Background Information
Kabuki was one of the three most popular dramatic forms of Japan, the other two being Noh drama and puppet theater (bunraku).
Artwork
A True Picture of the Steamship Powhatan; A Ship Generally Called a Steam Frigate…, from the Black Ship Scroll, Edo period (1615-1868); approx. 1854. Japan. Handscroll segment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and colors on paper. Museum purchase with assistance from the Japan Society of Northern California, 2012.60.2.
Artwork
A guardian king, Heian period (794–1185), approx. 900–1000. Japan. Wood. The Avery Brundage Collection, B67S1.
Video
Shodo Harada Roshi, the abbot of Sogenji, a 17th century monastery in Okayama in Japan and international teacher of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, demonstrates his large scale calligraphy works.
Background Information
An overview of the religious practices of the samurai.
Artwork
Background Information
The samurai was expected to embody good character and ethical conduct. Learn more about the “way of the warrior.”
Activity
Students will create their own books and stamps, and can inscribe poetry or good wishes on each others books. They will then take their books with them on a pilgrimage to the Asian Art Museum, the Japanese tea garden, or the beach, and record their impressions.
Background Information
Woodblock printmaking was a complex process involving the collaboration of several people: publisher, artist, carver, and printer.
Video
Storyteller, Ann Riley, tells a Japanese folktale about a mysterious teabowl with the use of artworks from the Asian Art Museum’s collection.
