Japanese art is very rich and includes many styles of art and media such as pottery, ink painting and scroll and silk calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, woodblock prints, and ukiyo-e, which means “pictures of the floating world,” modern manga and cartoons, and many other types. In addition to its political and religious influence, mythology has a great impact on the evolution of Japanese art and culture. In this article, we will briefly review the history of Japanese art and some of its styles of artistic expression. Next, we will review two works of art, “Shuten Dōji (“Yorimitsu and the Drunken Monster of Mount Ibuki”)” by Kano Okunobu, and “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, depicting two directions majors of ukiyo-e: painting and woodcut. A brief history of the authors and the art schools to which they belong will then be discussed. The myths that inspired the authors and the media used in the creation of their works of art will also be reviewed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Japan's long art history begins around 10,000 BC and shapes and evolves to the present day. It was influenced by brief contact with the outside world during invasions and by minimal contact with other cultures due to its geographic and political isolation. Eventually, the Japanese learned to analyze and imitate the cultural characteristics of other countries and adopt what suited their own sense of beauty. Chinese culture and Buddhism had a great influence on the development of Japanese art and culture in the 7th and 9th centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, Japan was overwhelmed by economic, social, and political unrest and began to form its own style, moving away from Chinese and religious influence and developing a more worldly art. During the political rule of the Edo shogunate in the 17th and 19th centuries, the country's economy prospered, wars were stopped, political isolation and strict social order brought peace and stability to Japan. The Edo period allowed Japanese art and culture to flourish. With the waning influence of Buddhism, religious sculpture became a less preferred medium and gave way to painting, calligraphy, and woodblock printing. The art of Japanese painting was heavily influenced by the Chinese artistic style and one of the largest and most influential schools in Japanese history. art is the Kano school. It was founded by the son of a Kagenobu samurai and amateur painter, Kano Masanobu, in the late 15th century. After Masanobu's death, his son Motonobu became the headmaster of the school and it is believed that through his leadership, the Kano School was shaped into what it stands for today. This school trained the majority of artists during the Edo period. It represented a renewed influence of Chinese painting with massive decorative wall panels in bright colors and pronounced outlines for nobles and represented distinctive Japanese culture and traditions while retaining the monochrome Chinese-style brush paintings. Kano School artists were professionals due to formal studio training similar to that of Renaissance and Baroque painters and worked primarily for members of the royal family and nobility. The Kano school covered a wide range of painting styles and innovated new types. One of the artists representing the Kano school was Kano Okunobu whocreated a painting masterpiece called “Shuten Dōji (“Yorimitsu and the Drunken Monster of Mount Ibuki”)” in the 17th century during the Edo period. This work of art has been attributed to the head of the Kano school, Kano Motonobu. The painting “Shuten Dōji (“Yorimitsu and the Drunken Monster of Mount Ibuki”)” is based on one of the most famous oni legends about the demon-ogre called Shuten Doji or “The Drunken Boy”. According to Japanese folklore, during the reign of Emperor Ichijo, between 986 and 1011, there were numerous reports of missing people in the capital Kyoto. The majority of the missing were young women. The royal soothsayer and advisor to the emperor, Abe no Seimei, determined that the Demon King of Mountain Oe was behind the kidnappings. The demon was later identified as Shuten-Doji or "The Drunk Boy". The ruler of Kyoto ordered Minamoto no Raiko, also known as Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and Fujiwara no Hosho, also known as Fujiwara no Yasumasa, to find and eliminate Shuten-doji. Raiko was followed by his shitenno, or lieutenants, and Hosho was accompanied only by his shogen, or junior secretary when they left Kyoto on their mission after the demon ogre in 995. During their journey, Raiko and his followers encountered a group of four people. who were the avatars of four gods. The deities advised travelers to disguise themselves as yamabushi monks. Passing through the cave tunnel, they encountered a kidnapped old woman doing laundry by the river. The old lady told them that the ogres kidnapped young girls and forced them to serve as servants and slaughtered them simply to eat their flesh and drink their blood. The warriors, disguised as monks, persuaded the Shuten-doji to shelter them and the monster king welcomed them with sake. He told them stories about himself and that he was nicknamed "the drunken boy" by his servants because of his passion for sake. He tells them that the ogres must have left their ancestral lands when the Enryaku ji temple was built near the Hira Mountains and settled in the Oe Mountain in 849. Raiko treated the demon king with a drink given by the gods. This drink rendered the demon king unconscious. The warriors unpacked their weapons and armor from their priestly backpack chests where they hid them all the time and dressed and prepared for battle. They attacked the ogre's headquarters while the demons were drunk. In his true form, Shuten-doji was a fifty foot tall red demon with five horns on his head, fifteen eyes, black and white legs, and blue and yellow arms. The four gods held Shuten-doji's limbs until Raiko cut off the demon's head with a single swing of his sword. However, the demon didn't die and its head started flying and trying to bite Raiko's head. To defend himself, Raiko put on two extra helmets that he took from his men and the jaws of the demon's flying head could kill the hero. The group of heroes returned victorious to Kyoto with the head of the "Drunken Boy" and buried it in the Uji no hozo of Byodo-in temple. The composition is a section of the hand scroll based on a famous set of scrolls attributed to Kano Masanobu. It is created with ink, color and gold on paper. The section depicts Raiko's group crossing the river on their way to the Demon King's lair. This piece features a large amount of colorful detail and strong outlines on a gold background which are distinctive features of the Kano school and Chinese art. Today this work of art is part of the collection of the British Museum. Another artistic style transferred to the early Edo period was woodblock printing. Influenced by Buddhism, woodblock printingJapan was initially designed to translate religious scriptures and later in history began to turn away from religious subjects towards more secular themes. In the 8th century, it was considered a practical method of reproducing printed texts. The process of woodblock printing consisted of a piece of wood engraved with an image or text that was transferred to paper by pressing the wooden board against it. Later, the method was improved by innovative advancements that enabled color printing and was called Nishik-e. Items, such as calendars, printed using the Nishik-e method were popular among the wealthy in the Edo period. This method was widely used in Japan from the 11th to the 19th centuries. Let's review one of the greatest examples of ukiyo-e woodblock printing from the early Edo period called "Mitsukuni Defying the Skeleton Specter Summoned by Princess Takiyasha" or "Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter" created by the Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi in 1844 and his journey to better understand why this artist's legacy is important in Japanese art. Utagawa Kuniyoshi was born on January 1, 1798 into a family of silk workers. dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon and died on April 14, 1861 at his home in Genyadana at the age of 63. As a child, he was impressed by ukiyo-e prints of warriors and depictions of artisans in textbooks. Kuniyoshi assisted his father as a pattern maker and it is suggested that this influenced his rich tendency to use textile colors and prints in his prints. When he was 12 years old, his talent was noticed by the great master of ukiyo-e printmaking Utagawa Toyokuni. He was a representative of the Utagawa school and one of the last great Japanese masters of the ukiyo-e style of painting and woodblock printing. He created his art on a wide range of subjects, including kabuki actors, beautiful women, landscapes, regular and mythical animals. He is famous for depicting legendary historical and mythical battles and heroic samurai in his art which incorporated landscape paintings with Western characteristics. Beginning in the 1820s, Kurniyoshi's heroic triptychs attracted the attention of Japanese society and became in demand due to their increasing popularity during the Edo period of Suikoden, a translation of the Chinese novel "Shui Hu Zhuan" which means "The Margin of water”. This novel tells the story and adventures of a band of outlaws who roam the surroundings of Mount Ryosanpaku. These outlaws are depicted as heroes participating in epic battles. Kuniyoshi's prints are one of the finest creations that integrate selected Western landscapes and anatomical style and have become a collection of classical Japanese art and a conjunction of the Eastern and Western worlds. The triptych “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi is an eye-catching masterpiece that depicts a dark legend of Princess Takiyasha. This scene is a depiction of a popular novel "The Story of Uto Yasakuta" written by Santo Kyoden in 1807. Takisha was a princess and the daughter of the samurai general Taira no Masakado, who was a leader of the great renegade forces against the Kyoto regime. central government. Masakado wanted to establish an "Eastern Court" in Shimoga Province, which went against the interests of the Kyoto Emperor. The rebellion failed and the leader of the rebel forces was killed. His daughter was crushed by the death of her father and remained in the ruins of the Soma Palace. Takiyasha's name means Demon Princess of Waterfalls and it is believed that she was a witch. Having the magical powers and the manuscript that allowed her to resurrect the dead, she decides.