Deck 34: Japan, 1336 to 1980

Question 1

After years of upheaval between the imperial family and the clans, Ashikaga Takauji managed to come to power. Which of the following would account for this?

A) He sought an alliance with the Portuguese for weapons.
B) He assassinated the emperor.
C) His daughter married the crown prince.
D) He accrued sufficient power to establish domination of his clan.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which painting style is characterized by bold outlines and presentation of objects along the vertical plane of the painting surface?

A) Broken-ink style
B) Chan style
C) Kano style
D) Hideyoshi style

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Saihoji temple gardens show the continuities and changes in the religious art of the Muromachi period, which combines Pure Land Buddhist and Zen Buddhist traditions. Which of the following describes a characteristic trait of Zen Buddhism?

A) Provided a promise of salvation
B) Emphasized rigorous discipline and personal responsibility
C) Provided a promise of redemption
D) Promoted life experiences through the active engagement within the community

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto was constructed during the height of the popularity of the tea ceremony. Which of the following describes the Katsura Imperial Villa?

A) Rich and complex with elements from the Tang dynasty
B) Lush and opulent with elements from the Unified Silla Kingdom of Korea
C) Tastefully subtle with elements of courtly gracefulness
D) Poor and meager with elements of Zen

Question 5

What did Tokugawa Ieyasu revive after he consolidated power?

A) The imperial court
B) The title of shogun
C) Trade with the United States
D) Relations with the Portuguese

Question 6

Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa combines Western and Japanese traditions. Which of the following describes the Japanese tradition?

A) The wave is more traditionally flat and in the foreground.
B) The background has a low horizon line.
C) The wave is rounded and in the background.
D) The background has no horizon line.

Question 7

Dry landscape or rock gardens became very popular in Japan during which of the following periods?

A) Momoyama
B) Nara
C) Edo
D) Muromachi

Question 8

Zen emphasized rigorous discipline and personal responsibility. Which of the following groups showed a greater affinity for Zen teachings?

A) Upper echelons of the imperial court
B) Upper echelons of the warrior class
C) Middle-class merchants
D) Seafaring traders

Question 9

During the Momoyama period, the tea ceremony became a very important tool to express humility. How did this expression of humility affect the design of the teahouse?

A) The interior space was elegant and fitted with silk pillows.
B) The interior space was dim and tiny.
C) The interior space was designed after the Ise Shrine.
D) The interior space was roofless and open to the elements.

Question 10

Which of the following artists went to China and studied with Ming masters?

A) Kano Motonobu
B) Kano Eitoku
C) Sesshu Toyo
D) Hasegawa Tohaku

Question 11

A splashed-ink picture often hovers at the edge of legibility. Which of the following describes this style?

A) Rapid brush strokes, sometimes even dripping the ink onto the paper
B) Rapid brush strokes and using the "automatic" painting style
C) Careless brush strokes following the Zen format
D) Allowing the Zen spirit to dictate the brush strokes

Question 12

After the overthrow of the Tokugawa, a new period ensued, called the Meiji, which translates to ____.

A) Divine Rule
B) Blessed Rule
C) Holy Rule
D) Enlightened Rule

Question 13

Starting around the late 15th century, the Chinese objects associated with the tea ceremony utensils were being replaced with which of the following?

A) Vietnamese ceramics
B) Yuan ceramics
C) Korean ceramics
D) Siberian ceramics

Question 14

During the Muromachi period, superior knowledge and refinement legitimized the elevated status of the warrior elite. Which of the following would support this elevation?

A) Familiarity with Chinese Zen culture
B) Familial relationship with the Muromachi
C) Status within the imperial court
D) Successful participation in court "war games"

Question 15

Which school of painting style featured vivid color, extensive use of gold and silver, and decorative patterns?

A) Kano School
B) Kano School
C) Nihonga School
D) Yoga School

Question 16

What is the Chinese term for the Japanese Zen?

A) Zhuan
B) Zhao
C) Chan
D) Hoitsu

Question 17

Which of the following describes one of the most important features of the Katsura Imperial Villa, and why?

A) All the windows open to the outside in order to achieve the harmonious integration of building and garden.
B) The doors can open to the outside in order to achieve the harmonious integration of building and garden.
C) All the rooms are small and rectangular in order to achieve a harmonious integration.
D) The inner courtyard provides access to the garden views in order to achieve harmonious integration of building and garden.

Question 18

During the Muromachi period, which of the following made up the traditional religious elements that were already present in the Saihoji Temple gardens?

A) Shinto shrine
B) Indian stupa
C) Pure Land elements
D) Christian elements

Question 19

Describe the aesthetic principles that were developed around the late 15th century and grew to have importance in the tradition of the tea ceremony and the utensils used.

A) Sabi, value found in the old and weathered, and wabi, value found in refined simplicity
B) Ming, value found in the technically brilliant, importance of gold
C) Song, value found in complex design, importance of multiplicity
D) Chan, value found in rich design, importance of the gleaming

Question 20

Which of the following characteristics describes a Wabi aesthetic?

A) Refined rusticity
B) Simple and graceful
C) Elegant and precious
D) Large and refined

Question 21

Who promoted an ideal of beauty in functional objects made of natural materials?

A) Yanagi Soetsu
B) Ogata Korin
C) Yokoyama
D) Kano Eitoku

Question 22

What became a major genre in Japan in the late 19th century?

A) Oil painting
B) Pastels
C) Ink screens
D) Portrait sculpture

Question 23

Which style of painting incorporates some Western techniques such as chiaroscuro, perspective, and bright hues in basically Japanese-style paintings?

A) Yoga
B) Nanga
C) Nihonga
D) Chan

Question 24

What was the favorite exercise of cultivation and refinement in the Momoyama period?

A) Flower arranging
B) Bird watching
C) Tea ceremony
D) Working on dry landscape

Question 25

During the Muromachi period, which of the following religions flourished alongside the older Buddhist sects?

A) Christianity
B) Theravada Buddhism
C) Zen
D) New World Shinto

Question 26

Civil war disrupted Japan starting in which of the following centuries?

A) 14th century
B) 15th century
C) 17th century
D) 18th century

Question 27

Kano painters of the Momoyama period were asked to create folding screens in ink, color, and gold leaf for which of the following?

A) Warlords
B) Jesuits
C) European collectors
D) Chinese consulate

Question 28

An alcove used to display prized objects or hang scrolls of painting or calligraphy is called which of the following?

A) Tokonoma
B) Tatami
C) Nando
D) Engawa

Question 29

How did the Taian teahouse encourage intimacy among the guests and tea host?

A) The guests were required to come with only selected "good friends."
B) The tea host visited with each and every guest.
C) The seating arrangement encouraged the feeling of intimacy.
D) The room's dimness and tiny size encouraged the feeling of intimacy.

Question 30

Shino ware can be typically described by which of the following?

A) Elaborate forms and smooth surfaces
B) Simple forms and elaborate surfaces
C) Elaborate forms and rough surfaces
D) Simple forms and rough surfaces

Question 31

Honami Koetsu was a calligrapher and ceramicist, but he also designed which of the following?

A) Lacquers
B) Portrait sculpture
C) Dry gardens
D) Country villas

Question 32

Which of the following was a renowned tea master and tea house designer?

A) Sesshu Toyo
B) Sen No Rikyu
C) Kano Eitoku
D) Ogata Korin

Question 33

Which school did not have the continuity of lineage: father training son or master and pupil?

A) Kano School
B) Rinpa School
C) Tosa School
D) Hokusai School

Question 34

Nishiki-e, or brocade, pictures were highly valued because of their sumptuous and brilliant colors as well as being printed on best-quality paper. During which of the following periods were such works created?

A) Showa
B) Muromachi
C) Edo
D) Momoyama

Question 35

The counterculture of the Edo period produced works whose subject matter depicted which of the following?

A) Court life
B) Yoshiwara brothels
C) Country life
D) Fishing villages

Question 36

Kano Masaobu founded the Kano style. Who was his major patron?

A) Sesshu Toyu
B) Hasegawa Tohaku
C) The shogun
D) Kano Eitoku

Question 37

Tokugawa rulers banned Christianity and all Westerners except which of the following?

A) Dutch
B) Germans
C) British
D) Americans

Question 38

Which of the following describes the function of the tatami?

A) Inner courtyard of country villas
B) Special sliding door to exit house interior into the garden
C) Allows the interiors rooms to be widened
D) Accommodates the custom of not wearing shoes indoors

Question 39

The great strength of Japanese art has been its innovation through which of the following?

A) Experimentation
B) Individual effort
C) Adaptation
D) Market forces

Question 40

Which of the following schools combined colorism with Chinese ink brush outlines in the 16th century?

A) The Heian School
B) The Jataka School
C) The Tosa and Kano Schools
D) The Edo School

Question 41

How does the Katsura Imperial Villa reflect the imperial family?

Question 42

What are dry landscapes, and what was their purpose?

Question 43

How did the Muromachi shogunate function?

Question 44

How did the Meiji period shape Japanese society for the coming 20th century?

Question 45

How did the Momoyama period shape Japanese history?

Question 46

Who was Ernest Fenollosa?

Question 47

What is the link between ukiyo-e and Buddhism?

Question 48

How does the work Oiran (Grand Courtesan) differ from traditional ukiyo-e works?

Question 49

What was the aesthetic purpose of the dramatic natural scenery of the lower gardens of Saihoji?

Question 50

Briefly describe Japan in the 20th century.

Question 51

What is wabi?

Question 52

How did Japanese literati differ from their Chinese counterparts?

Question 53

Discuss the influences Zen Buddhism had on Muromachi art?

Question 54

How did the architecture of the Momoyama period reflect the period?

Question 55

How does the architecture of Kenzo Tange meet late-20th-century aesthetics of postmodern architecture?

Question 56

Briefly describe the function of a Zen temple.

Question 57

What was the attraction of Zen for the samurai?

Question 58

Who was Gutai Bijutsu?

Question 59

Describe the emergence of the Rimpa School in the Edo period.

Question 60

How is the label the "Era of Warring States" significant?

Question 61

How does this work reflect the Kano School?

Question 62

Explain the influence of Zen on the arts of Japan. Use examples to support your essay.

Question 63

How does Kano Motonobu mirror the Kano School? How does he synthesize the Chinese elements? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 64

Describe the Edo period Katsura Imperial Villa as a model and exemplar of imperial court aesthetics.

Question 65

How did Japanese performance artists incorporate action painting into their performances?

Question 66

What series does this belong to, and what is represented?

Question 67

Describe the style of the Katsura Imperial Villa.

Question 68

Discuss the implications of the Westernization of Japan in the late 19th century. Consider the social and political implications as well. How did this Westernization affect Japanese art during this period? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 69

Describe the Kano School. What are their origins and influences? How did this school impact Japanese visual arts? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 70

What is this, and what type of space does it evoke?

Question 71

Explain the effect the tea ceremony had on Japanese visual arts. Use examples to support your essay.

Question 72

Describe the splash ink style and its implications as an expression of Zen. Consider the Chinese influences as well. Use examples to support your essay.

Question 73

Contrast the tea-ceremony water jar from the Momoyama period with the work of Hamada Shoji. How does each reflect its period and particular aesthetic vision? What influences can be seen in each work?

Question 74

How does this work reflect Western influences and blend them into a unique Japanese style?

Question 75

What information does this convey about the warlords of the period?

Question 76

What is this, and what was this space used for?

Question 77

Describe the style and subject matter of ukiyo-e. How does this style reflect its period? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 78

Compare the works of Hasegawa Tohaku and Kano Eitoku. How does each artist reflect his period? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 79

Identify the style of this ceramic jar.

Question 80

How did this print inspire Vincent Van Gogh?