Arjuna’s Meditation: An excerpt from the Mahabharata, performed by Shadowmaster I Wayan Nartha.

Students gain an appreciation and understanding of art and culture, and build language skills by reading; developing scripts; making choices about gesture, voice, and expression; and performing traditional stories alongside art objects in the Asian Art Museum’s collection galleries.

A kit’alar is a calligraphic work written on a rectangular piece of paper pasted onto a cardboard backing. In this lesson, students create a kit’alar composed of the initials of their first and last name in Arabic.

Flowers, 1615, by Xue Susu (1564-1637). China; Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Handscroll; ink on paper. Museum purchase, B66D22.

Learn to fold a paper lotus flower using simple origami techniques.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Miriam Mills tells a story about a gecko from Bali.

Overview of the Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts exhibition that took place at the Asian Art Museum from September 26–December 6, 1998 (filmed at former museum location in Golden Gate Park).

Beginning in the Eastern Zhou dynasty (ca. 1071‒ 221 BCE) was the development of the so-called ‘hundred schools’ of philosophy, a creative flowering of genius that laid the foundations for all major schools of Chinese thought with the exception of Buddhism. At this time, philosophers began to travel around from court to court offering advice on everything from how to run the state, how to achieve victory in battle and how to achieve immortality. The most famous systems of thought to develop during this time were . . .

Students will: 1.) analyze the role of the puppet master (dalang) in Indonesian rod puppet theater (wayang golek). 2.) Read a summary of the Ramayana or a scene from this Hindu epic. 3.) Identify the different puppet character types. 4.) construct a rod puppet of a character from the Ramayana or the Mahabharata.

While Bronze vessels were the most visible implements used in the ancestor rites of the Shang dynasty (approx. 1600-1050 BCE), it was through oracle bones that actual communication with ancestors took place. These bones, primarily the shoulder blades of cattle and the undershells of turtles, were dried and had holes drilled in them at regular intervals.

Seated Buddha, 200–300. Pakistan; perhaps Jamalgarhi, Peshawar valley, ancient region of Gandhara. Schist. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S393.

As it pertains to China, the designation “Bronze Age” refers to the period beginning around 2000 to 1750 BCE and continuing until around 500 BCE. What were the primary uses for bronze during China’s early Bronze Age? How did the use of bronze in China differ from that of other cultures? What has been learned about early Chinese culture by studying bronzes and other Bronze Age archeological materials?

Woodblock printmaking was a complex process involving the collaboration of several people: publisher, artist, carver, and printer.

A guardian king, Heian period (794–1185), approx. 900–1000. Japan. Wood. The Avery Brundage Collection, B67S1.

The Himalayas are the highest mountain ranges in the world, and from them flow the major rivers of Asia. Learn more.

Explore the ancient kingdom of Angkor, which was one of the most powerful states in Southeast Asia from the 800s to the 1300s. A succession of kings built huge temples that remain in Cambodia today as some of the world's greatest religious monuments.

Refined Character Type: Arjuna, third of the Pandava (Pandawa) brothers, approx. 1950. Indonesia; West Java. Wood, cloth, and mixed media. From The Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.115.

Prior to the Edo period (1615–1868), many painters and sculptors remained anonymous, occupying relatively equal status to carpenters and other artisans. The position of the artist during the Edo period changed, as artists became more successful financially, and better educated. Some of them began to be seen as celebrities, arbiters of taste with eccentric personalities. Although many still worked for low wages in obscurity, the Edo period marks the emergence of the artist as individual, as the genius creator in Japan. Learn more.

Learn more about the arts of Korea and Japan through lectures by renowned scholars.

Learn about Bodh Gaya, one of several sights in India associated with the birth of Buddhism.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Leta Bushyhead, tells a new year story about Jizo, a deity whose statues are a common sight throughout Japan, especially by roadsides. Traditionally, he is seen as the guardian of children.

The Conception of the Buddha-to-be in Queen Maya’s dream, 100–300. Pakistan; ancient region of Gandhara.Phyllite. The Avery Brundage Collection, B64S5.

View vocabulary related to the Edo period (1615-1868) in Japan.

In this lesson students will be introduced to the Japanese tradition of Chanoyu (referred to by practitioners as “tea gathering”). 

The Hindu deity Shiva as destroyer of the three cities of the demons, 1000–1100. Central India. Sandstone. The Avery Brundage Collection, B63S6+.

Japan’s Edo period dates from 1615, when Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated his enemies at Osaka Castle, to 1868, when the Shogun’s government collapsed and the Meiji emperor was reinstated as Japan’s main figurehead. This 250-year period takes its name from the city of Edo that started out as a small castle town and grew into one of the largest cities of the modern world, now called Tokyo.  Learn more.

Discover a story about the beginnings of Buddhism.

The Southeast Asian country of Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 tropical and volcanic islands that straddle the equator between the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Learn vocabulary related to the Japanese tea ceremony.

Landscape After Wang Wei’s Wangchuan Picture, 1574, by Song Xu (1525-1605). China; Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Handscroll; ink and colors on silk. Museum purchase, B67D2.

Pair of tomb guardians. China; Tang dynasty (618–906). Glazed earthenware. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S155+, B60S156+.

Pillow in the form of a boy and a lotus leaf, approx. 1050–1126. China; Hebei province, Northern Song dynasty (960-1126). Glazed high-fired ceramic; ding ware. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1351.

As with the industries of printing and paper making, the Tang (618–906) and Song (960–1279) supported important industrial advances in pottery manufacture.

Under the leadership of the First Emperor, China’s seven previously warring states were unified as one nation for the first time, an enormous undertaking that laid the groundwork for present-day China. Over five centuries of conflict, the states had competed for power...

Ritual vessel (zun or gui) in the shape of a rhinoceros, probably 1100–1050 BCE. China; Shandong province. Shang dynasty (1600–1050 BCE). Bronze. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60B1+.

Students will: 1.) Examine the history and stories told in Indonesian rod puppet theater (wayang golek). 2.) Discuss how storytelling reflects the religious, cultural, and moral values of a people. 3.) Discuss how the jester characters express the political and social concerns of the common people. 4.) Read a summary of the Ramayana or the Mahabarata, or scenes from these Hindu epics. 5.) Reenact a scene from the Ramayana or the Mahabharata using the puppet master (dalang) performance outlines written by Kathy Foley.

Larry Reed is the founding artistic director of Shadow Theater company ShadowLight Productions. He was one of the first Westerners to train in the traditional Balinese shadow theater (wayang kulit) and one of the first to achieve the title of dalang ("shadow master"). He is also a trailblazer in contemporary shadow theater and this promises to be a captivating performance. Watch his demonstration at the Asian Art Museum on July 16, 2011.

An introduction to Shinto, one of Japan's earliest belief systems.

In Thailand, people build small spirit houses in front of their homes and businesses to bring good luck to the people living and working inside. Spirit houses can be found nearly everywhere in Thailand, from the busy city to the remote villages in the north. Create your own spirit house with these easy to follow instructions and template.

Create a finger puppet inspired by China's terracotta warriors.

Learn about the evolution of ukiyo-e and woodblock prints in Japan.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells a Japanese story about a magical raccoon-dog, or tanuki, who uses its shape shifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness.

Touraj Daryaee (UC Irvine) discusses trade and exchange in the Persian World at the Ancient Worlds teacher workshop on March 10, 2012 at the Asian Art Museum. 

Senior Curator of Chinese Art, Michael Knight, discusses the importance of Chinese calligraphy and the Thousand-Character Classic in the exhibition, Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy (on view at the Asian Art Museum from October 5, 2012–January 13, 2013). 

Young emperor's dragon robe, Qing dynasty, approx. 1850-1900. China. Embroidered silk. Gift of Hok Pui Leung and Sally Yu Leung in memory of their fathers Poon On Leung and Dr. Tin Wah Yu, 2001.15.

Artist Hwang Samyong discusses his artwork Pebbles, which will be on view at the Asian Art Museum as part of the exhibition Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware from Korea. 

Abbreviated Map of All the World's Nations, approx. 1800-1850. Japan. Woodblock print; ink on paper. Gift to honor the Reverend Hodo Tobase, 2010.452.

Buddhism became the official religion of one of Korea's early kingdoms in 372, after a priest arrived from China with Buddhist images and scriptures. From the time of its introduction it had the enthusiastic support of the rulers and the aristocracy. By the middle of the 500s, Buddhism had been officially accepted by all three kingdoms that reigned in Korea at that time.

An introduction to the special exhibition, The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Art of Bhutan on view at the Asian Art Museum fron February 20–May 10, 2009. Exhibition produced by the Honolulu Academy of Arts.