Katsushika Hokusai

Art History ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthi Forrer
Keyword(s):  
Art History ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Japanese Literature ◽  
Western Tradition ◽  
The West ◽  
Institutional Holdings ◽  
Woodblock Prints ◽  
Book Illustrations ◽  
Proper Training ◽  
Catalogue Raisonne

While the best-known Japanese artwork is the iconic “Great Wave,” less known is that this was a creation of the artist Hokusai. Even more surprising is the fact that the artist was seventy years of age when he designed the print. Hokusai had already been working as an artist for fifty years, training many pupils, including two of his daughters, and enjoying followers even in far-away Osaka. This article focuses on research concerning the life and works of the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (b. 1760–d. 1849) from an art historical perspective. The three main sections are preceded by a discussion of the various sources for a biography of Hokusai (The Life of the Artist). Biography is followed by a review of his oeuvre, starting with his illustrations of various kinds of books (Hokusai’s Oeuvre in the Format of Books). We still lack a full bibliographic overview of all the books that Hokusai composed, illustrated, or where he contributed designs for illustrations, let alone an adequate catalogue of the various editions and how to distinguish them. This is followed by a discussion of his works in the format of single prints, mostly organized according to his six main periods of activity, each associated with one of his six names, Shunrō, Sōri, Hokusai, Taito, Iitsu, and Manji (Hokusai’s Oeuvre in the Format of Prints). Scholars and students still await a catalogue raisonné, like the Bartsch or Hollstein volumes, that inventories all the known—primarily German and Dutch—woodblock prints, copperplates, and etchings, organized by school and artist. Most people who are engaged with Hokusai’s work, especially since the passing of the scholar Peter Morse, lack the proper training in art history and never heard of Bartsch or Hollstein. In the West they are often Japanologists, while in Japan they are historians, specialists of Japanese literature, and in so far as they have training as art historians, this background is still quite different from the Western tradition. However, now many Western institutional holdings have become accessible online, facilitating further study but, no Japanese ones. For Hokusai’s early period, especially, problems remain concerning works with signatures that can either be identified with Hokusai or with his pupils. The discussion of Hokusai’s works concludes with his paintings (Hokusai’s Painted Oeuvre) and his preparatory sketches for either prints or book illustrations. In fact, this is the most problematic part of Hokusai’s oeuvre where consensus will not occur until a new methodology of research is accepted. At present, there are two museums devoted to Hokusai in Japan: the Hokusai Museum in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture; the recently opened Sumida Katsushika Hokusai Bijutsukan in Tokyo, whereas the holdings of the Katsushika Hokusai Museum of Art in Tsuwano, that is the Nagata Seiji collection, was bequeathed to the Shimane Prefectural Museum after his untimely death in 2018. There is also a magazine devoted to Hokusai research, the Hokusai kenkyū, volumes 1–56 (Tokyo: Hokusaikai, Kazusa Museum and Sumida Arts Foundation, 1972–2016.

scholarly journals Interrogating Western Modernity: Postcolonial Reflections on Occidental Claims and Action

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Kerner
Keyword(s):  
Western Tradition ◽  
The West ◽  
Western Modernity ◽  
Gayatri Spivak ◽  
The Way

This paper deals with the way in which European modernity, and the West more generally, are reflected upon in the field of post- and decolonial theories, which generally question those representations of the European/Western tradition of thought and politics that only focus on their positive aspects, but differ greatly with regard to the way in which they frame and formulate their critique of this tradition. I discuss three major positions in this field. They are characterized by the rejection of Western modernity (Walter Mignolo), by a deconstruction of core text and principles of the European Enlightenment (Gayatri Spivak), and by attempts at a renewal and hence a radicalization of some of its core normative claims, particularly humanism (Achille Mbembe).

Art. XIX.—An old Hebrew Romance of Alexander

1897 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-549
Author(s):  
M. Gaster
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
The West ◽  
The Real ◽  
History Of ◽  
Bibliographical Information ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Great Mass

More marvellous and more remarkable than the real conquests of Alexander are the stories circulated about him, and the legends which have clustered round his name and his exploits. The history of Alexander has, from a very early period, been embellished with legends and tales. They spread from nation to nation during the whole of the ancient times, and all through the Middle Ages. Many scholars have followed up the course of this dissemination of the fabulous history of Alexander. It would, therefore, be idle repetition of work admirably done by men like Zacher, Wesselofsky, Budge, and others, should I attempt it here. All interested in the legend of Alexander are familiar with those works, where also the fullest bibliographical information is to be found. I am concerned here with what may have appeared to some of these students as the bye-paths of the legend, and which, to my mind, has not received that attention which is due to it, from more than one point of view. Hitherto the histories of Alexander were divided into two categories; the first were those writings which pretended to give a true historical description of his life and adventures, to the exclusion of fabulous matter; the other included all those fabulous histories in which the true elements were smothered under a great mass of legendary matter, the chief representative of this class being the work ascribed to a certain Callisthenes. The study of the legend centred in the study of the vicissitudes to which this work of (Pseudo-) Callisthenes had been exposed, in the course of its dissemination from the East, probably from its native country, Egypt, to the countries of the West.

Role of culture-specific rights, responsibilities and duties in industry 4.0: comparing Indic and Western perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Biswajita Parida ◽  
Sanket Sunand Dash ◽  
Dheeraj Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Western Tradition ◽  
The West ◽  
Cultural Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Cultural Training ◽  
The Cross

PurposeThe increasing globalization of business has led to increasing demand for executives who can function in cultural milieus different from their own. This demand has been exacerbated by the fact that globalization has not led to cultural homogenization and hence, for good or bad, executives are not able to universally apply the home country's conceptualizations of rights, responsibilities and duties and must operate within the constraints of host country's cultural environments. Hence, business scholars and global executives increasingly need to reflect on the conceptualization of rights, responsibilities and duties; understand the historical context which has led to different conceptualizations across geographies and appreciate and harness these differences for improving business effectiveness. This paper helps in this endeavor by explaining the differences and similarities that exists between the Indian and Western cultures regarding the concepts of roles, responsibilities and duties. This exposition will help multinational organizations improve their internal practices and employee training methods.Design/methodology/approachThis study attempts to trace the differences and similarities in the conceptualization of rights, duties and responsibilities between the Western tradition and the Indic tradition by literature review. The Indic tradition refers to the broad cultural paradigm that shapes the thinking of the people of Indian subcontinent. The prominent sources of the Indic tradition include Hinduism and Buddhism. India was a British colony for two hundred years and is home to one of world's largest English-speaking population. There are more Muslims in the Indian subcontinent than in the Middle East (Grim and Karim, 2011). Hence, the Indic tradition has also been substantially influenced by the Western and Islamic traditions.FindingsThe paper argues that Westerners and Indians have different conceptualization of rights, duties and responsibilities and their relative importance. Broadly speaking, Indian ethos focuses on context-specific responsibilities while the Western attitude focuses on universal rights. These differing conceptualizations have been shaped by the cultural history of the two regions and are manifested in the decision-making styles, levels of individual autonomy and views on the ethicality of actions. There is a need to train expatriate Western and Indian managers on these issues to enable smooth functioning.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-cultural literature has tended to lump together all non-Western civilizations under the category of East thereby ignoring significant differences between them. The Far-East countries of China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan have been highly influenced by the Confucian ethics. India-specific social systems like the caste system, division of human life span into stages with specific responsibilities, enduring worship of nature and Western influence through colonization have been absent in these countries or much less marked. The paper aims to bring forward the distinguishing features in Indian thought that contributes to its distinctive attitude toward rights, responsibilities and duties; contrast it with the Western views on rights and duties and identify the relevance of the discussion to the business context.Practical implicationsThe cross-cultural training needs to emphasize both conflict resolution and behavioral aspects. For example, the conflict resolution process in Western countries can be more algorithmic with conflicts being rationally determined by consistent application as well-defined rules (as nature of duties is more universal in Western tradition). On the other hand, conflict resolution practices in India need to be contextual and may require appeals to higher ideals (as nature of duties is more contextual and idealistic in Eastern tradition).Social implicationsThe differences in attitudes regarding rights, responsibility and duties between the West and India suggest the need for cross-cultural training of managers and contextual conflict resolution techniques. The need is exacerbated by the increase in the number of multinational corporations (MNCs). Earlier, most MNCs were headquartered in the West and hence cross-cultural training was primarily geared to help Western expatriates fit into the host country culture (Nam et al., 2014). The growth of Asian MNCs has increased the need of cross-cultural training for Asian expatriates (Nam et al., 2014).Originality/valueThe training processes can be customized to supplement cultural strengths and promote behaviors that are culturally inhibited. Employees in India can be trained to emphasize the value of assertiveness in communication, the need to articulate one's personal success and appreciate the rigid nature of rules in Western contexts. Similarly, Westerners can be trained to emphasize the importance of context in business interactions, the need to forge personal relations for business success and the importance of paternalistic behavior in securing employees commitment.

War Art in Japan

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asato Ikeda
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Interior Design ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
The State ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
World War ◽  
The West ◽  
Woodblock Prints ◽  
War Effort ◽  
Totalitarian State

Under Japan’s totalitarian state during World War II, most Japanese artists participated in the war effort. Their activities included producing works commissioned by the state, displaying works in state-sponsored exhibitions, donating the proceeds of art to the state, and dedicating works, as symbolic gestures, to religious sites, important battles, seminal state officials, or to those who gave their lives in the war. War artists produced works in diverse media, styles, and subject matter, ranging from painting, photography, woodblock prints, and sculpture to architecture and interior design. However, their works invariably glorified Japan’s military occupation in Asia and war against the West, or they resonated with the wartime state ideology that sought to recreate a traditional Japanese culture uncontaminated by modernity.

Early Sino-Japanese Literature

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiebke Denecke
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Literary Culture ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Japanese Literature ◽  
Literary Production ◽  
Chinese Texts ◽  
Textual Culture

Sino-Japanese literature stands out among the Chinese-style literatures of East Asia for the wealth of texts preserved from the early period, its complex symbiosis with a flourishing vernacular tradition, and its pervasive reliance on gloss-reading techniques of Chinese texts (kundoku). These techniques allowed the transformation of Chinese texts into Japanese sound, syntax, and morphology and enabled a distinctive linguistic and creative distance from continental literary production. This chapter surveys the literary culture and production of Early Japan (Asuka, Nara and Heian Periods, seventh through twelfth centuries). After introducing the debates about the varied nomenclature of the corpus of “Sino-Japanese Literature” (kanbun; also called Japanese Literature in Chinese), it sketches the contexts of the emergence of Sino-Japanese textual culture and literature in Japan and gives an overview of major texts in their cultural context. It concludes with reflections on what students of China can learn from Sino-Japanese Literature.

scholarly journals Some Phrygian Monuments

1882 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 256-263
Author(s):  
W. M. Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
Early Period ◽  
The West ◽  
Opposite Wall ◽  
Western Side ◽  
The Right ◽  
Straight Lines ◽  
The Hill ◽  
Two Sides

Of the five Phrygian monuments now published from the drawings of Mr. A. C. Blunt, No. 4 on Pl. XXVIII, may be assigned to an early period of Phrygian history. It has been already published by Steuart, Anc. Monum.; but like all his drawings, this is very incorrect and gives an inaccurate idea of the original. The monument is at Yapuldak (see the map in last number of this Journal). There was at this place a town or fortification of some kind on the top of a hill, which rises about 200 feet above the plain. The western side of the hill is a precipice of rock, and on all other sides it is very steep. On the western side an underground staircase cut in the rock leads down to the plain: a similar one at Pishmish Kalessi has already been mentioned above, p. 6. Near this staircase there is a doorway leading into a small rock-chamber, from which another door in the opposite wall leads into a second chamber, larger than the first. At the back of the second chamber a door admits into a third chamber, and in the back of this third chamber there is a door or window which looks out over the precipice to the west. One can step out through this window and stand on a ledge about eighteen inches wide; and this is the only way to get a near view of the carved front which is now given according to Mr. Blunt's drawing and measurements. The architectural work round the door shows the love of ornament characteristic of both Phrygian and Mycenaean art. It does not consist of curved mouldings: the section shows only straight lines. There is a high pediment over the window, the centre of which is occupied by a peculiarly shaped obelisk. This pediment is very like one over the door of a tomb in the side of Pishmish Kalessi, engraved by Perrot, Voy. Archéol. p. 146; but is much more elaborate. On the two sides of the obelisk, arranged in the usual symmetrical fashion, are two animals, on the right side certainly a bull, on the left side probably a horse. The horse is frequently represented on the outside of Phrygian tombs, but I do not know any other case where the bull appears on them.

Interrogating the Cultural Production of Mexico

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-57
Author(s):  
Brian M. Napoletano
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Art History ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
The West ◽  
Tourist Town ◽  
Mexican State ◽  
Cultural Power ◽  
Del Rio ◽  
Lazaro Cardenas

As part of a deconstruction of national identity, Jennifer Jolly, in her Creating Pátzcuaro, Creating Mexico: Art, Tourism, and Nation Building under Lázaro Cárdenas, analyzes the tourist town of Pátzcuaro in the west-central Mexican state of Michoacán as a microcosm of cultural power in which tourism, art, history, and ethnicity were woven together under the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (1934–40).

Regarding Change at Ise Jingū

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 220-232
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Perl
Keyword(s):  
Common Knowledge ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
The West ◽  
Continuity And Change ◽  
Meiji Restoration ◽  
Woodblock Prints ◽  
Attitudes Toward Change

This essay introduces the second of three installments of an “elegiac symposium” in Common Knowledge on figures and concepts devalued in what Thomas Kuhn refers to as “paradigm shifts.” The essay suggests that Kuhn’s idea is provincial, in three specified senses, and then goes on to show how differently Japanese culture regards and manages major change. The author of this introduction, who is also the journal’s editor, begins by evaluating a triptych of 1895 by Toshikata as a response to the seemingly revolutionary changes brought by the Meiji Restoration a generation before. He then goes on to discuss, as exemplary of Japanese attitudes toward change, the Shinto ritual during which the sacred shrines of Ise Jingū are torn down and rebuilt every twenty years. The essay concludes by explaining how the impetus for this ritual is also involved in less-exalted aspects of Japanese culture; for example, in the peculiarities of the market for ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Overall, this essay shows that Japanese ways of regarding concepts such as “old” and “new,” “continuity” and “change,” differ so radically from those presupposed in the West that the latter should be regarded as provincial rather than as universally valid.

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