Deck 12: Japanese Art Before 1333

Question 1

What indicates the extensive international exchange that took place during the Nara period?

A) the introduction of Buddhism to Japan
B) the collection in the Shosoin Imperial Repository in Todoaiji
C) the use of imported materials in ritual objects
D) the capital cities' diminishing populations

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Zen Buddhism's emphasis on individual enlightenment through meditation appealed to the self-disciplined nature of Japan's

A) aristocrats.
B) samurai.
C) peasants.
D) merchants.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

From which culture did the architects of the large imperial tombs of the Kofun period borrow?

A) Korean
B) Cambodian
C) Chinese
D) Indian

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What formal elements allow the viewer to understand the narrative in The Tale of Genji (Fig. 12-11)?

A) varying textures
B) contrasting colors
C) open roofs
D) diagonal lines

Question 5

The main god worshiped at the Ise Shrine is the sun goddess Amaterasu-o-mi-kami, the legendary progenitor of Japan's

A) shogun.
B) samarai.
C) emperor.
D) army.

Question 6

How does the Descent of Amida and the Twenty-Five Bodhisattvas (Fig. 12-15) reflect indigenous Japanese beliefs?

A) the emphasis on the surrounding landscape
B) the use of gold and color on dark silk
C) its association with death and dying
D) its use of one-point, linear perspective

Question 7

What was the purpose of Five-Stringed Lute with Design of a Central Asian Man Playing a Biwa Atop a Camel (Fig. 12-7)?

A) samurai inductions
B) meditative rituals
C) courtly audiences
D) consecration ceremonies

Question 8

Raigo paintings depicting Amida Buddha, accompanied by bodhisattvas who were coming to earth, were commonly

A) carried by samurai during the Kamakura period.
B) taken to the homes of dying people.
C) used in the practice of Esoteric Buddhism.
D) gifts from a Buddhist master to students.

Question 9

What simple form was used to shape vessels of the haniwa figures that surrounded Kofun tombs?

A) triangular
B) cubic
C) circular
D) cylindrical

Question 10

Which structure at Horyuji (Fig. 12-4) is not entered because of its reliquary function?

A) the kondo
B) the pagoda C the repository
D) the stupa

Question 11

Although Ise is a popular site for pilgrims, only the imperial family and Shinto priests are allowed into the

A) inner shrine.
B) outer shrine.
C) garden.
D) front gate.

Question 12

Which period is known for its coiled clay vessels that probably imitated reed baskets?

A) Asuka
B) Nara
C) Jomon
D) Heian

Question 13

Which form of writing is classified as cursive script with graceful lines?

A) hiragana
B) kana
C) kanji
D) sutras

Question 14

Which characteristic of Japanese art was evident in haniwa figures of the Kofun period?

A) innovative glazing techniques
B) technical sophistication
C) a love of asymmetry
D) the preference for wooden sculpture

Question 15

Which cultural development occurred during the Asuka period?

A) Buddhism became the state religion.
B) A system of writing was created.
C) Political ties with China were cut.
D) Ceramics were developed for ritual purposes.

Question 16

The Womb World Mandala (Fig. 12-8) is an example of paintings that helped teach practitioners the different gods and hierarchical interrelationships in

A) Esoteric Buddhism.
B) Pure Land Buddhism.
C) Zen Buddhism.
D) Mahayana Buddhism.

Question 17

How does art of the Heian period demonstrate Japan's desire to be less culturally dependent on China?

A) the production of haniwa
B) the format of handscrolls
C) the use of kana
D) the mudras of the Buddha

Question 18

Which influence at Nara led imperial advisors to move the capital to Kyoto near the end of the eighth century?

A) Islamic
B) Christian
C) Daoist
D) Buddhist

Question 19

How does the Hungry Tigress Jataka (Fig. 12-5) on the Tamamushi shrine reflect Chinese and Korean artistic influence?

A) the asymmetry of the design
B) the abstracted linear patterning
C) the repeated figure of Buddha
D) the stylized form of the landscape

Question 20

What were Shinto emanations of Buddhist deities, which demonstrate how the Japanese integrated Buddhist ideas into their indigenous belief systems?

A) haniwa
B) kami
C) kofun
D) nara

Question 21

What cultural transformations occurred during the Asuka period?

Question 22

What do the animal antics and court activities depicted in the yamato-e handscroll Frolicking Animals (Fig. 12-13) represent?

A) deities
B) worshipers
C) warriors
D) emperors

Question 23

Who was the first shogun of the Kamakura period?

A) Yoritomo
B) Minamoto
C) Taira
D) Yining

Question 24

The earliest form of samurai armor is known as

A) kamakura.
B) soji.
C) yoroi.
D) giga.

Question 25

What are the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism?

Question 26

Compare the aesthetic and ritual characteristics of art made for different sects of Buddhism in Japan.

Question 27

What is one of the jataka tales told by the paintings of Horyuji?

Question 28

What social changes occurred in the Yayoi period?

Question 29

Describe the joined-block wood sculpture technique.

Question 30

Discuss how Japan's changing relationship with China and Korea impacted its art and cultural development.

Question 31

Japanese secular paintings are considered to be among the finest in the world. Explain what makes them so special, in terms of both form and style.

Question 32

What is Esoteric Buddhism, and how is the concept artistically interpreted?

Question 33

How do raigo paintings differ from mandalas?

Question 34

Discuss the interplay of indigenous traditions and transmitted culture in Japanese art.

Question 35

Which period's aesthetics are presented in the Amida Buddha (Fig. 12-10)?

A) Kamakura
B) Asuka
C) Nara
D) Heian

Question 36

How does Zen Buddhist art differ from that of Esoteric and Pure Land Buddhism?

Question 37

What are some of the Buddhist symbols and what do they stand for?

Question 38

Why did the Heian era end, and what period followed?

Question 39

What mythical Indian Buddhist sage was the founder of Zen monks' lineage?

A) Daolong
B) Amida
C) Chan
D) Daruma

Question 40

Compare and contrast paintings from the Heian period and the Kamakura period.