1. Japanese Art, Architecture, Poems & Plays

2. Art & Architecture Japan borrowed artistic ideas from China and Korea Japanese artisans made many things with shiny red and black lacquer coating, such as: Wooden Statues * Furniture * Household Items Learned “Landscape Paintings” from the Chinese Used Ink or Watercolors Painted Images of Nature or battles on paper scrolls or on silk Origami – Japanese nobles learned to fold paper to make decorative objects Flower arranging Buddhist monks and the Samurai Tea Drinking into a beautiful ceremony

3. ART, ARCHITECTURE

4. Shinto Shrines Buddhist Temples Built in the Japanese Style Built near a sacred rock, tree, or other natural feature Usually a wooden building with a single room and a roof made of rice straw People enter the shrine through a sacred gate called a “Torii” Built in the Chinese style Had massive tile roofs held up by thin wooden pillars Richly decorated Had many statues, paintings, and altars

5. Religious Shrines Buddhist Temple Shinto Shrine

6. Poems & Plays Japanese borrowed China’s writing system – Wrote the language of Chinese pictures that stood for whole words Since the Japanese & Chinese languages were so different, in the A.D. 800’s they added symbols that stood for sounds (much like the alphabet) – Made reading and writing easier Believed a person’s handwriting revealed much about a person’s education, social standing, and character Wrote poems, stories, and plays – Oldest form of poetry was the Tanka Tanka is an unrhymed poem of five lines (captured Nature’s beauty and the joys and sorrows of life) – Haiku formed in the 1600’s Consisted of three lines of words with a total of 17 syllables – Were colorful and full of emotion and imagery Created Plays

7. Plays

8. Created Plays – The oldest type of plays were called “NOH” Used to teach Buddhist ideas in the 1300s Performed on a simple, bare stage Actors wore masks and elaborate robes They danced, gestured, and chanted poetry to the beat of drums and flutes