Lecture notes

Kabuki plays are about historical events and moral conflict in

relationships of the heart. The actors speak in a monotone voice and
are accompanied by traditional instruments. The Kabuki stage is
equipped with several gadgets, such as revolving stages and trapdoors
through which the actors can appear and disappear. Another speciality
of the Kabuki stage is a footbridge (hanamichi) that extends into the
audience. Important characteristics of Kabuki theatre include its
particular music, costumes, stage devices and props as well as specific
plays, language and acting styles, such as the mie, in which the actor
holds a characteristic pose to establish his character. Kesh, the
particular make-up, provides an element of style easily recognizable
even by those unfamiliar with the art form.
Ukiyo-e, or ukiyo-ye (, Japanese: [u.ki.jo.e], "pictures of the floating
world"), is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that flourished in
Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. It was aimed at the
prosperous merchant class in the urbanizing Edo period (16031867).
Amongst the popular themes were depictions of beautiful women;
kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales;
travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica
Ukiyo-e was central to forming the West's perception of Japanese art in
the late 19th centuryespecially the landscapes of Hokusai and
Hiroshige. From the 1870s Japonism became a prominent trend and
had a strong influence on the early Impressionists such as Degas,
Manet, and Monet, as well as Post-Impressionists such as van Gogh and
Art Nouveau artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec.
Edo (modern Tokyo) became the seat of government for the military
dictatorship in the early 17th century. The merchant class at the
bottom of the social order found themselves the greatest beneficiaries
of the city's rapid economic growth. Many indulged in the
entertainments of kabuki theatre, courtesans, and geisha of the
pleasure districts. The term ukiyo ("floating world") came to describe
this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted "ukiyo-e" images of this
environment emerged in the late 17th century; they were popular with
the merchant class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to
decorate their homes with such works.
UsuallythewordukiyoisliterallytranslatedasfloatingworldinEnglish,referringtoaconceptionof
anevanescentworld,impermanent,fleetingbeautyandarealmofentertainmentsdivorcedfromthe
responsibilitiesofthemundane,everydayworld.

Acontemporaryartistexplainedthetermfloatingworldas:
Livingonlyforthemoment,turningourfullattentiontothepleasuresofthemoon,thesnow,the
cherryblossomsandthemapleleaves;singingsongs,drinkingwine,divertingourselvesinjustfloating,
floating;refusingtobedisheartened,likeagourdfloatingalongwiththerivercurrent:thisiswhatwe
callthefloatingworld
Inthewesternworld,theJapanesewoodcutisknownverywellasukiyoe.Itflourishedinthenineteenth
centurybutthetechniquesdatebacktotheninthcentury,originallycomingfromChina,withBuddhism.
TheearliestperiodforwoodcutwastoillustratesutraortomakeBuddhisticonographic(figurative)prints.
ButintheEdoperiod(16031868)thereweremanybooksandukiyoeprintsproduced.
ThemeaningofukiyoestemsfromthemedievalBuddhistphilosophyofukiyo.Asopposedtothe
afterlife,whichwasseenasbeautiful,pure,andstable,ukiyoreferstotheworldasitisnownotpure,
dirty,andunstable.Thedepictionofthehumanworldasitisnow,allofourhumanactivity,wasthe
genesisfortheprintscalledukiyoe.
Earlyukiyoe(16531763)wasmainlybookillustration,andconsistedofblackandwhiteprintsand
painting.TheartistHishikawaMoronobu(16181694)wasthefirsttoestablishtheideaofmakingsingle
printsforthiscontent.Bydoingthis,heraisedtheleveloftheartform.Around1686,artistsbegantopaint
theblackandwhiteprints.Soonafter,ToriiKiyomasu(?)andToriiKyomitsu(16301694)createda
systemthatallowedfortwoorthreedifferentplates(andthustwoorthreedifferentcolors),calledtane
benie.Finally,in1765,theregistrationsystemwasrevised,andartistswereabletodomultiplecolor
work.SuzukiHarunobu(17251770)wasthefirsttomakemulticolorukiyoeprints.AfterHarunobudied,
KitaoShigemasaandKitagawaUtamaro(17531806)begandepictingindividualfaces,insteadofthe
traditionalgenericface.
Until1830,mostofthemotifswerebeautifulwomenandkabukiactors.Thenatravelboombeganin
Japan.In1831,KatsushikaHokusai(17601849)madethefamous36viewsofMtFujiseries.Twoyears
later,UtagawaHiroshige(17971858)createdtheTokkaidoHighwayseriesof53prints.Theseartists
expandedthevocabularyofukiyoetoincludelandscape.From1859totheMeijiperiod(18681912),
manywesterninfluencescameintoJapan.Generallyknownasyokohamae,printsthatshowedthese
influencessuchaspeoplewearingwesternattirewereverypopular.