Knowledge about Japanese art

In this section we explain the background of Japanese art and craft traditions: from ceramic traditions such as Raku, Bizen and Hagi-yaki to painting techniques, the tea ceremony and aesthetic concepts such as Wabi-Sabi or Mono no Aware. The articles put into context what shapes the works of our artists stylistically and historically.

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KnowledgeImari-yaki – The Porcelain That Conquered Europe's Royal CourtsCobalt blue, iron red, and gold: how a small port on Kyūshū gave its name to a porcelain that Augustus the Strong had collected by the stack in Dresden.View topic
KnowledgeWabi-Sabi – The Beauty of ImperfectionA cracked bowl, a weathered beam: Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese philosophy that sees true beauty in the imperfect and the transient.View topic
KnowledgeMino-yaki – Four Styles, One Region, Endless VarietyWhite Shino, green Oribe, yellow Ki-Seto, black Setoguro: Mino ware from Gifu unites four fundamentally different ceramic styles under one name.View topic
KnowledgeKaratsu-yaki – Japan's Third Tea Bowl and Its Earthy ClayCoarse, iron-rich clay, sparing glazes, and Korean kiln technology: Karatsu-yaki from Kyūshū has been regarded as tea ceramics of the first rank since the Momoyama period.View topic
KnowledgeFuji-San – The Most Painted Mountain in Japanese Art HistoryHardly any motif appears as often in Japanese art as Mount Fuji: Hokusai dedicated 36 views to it, Hiroshige responded with just as many.View topic
KnowledgeTamba-yaki – Eight Hundred Years of Fire, Ash, and Everyday VesselsFor more than eight hundred years, fire has burned in Tachikui: Tamba ware came into being without a glaze bath – the surface is created by the ash in the kiln itself.View topic
KnowledgeShigaraki-yaki – The Clay from the Bottom of Lake BiwaCoarse-grained, earthy, unglazed: Shigaraki-yaki uses clay millions of years old from the region of Lake Biwa – also famous for its tanuki figures.View topic
KnowledgeBodhidharma – The Monk Who Faced the Wall for Nine YearsFrom the legendary founder of Zen Buddhism to the folk Daruma doll: the story of Bodhidharma and his depiction in art and kakemono.View topic
KnowledgeOhi-yaki – The Amber-Colored Tea Bowl from KanazawaA warm, flowing amber instead of black and red: Ohi-yaki originated in Kanazawa in 1666 and continues to be made by the same family line to this day.View topic
KnowledgeThe Shōwa Era – From War to Economic MiracleThe longest imperial era in modern history: The Shōwa era (1926–1989) led Japan through war, reconstruction, and economic miracle.View topic
KnowledgeJapanese Ceramics – A Journey Through Clay, Fire and CenturiesFrom unglazed Bizen stoneware to vibrantly colored Kutani porcelain: an overview of the great traditions of Japanese ceramic art.View topic
KnowledgeHagi-yaki – The Tea Bowl That Grows More Beautiful With Every CupFine craquelé glaze, soft colors, and a patina that only develops through years of use: Hagi-yaki is considered one of the three best tea bowls in Japan.View topic
KnowledgeSatsuma-yaki – Ivory, Crackle Glaze, and Gold from KagoshimaIvory-colored body, a network of fine crackle, and dense painting in color and gold: Satsuma ware is not porcelain – and yet it became world-famous.View topic
KnowledgeThe Taishō Era – A Brief, Modern InterludeOnly fourteen years long, but formative: the Taishō era (1912–1926) brought democratization, new roles for women, and a distinctive artistic aesthetic.View topic
KnowledgeTenmoku – Not a Kiln, but a Glaze of Iron and FireDeep black, oil spots, and hare's fur: Tenmoku does not refer to a region or a kiln, but to an iron-rich glaze from Song-dynasty China.View topic
KnowledgeJapanese Calligraphy – The Way of the BrushOne stroke, no correction: Shodō, Japanese calligraphy, combines centuries-old scriptural tradition with Zen meditation and artistic expression.View topic
KnowledgeThe Heart Sutra in Japanese Calligraphy – 262 Characters for the Essence of EmptinessCondensed into just 262 characters: the Heart Sutra is among the most frequently calligraphed texts in Japan, uniting Buddhist wisdom with the art of Shodō.View topic
KnowledgeKutani-yaki – Five Colors, a New Beginning After a Hundred Years of SilenceGreen, yellow, purple, blue, and red: Kutani porcelain from Ishikawa fell silent for about a hundred years – and then celebrated a colorful comeback.View topic

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