SOURCE3 Hokusai woodblock print — The Great Wave off Kanagawa
SOURCE2 Japanese schools still teach calligraphy. This tradition is still practised widely throughout the country.
SOURCE5 A freshwater jar created in the sixteenth century for use in the tea ceremony
SOURCE4 A lacquered tebako (cosmetics box) dating back to the Heian period. The box has a design of plovers.
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. Mind-map and list some recent and well-known types of Japanese art. 2. Is there a certain style or prominent artist? 3. Has Japanese art stayed the same or changed?
9.7.2
Theatre and performance
Kabuki theatre The long and generally peaceful rule of the Tokugawa sh̄ogunate contributed to art and culture reaching a new peak in the Genroku period (1688–1704). With their bustling ports, lively pleasure districts and busy markets, large towns were exciting places to live. Attending plays at the kabuki theatre was a popular pastime (see SOURCE6 ). Kabuki was a highly stylised form of theatre combining drama and dance with very elaborate costumes and makeup. The plays usually told stories of ordinary life and attracted all classes of people. About 40 per cent of the population could now read and write, so new literature was also popular.
TOPIC9 Japan under the sh̄oguns 239
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