Symbolism in Historical and Japanese Contemporary Art

Symbolism in Japanese art dates all the way back to ancient times. Japanese traditional beliefs were very close with the beauty of nature. This can be expressed through Japanese poems, paintings, and even the festivals they celebrate during the year. The changing seasons played a very important role in symbolizing human emotion and truth in Japanese art. This appreciation of the landscape and nature was believed to be stemmed from Shinto beliefs in Japan. During the Kamakura period, Shinto and Buddhism beliefs were often intertwined. This was because in the later Heian period, Shinto beliefs such as the kami ( Japanese deities) were believed to be emanations of Buddhists which was there original forms. Kami were deities that descended from the heavens, where there was beautiful mountains, tall trees, flowing waterfalls, etc. The kami were believed to protect life and the forces of nature. There were often many paintings depicting landscapes as divine, but also involving kami and Buddhas in the sky. Shinto and Buddhism were later separated since Shinto focused more on the deities and the origins of Japanese people, while Buddhism concentrated on life after death.

"Kasuga Shrine Mandala" Painting

Japanese artists connected the natural elements of the world to human emotions. A lot of paintings focused on emotions such as pain, loss, and disappointment in connection with the decay and death of nature like trees, flowers, and also the autumn and winter seasons. However, a popular Japanese convention back then was to show the seasons changing in one painting, such as trees blossoming, humid summers, geese flying, and barren trees to express winter. The Japanese would relate cycle to how humans are always changing, which was a popular concept in Buddhism. Clouds often represent high status and elegance. In Buddhism they represent the heavens and in Shinto beliefs they represent the spirits of the dead. Water, ebbing and flowing, symbolize power and flexibility. Different types of flowers can even signify strength, dignity, bravery, long life, love, affection, etc. Tree's are often associated with faith, peace, and eternal life.

In the hanging scroll “Kasuga Shrine Mandala” from the Kamakura period, the birds eye view of the shrine in Nara shows vast land that features hills, meadows, cherry and plum trees. Not only is this a nature painting, but the deer at the bottom of the scroll are considered as sacred messengers of the kami deities. Buddhist beliefs explain how one should gain harmony with nature and the world.

Symbolism is also portrayed in Japanese contemporary artist Tenmyouya Hisashi's paintings. He takes Japanese culture and traditions and and combines it with contemporary world culture. He uses popular media and entertainment aspects like technology, violence and action in his paintings. He claimed that his paintings express “America's role as a powerful figure in the world's imagination. The symbols in his paintings show how much knowledge he has of traditional Japanese culture, and also global culture. His painting called “RX-78-2 Kabuki-mono 2005 version” is a great example of his Neo Nihonga art, which takes a piece of Japans history and combines it with modern day elements. The subject of the painting looks like it was inspired by the popular 'Transformers' which was made to look a lot like a samurai's armor. Also, Hisashi incorporated a very notorious dragon in his painting. Dragon's often were a part of religion and art in Japan a long time ago. They were considered protectors of shrines and buildings to protect evil spirits. They were considered a legendary creature of the east that was identified with the season of spring, the colors of green or blue, and elements like wood and water. Even the claws on the dragon symbolize something important to Japanese history. Because dragons were originated in China, dragons that were depicted there often had five claws for the Chinese imperial family. The three clawed dragons were reserved for the colonial type such as Japan. Dragons remain a very important aspect in Japanese legends and folklore.

"RX-78-2 Kabuki-mono 2005 version"
by Tenmyouya Hisashi

Even in modern day, anime(Japanese-style animation) is extremely popular all over the world, even North America. You can see how ancient Japanese culture has influenced Japan today, with animated stories of samurais and martial artists that are popular in Japan.

Sources:

symbols and themes from here and here

Neo Nihonga theme here

Kasuga Shrine image here