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A Comprehensive Comparison of Japanese Essay The two East Asian countries, Japan and China share some cultural similarities. This is a result of belonging to the same area and sharing a religion, Buddhism. In Japan, the earliest complex art has emerged in the 7th and 8th centuries. This early form of art displays a style which has been distinctively influenced by Buddhism. Buddhism has played a major role in sharing Chinese art techniques to Japanese artists because teaching has been made through the medium of Buddhist monasteries. (The Columbia Encyclopedia) Japanese art has started finding its own identity around the 9th century, as it departs from Chinese influence and from other foreign contributions that have been assimilated into Japanese pieces. (Asia Art Net) Chinese art has a longer history, dating back to 4000 B. C. and continuously developing for the next six thousand years. China has also influenced Japanese art indirectly through Koreans studying in China, or monks and traders, as early as the first century. Japanese art is considered by some as a weaker imitation of Chinese art. These art critics believe that Japanese pieces differ from their Chinese counterparts by quality alone. Some point out that this imitation is prevalent during periods when the Japanese artists merely copy or are influenced by Chinese art. However, the influences are later combined with aspects that are originally Japanese, that Japanese pieces have stopped being reflections of Chinese artistry. (Lee) â€Å"But other works show the most original contributions of the island culture. In these we see the small differences magnified to such an extent that they become fully developed and original styles. † (Lee) Paintings Far Eastern paintings make use of very fluid colors blended in absorbent material. Far Eastern painters choose materials like paper and silk, hence there is a need for painters to practice discipline, because a smudge on the painting will result to the ruin of the whole piece. (Mather Jr. ) This is true to both Japanese and Chinese paintings. They are also influenced by Western paintings, though Europeans tend to convey â€Å"memories of things,† while Far Eastern paintings, like those of the Chinese, project â€Å"memories of feelings. † Painting is the Japanese’s favorite art form. (Asia Art Net) This is mainly because Japanese artists have already developed dexterity for art brushes, which they use for writing calligraphy. Yamato- e is a type of Japanese painting which is popularized during the 12th and 13th centuries. Its style is derived from the Late Heian period, and it conveys secular, rather than religious themes. It makes use of vivid colors. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Another name for Yamato-e is Japanese secular painting. Japanese painters make use of many styles and techniques, and the paintings have both indigenous and foreign influences. (ZEELEARN) Japanese paintings are expressive of inner feelings, rather than of what the eyes can see, which is its difference to Western paintings and its similarity to Chinese composition as is mentioned earlier. However, in the 18th century, Chinese paintings have become more realistic, and â€Å"carrying genre painting into all walks of life. † Despite this, the Japanese paintings of the same style are considered better at this because of its better portrayal of racial quality. (Mather Jr. ) Chinese paintings are mostly religious in theme, especially right after the introduction of Buddhism to China from India during the first century. Later, during the Song dynasty (960-1127), secular subjects, such as historical figures and more mundane themes, are introduced into Chinese paintings. Landscape painting has become popular during the fourth century. There are two styles used by landscape painters. These two are the blue-and-green landscapes† and â€Å"ink-and-wash landscape†. The first one makes use of intense shades of blue, green and red pigments obtained from minerals. The latter depends on the intensity of ink and conveys the artist’s emotions at each stroke. (Asia Art Net) Chinese painting styles include flower-and-bird painting which is basically a genre of painting in the Song dynasty which makes use of birds and flowers as the subject matter. Chinese Peasant paintings are also very important to Chinese art because peasants make up a majority of the Chinese population. Peasant paintings are depictions of simpler living, albeit at times projecting a juxtaposition of truthfulness and surrealism. Despite the big population of Chinese peasants, Japanese paintings have a broader range of themes expanding beyond the bounds of aristocracy. (Mather Jr. ) â€Å"East Asian paintings may be broadly classified into the genres of flower-and-bird paintings (kachoga), landscape paintings (sansuiga), and paintings of people (jimbutsuga) The first of these genres, kachoga, reflects peoples feelings of closeness to nature and gives devoted attention to the life and beauty to be found in the natural world. In China, landscape paintings were traditionally done, in most cases, in shades of black ink, but in Japan, where four distinct seasons with their own typical colors are omnipresent, a proportionately larger number of outstanding landscape paintings have been done in color. (The Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts)†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Architecture When the word â€Å"architecture† is mentioned in relation to Japan and China, the first thing that comes to mind is religious architecture. When Buddhism is introduced to Japan in the 6th century from China, China’s more developed religious architecture is also introduced. Even during the 8th century, the Japanese continue to emulate the design of Chinese architects. â€Å"The gigantic monastery of Todai-ji was begun in 745. A great hall was built to house the gigantic statue of Buddha (daibutsu), in front of which stood twin pagodas, each seven stories high†. (The Columbia Encyclopedia) In the late Heian period (898–1185), Japanese architects display their own style: â€Å"The famous Phoenix Hall at Uji, near Kyoto, originally a noblemans villa, was converted (c. 1050) into a temple. It represents the apogee of Japanese design. Beautifully situated near a lotus lake, it has a new sense of airiness, with its open porch and lofty central roof†. (The Columbia Encyclopedia) In the 13th century, the Japanese has returned to the implementation of Chinese architecture. Japanese temples follow the Chinese architects’ use of simplicity and symmetry. The plan of the Japanese temple adhered to the symmetrical simplicity of Chinese design. â€Å"The hall of worship contained a spacious chancel with a flat ceiling, usually painted with the Zen theme of dragons in clouds. By the mid-14th century, Buddhist architecture tended toward eclecticism and an emphasis on rich sculptural adornment†. (The Columbia Encyclopedia)