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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Japanese Art: The Formats of Two Dimensional Works

For Students 9th - 10th
Japanese two-dimensional works of art can take several different formats. Read about handscrolls and hanging scrolls and view examples in this essay.
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Artlelino: Japanese Paintings

For Students 9th - 10th
Understand the history and art of Japanese painting.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Hokusai, Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)

For Students 9th - 10th
Katsushika Hokusai's "Under the Wave off Kanagawa", also called "The Great Wave" has become one of the most famous works of art in the world-and debatably the most iconic work of Japanese art. View the picture and read the history behind...
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Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Look for the Symbol in the Sculpture

For Students 3rd - 8th
This websites answers the question, "What is a Symbol?" Click on the sculptures for a description of the symbols in each work.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: An Introduction to the Samurai

For Students 9th - 10th
This article describes the rise and fall of the Shogunate in Japan. Included are pictures of Japanese art from these periods in Japanese history.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Cassatt, the Coiffure

For Students 9th - 10th
Mary Cassatt's motivation in making her prints was to make her art more accessible for a large audience. She believed that everyone, regardless of income or social position, should be able to experience art and to own works they enjoy....
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Buddhism in Japan

For Students 9th - 10th
Buddhism would revolutionize many aspects of Japanese life including music, dance, a new writing system, and above all, elaborate Buddhist art. View a picture of a Buddhist sculpture and read a brief history of Buddhism in Japan.
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Aichi Arts Center: Aging With Grace: A Brief Review of "A Burden of Love"

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a review and summary of Zeami's noh drama, "A Burden of Love." The author includes details about how the noh performer would portray a part.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Fresh Water Jar

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a container to hold cold, fresh water made especially for use in the Japanese tea gathering. Its shape reminds us of a wooden bucket used to carry water from a well, but it is made out of porcelain, a glazed ceramic fired at a...
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Tea Bowl With Dragon Roundels

For Students 9th - 10th
This bowl was used for the tea ceremony. Learn when and how the Japanese people began to drink tea, what the dragon symbolizes, and who the artist is.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Archery Practice

For Students 9th - 10th
This painting depicts one of several forms of archery practice formalized as early as the Kamakura period (1185-1333), this activity trained warriors to shoot accurately at moving targets while riding at a full gallop. View this picture...
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Todai Ji

For Students 9th - 10th
When completed in the 740s, Todai-ji (or "Great Eastern Temple") was the largest building project ever on Japanese soil. Its creation reflects the complex intermingling of Buddhism and politics in early Japan. View pictures and read...
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Short Sword (Wakizashi) and Long Sword (Katana)

For Students 9th - 10th
Sword making is a highly refined and respected art in Japan, part of a ritualized process requiring decades of training. View two examples and read the background of the importance of swords to the Japanese people.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Tea Bowl With Standing Crane Design (Gohon Tachizuru)

For Students 9th - 10th
View a picture of a Japanese tea bowl and read about how it was used in tea gatherings during the Muromachi period.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Fresh Water Jar

For Students 9th - 10th
This vessel is a container to hold cold, freshwater made especially for use in the Japanese tea gathering during the Muromachi period. View a picture of this jar and read about the details in this essay.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Scenes From the Tale of Genji

For Students 9th - 10th
This pair of screens illustrates scenes from four chapters of Japan's classic literary work, "The Tale of Genji," written by a female courtier by the name of Murasaki Shikibu in around the tenth-eleventh centuries. It is a romantic novel...
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Arrival of a Portuguese Ship

For Students 9th - 10th
In 1543, three Portuguese travelers aboard a Chinese ship drifted ashore on Tanegashima, a small island near Kyushu. They were the first Europeans to visit Japan. In 1548, Francis Xavier, a Jesuit, arrived from Goa to introduce...
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Other

Joseph Wu Origami: What Is Origami?

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief history of the art of Origami by Joseph Wu. Basic techniques, types of paper, and terminology are discussed.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Introduction to Japan

For Students 9th - 10th
Read a short essay on Japan's geography and how it affected the culture of Japan.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Female Shinto Spirit

For Students 9th - 10th
This figure represents a Shinto goddess; her name is not known. She is depicted as an aristocratic woman, dressed in a thick kimono-like garment. Shinto images like this one were not meant to be seen but were kept hidden in movable...
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Floating World of Edo Japan

For Students 9th - 10th
During Japan's Edo period (1615-1868) the phrase "the floating world" (ukiyo) evoked an imagined universe of wit, stylishness, and extravagance -- with overtones of naughtiness, hedonism, and transgression. Implicit was a contrast to the...
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Matchlock Gun and Pistol

For Students 9th - 10th
Owning a pistol was a symbol of a samurai's power, rank, and wealth in Edo, Japan. They were often decorated with the samurai's family crest. View pictures and read descriptions of these weapons.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Dog Chasing

For Students 9th - 10th
Dog chasing was one of three archery drills popular during the Edo period (1615-1868). Originally an exercise to improve martial skills, it became a formal sport with defined rules as early as the 14th century.
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Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Evolution of Ukiyo E and Woodblock Prints

For Students 9th - 10th
Ukiyo-e began as hand-painted scrolls and screens of everyday life in Japan. They became so popular, they were mass-produced using carved wooden blocks. Read the evolution of this artform and view pictures in this essay.

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