Japan

Activity: In the following activity, you will make your own orihon to use as a journal. What stories might you record in it?

Explore Nara’s ancient Buddhist art and architecture.

The year 2003 marked the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan. Until 1853 Japan and the United States, located on opposite shores of the vast Pacific Ocean, had almost no contact. By choice, Japan had maintained itself as a nation with closed borders for more than two hundred years before this time, restricting foreign contact to relations with Dutch and Chinese traders, who were allowed access only to Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu. In contrast, the United States, faced with fierce international competition in the Pacific, aggressively sought new markets in East Asia. Thus, the establishment of relations with Japan became a popular topic for discussion in U.S. political circles.

Scene from The Storehouse of Loyalty (Chushingura), 1806, by Hokusai (1760–1849). Japan. Edo period (1615–1868). Woodblock print, ink and colors on paper. Gift of Japanese Prints from the Collection of Emmeline Johnson, Donated by Oliver and Elizabeth Johnson, 1994.45.

Learn about the Japanese supernatural creature Amabie and create an amulet with her image.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells a story about a monk and a samurai in the Asian Art Museum’s Japan galleries.

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.

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

Learn more about the famous samurai story, the “Tale of the Heike” and hear Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Leta Bushyhead, tell an excerpt from the tale. This video include artworks from the Asian Art Museum’s collection.