Japanese Ideals and Calligraphy

Within traditional Japanese culture, calligraphy plays a distinct role as an art form. Because Kanji is pictographic, written language plays a much more dominant role in Japanese iconography than in Western cultures. Many early Kanji were highly pictographic in nature – for example, the character for woman, onna, which you see here is derived from a character in ancient China that was a stylization of a woman kneeling. Although the modern Kanji bears little immediate resemblance, it is still indicative of calligraphy’s ability to evoke human portrayal through the use of a writing system. While this art form has transformed significantly over time, becoming increasingly stylized and less pictographic, calligraphy still retains its significance as a dual art form – simultaneously linguistic and pictographic.

Ukiyo-e prints indicate the community-centric culture of Japan. Ukiyo-e translates as “pictures of the floating world,” in reference to the ease and pleasure of high-society Japanese life during the Edo period. Because woodblock prints can be reprinted many times over and widely distributed, Ukiyo-e became a channel for promoting cultural unity and national identity in Japan. Rather than highlight individual characteristics, these abundant prints focus on more universal subjects – in particular, beautiful women, scenes of relaxation or entertainment, and landscapes. The two Ukiyo-e prints featured here speak to the beauty ideals of this time period in Japan: elongated faces, delicate features, and voluminous Kimonos. The tenugui, or towel pictured is also suggestive of this feminine archetype. The adornment of a practical object – a towel – indicates the pervasiveness of beauty ideals and aestheticism within Japanese culture.