the Edo period. These button like toggles were often crafted from materials such as ivory, box wood and hard wood. Whatever materials were present in the area were used for these clasps. As they gained popularity and became more of an art form and depiction of character raw materials such as metal, hippo tooth, boar tusk, and lacquer became the prime materials used in the creation of these little figurines.

As both a utilitarian form and art form the Japanese netsuke often depicted every day life of Edo Japan: people, places, things, sex, religion, and trade. Today these figurines have become a means for later generations to see a way of like long since extinct. Japan has always been rich in history and culture. Their art has always been one of great merit and influence among both the western and eastern cultures. The netsuke is just one of the many remaining remnants of proof to such claims.

Anita Satin Choudhary writes for JapaneseNetsuke.org. Browse the gallery for unique collection of netsuke and get more information about Japanese netsuke.

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