In this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology...Show moreIn this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology today, and has done so ever since the conception of the game. Where the once-popular woodblock printed parodies and educational books that featured the poems inevitably fell out of fashion, karuta has seen attempts at modernization, standardization and national organization that secured not only its own survival into the twenty-first century, but that of the anthology as well. As there was very little research on this specific topic at the time of writing, I sought to answer this question: how has karuta, and the popularity thereof, concretely contributed to the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu in the past 70 years?Show less
Ryukyu, also known as Okinawa, is the southernmost prefecture of Japan today. However, these islands were once an independent Kingdom and played a crucial role as a link between Northeast and...Show moreRyukyu, also known as Okinawa, is the southernmost prefecture of Japan today. However, these islands were once an independent Kingdom and played a crucial role as a link between Northeast and Southeast Asia during the maritime period. Established in 1429, the Ryukyu Kingdom existed as a separate state for nearly 450 years until it was incorporated into Okinawa Prefecture by the Meiji Japanese government in 1879. Scholarship on Okinawa has predominantly focused on post-war geopolitics or the general exchanges between China, Japan, and Ryukyu in the early modern period, often relying on textual accounts. Unfortunately, the arts of Okinawa have largely been overlooked by the Western world due to the prevailing notion that Japan is a homogeneous culture, disregarding local variations and leading Western Japanologists to lack specialized interest in Japan's peripheral regions. Similarly, ethnographic museums in the West have limited collections related to the Ainu people. These circumstances suggest that contemporary studies on Japan are largely influenced by the country's nationalist concept of a unified nation, particularly after the Meiji Restoration. China had been sending diplomatic envoys to the Ryukyu Kingdom since the Ming Hongwu Emperor, and this practice continued until the mid-19th century when Japan annexed Ryukyu and made it part of its territory. The four-century-long diplomatic history between Ryukyu and China can be considered the golden age of Okinawan history, during which numerous art forms thrived, and Okinawans took great pride in their unique culture and language. The Okinawans referred to the vessels carrying envoys from China as Okansen (meaning "crown ships"), and the primary envoys who crowned the Ryukyu King were called Sappōshi. Although the Ryukyu Kingdom was officially established as a unified dynasty by King Shō Hashi in 1429, the tributary relationship with Ming China had already begun in 1372, during the reign of the Ming Hongwu Emperor and King of Chūzan. In addition to the vassal and tributary relationship with China, the Kingdom maintained careful relations with Japan after the invasion by the Japanese Satsuma-Shimazu clan based in Kagoshima, Kyushu in 1609. The Ryukyu Kingdom pursued a diplomacy of equidistance and multilateralism, establishing trade with China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries as the foundation of its economy. Consequently, people, goods, and information from various Asian countries were exchanged, giving rise to an international "Ryukyu culture." This study aims to explore the enduring but relatively understudied tributary relationship between the suzerain and vassal states through an examination of historical documents and material culture. Specifically, I will analyze similar tributary offerings found in the collections of various museums.Show less
The Japanese Mingei (Folk craft) theory has played a prominent role in the realm of crafts, drawing parallels to the Arts and Crafts movement that emerged in Great Britain during the late 19th and...Show moreThe Japanese Mingei (Folk craft) theory has played a prominent role in the realm of crafts, drawing parallels to the Arts and Crafts movement that emerged in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mingei, as a counter-movement, aimed to revive traditional crafts in response to the perceived decline of fine arts. Influenced by pioneers of the Arts and Crafts movement, Yanagi Sōetsu (1889-1961) began developing Mingei theory in the early 20th century after exploring Korean crafts. Yanagi's theory centered on appreciating objects crafted by the people (min) and aimed to highlight the significance of these creations. Even today, Mingei continues to be applied to various objects, endowing them with an air of "authenticity" and "naturalness." Objects classified as Mingei are often perceived as traditional, reflecting regional techniques and shapes. The link to "nature" arises from the production process, where craftsmen prefer using locally available materials, operating in a state of mushin (no mind) – a concept derived from Zen Buddhism. According to Yanagi Sōetsu, this non-conscious state enables craftsmen to channel "nature" or a higher power, resulting in objects that embody a spiritual connection to the natural world. This research explores the evolution of Mingei theory in the context of Japanese ceramics and its reciprocal influence on ceramicists. Focusing predominantly on Yanagi's original theories, this study investigates how ceramicists have adapted and applied these ideas. Notably, Mingei theory has been instrumental in differentiating Japanese ceramics from non-Japanese works, imbuing them with a sense of "authenticity" associated with "folk art." While certain elements may not inherently qualify as "folk," they still carry Mingei attributes, reflecting national and possibly essentialist notions. Through comparative analysis, this study examines the work and comments of two prominent figures in Japanese ceramics – Hamada Shōji (1894-1978) and contemporary ceramicist Matsuo Haruka (b. 1974). Hamada Shōji, renowned for his association with Yanagi Sōetsu and the Mingei movement, serves as a compelling case study. His influence on Yanagi and vice versa sheds light on the essence of being a Mingei artist. In contrast, Matsuo Haruka, a ceramicist active in the Netherlands, offers a contemporary perspective, adhering to traditional "folk" techniques while receiving formal education in fine arts and textiles. Her experience and familial connections to Yanagi Sōri, Sōetsu's son, present a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of tradition and modernity in Mingei theory. Ultimately, this research aims to illuminate the dynamic relationship between Mingei theory and Japanese ceramics, uncovering the ways in which this influential movement has shaped the world of crafts. By examining the insights of Yanagi Sōetsu, Hamada Shōji, and Matsuo Haruka, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of Mingei's impact on the appreciation of Japanese ceramics and its continued relevance in contemporary artistic practice.Show less
This thesis looks at the development of new female identities in Taishō Japan (1912-1926) through the lens of kimono, answering the following research question: How was kimono modernised in the...Show moreThis thesis looks at the development of new female identities in Taishō Japan (1912-1926) through the lens of kimono, answering the following research question: How was kimono modernised in the Taishō period and how does this factor into the formulation of new female identities? The short economic burst that followed World War I resulted in a new middle class that had more money to spend on things like homeware and clothing. Developments in the textile industry and the abolishment of sumptuary laws in the Meiji period (1868-1912) provided people with the opportunity to purchase more affordable kimono, in styles that suited their own tastes. Department stores became popular, offering people a new, noncommittal way of shopping. Mass-media emerged and disseminated advertisements and articles featuring the icon of the moga, the 'modern girl'. This icon, often dressed in western clothing, working the white-collar jobs newly available to women, offered women an ideal to strive after that went against the ideal of the 'good wife, wise mother', which had been promoted since the Meiji period. However, the moga gained a superficial, hedonistic, even promiscuous reputation, and the Meiji ideals of womanhood remained influential. Most women continued to wear kiono, which allowed them to express their modern tastes through hair, accessories and kimonopatterns if so desired, while still complying with the Meiji ideal of the woman as preserver of tradition.Show less
This thesis examines the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (ETAT) and the Setouchi Triennale (ST), two of the largest and best-known Art Triennale in (and outside) Japan, and considers how these art...Show moreThis thesis examines the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (ETAT) and the Setouchi Triennale (ST), two of the largest and best-known Art Triennale in (and outside) Japan, and considers how these art festivals intend to provide a solution to the continuing ageing population and declining birthrate in Japanese rural areas. Japan contains the largest proportion of elderly people in the world and its population continues to decline since 2004. Yet, this decrease is especially severe in rural areas because the majority of the population consist of elderly people. The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (ETAT) and the Setouchi Triennale (ST), have been established as strategies to tackle Japan’s increasingly ageing population. The former was established by Kitagawa Fram (1946-present) whereas the latter was co-founded in 2010 by Kitagawa Fram and Fukutake Sōichirō (1945/46-present). The common aim of the ETAT and ST initially seems to be the restoration of these economically declining rural areas through contemporary art projects. Yet, this thesis claims that Kitagawa’s and Fukutake’s idealistic views about the countryside and ‘traditional’ countryside lifestyles resulted into their attempt to reshape Japanese society by reidentifying neglected rural areas through contemporary art. This is because both men’s strong partnership and their active involvement in both Triennale shape these art festivals according to their own convictions and objectives. Therefore, this thesis demonstrates that the ETAT and ST’s purpose exceeds rural revitalization and is actually about the creation of a ‘new’ society which is brought together by the art festivals.Show less
This thesis argues that the notion of a samurai film genre is actually an Anglophone construct that is used to classify Japanese films from the 'jidaigeki' (period film) and 'chambara' (swordplay)...Show moreThis thesis argues that the notion of a samurai film genre is actually an Anglophone construct that is used to classify Japanese films from the 'jidaigeki' (period film) and 'chambara' (swordplay) genres. Because of the political situation during the Cold War and the orientalist perspective of Western audiences, Western cultural conventions that would eventually create the samurai film genre were thought of as Japanese cultural conventions based on Japanese cultural tradition. Kurosawa Akira's 'samurai films', which were the first to be shown in the West and also the most widely exported outside Japan, have become representative of this genre, despite the fact that Kurosawa’s jidaigeki films often do not follow the cultural conventions that is believed to be the samurai film genre.Show less
