Japan museum: History: 3D Gallery

Ancient pottery

Here we have three prehistoric Japanese pots from three different eras.
The first one is from the Jomon period (8000 B.C.E. - 250B.C.E.) which was the earliest period in the Japanese history. The word jômon means "straw-rope pattern,"which was used to describe the style of the pottery from that period. The pots were mostly used to storing food but were also used for storing corpses such as that of an infant.
The second one is from the Yayoi period (250 B.C.E. - 250 C.E.). As you can see it’s, much less decorated than the pot from the Jomon period. But what it lacks for beauty it makes up for practicality for it’s much easier to use. These pots were used for storing, cooking and for offerings.
The last one is from the kofun period (250 C.E. - 600 C.E.). This kind of Kofun pottery is named sue, it was brought from korea. The Sue style was almost identical to the original styles of Korean pottery, but while Korean pottery was more decorated, Sue pottery followed the traditions of native Japanese pottery, being more simple. In the Kofun period pots weren’t used to store corpses any more.

Shinto

Here we see the torii of Itsukushima Shinto Shrine. The Shinto religion is a religion that originated in ancient Japan. Shinto literally means “the way of the gods”. The "Shinto gods" are called kami. They spirits that take form in thing that are important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, etc.. The Shintos believe that when humans die they also become a Kami. The kami of special people are even enshrined at some shrines, just like the one we see in the picture. The majority of Japanese people still practice this religion but it’s not a popular religion outside Japan.

The Tale of Genji

This is a page from the original “Tale of genji”, a novel considered by some to be the world’s first. The novel is written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu and was written sometime between the year 1000 and 1012 C.E.. It’s a very long story, but long story short: Genji is an emperor’s son who has been removed from the line of succession for political reasons. He has affairs with multiple women and has children with them. At some point he also kidnaps a ten year old girl to raise and educate her so that she could become the perfect woman. After Genji’s death the story focuses on his son and his son’s best friend.

Taishi Shotoku

This is Prince Taishi Shotoku (573-621), when his aunt was brought to the throne, Taishi became crown prince and regent. One of his first acts was to open the Japanese borders to China and brought Chinese culture to Japan. He was also a great patron to the Buddhism in Japan, some even call him “the founder of Japanese Buddhism”. He was an ideal and enlightened ruler. It’s said that he was able to listen to ten people at the same time and understand each and everyone of their requests. Taishi is one of the most important historical figures in the history of Japan and was put on the 1957, 5000 yen banknote.

The Portuguese in Japan

Here is an image of the Portuguese arriving in Japan. The first portuguese ship arrived to Japan in 1548 and was the first European ship to reach Japan. The Portuguese introduced Christianity to the people of Japan. The Japanese called the Portuguese nanban which means south barbarians as they arrived to Japan from the south. Portuguese merchants brought tin, lead, gold, silk, and wool and cotton textiles, among other goods, to Japan, which exported swords, lacquer ware, silk, and silver. When Christianity was banned in Japan the Portuguese were replaced by the Dutch, who did not engage in missionary work.

Noh mask

This is a very special artefact. It’s a Noh mask, Noh is a kind of musical drama. No one knows when exactly they were made and developed, but people think it might be around the14th century. Historically, all the roles were played by men. The men who played the female character wore this kind of mask. In modern day, females participate in Noh but they still wear these masks. You might be wondering: what’s so special about this mask? You might find it simple or even ugly. But let me tell you, there’s far more to it than you can see in this picture. These masks display different facial expressions based on the angle from which they are viewed. In some cases a slight angle change displays a completely different face. For example, if the actor tilted their face upward, it would seem as if the mask is looking sad and if the actor tilted their face downward the expression on the mask would change drastically.

Koto

Here we have Koto (an instrument). The Koto is originally a Chinese instrument (Guzheng ) but it developed it’s own tradition in the 8th century in Japan. the Koto consists of a single body made of wood up to 2 meters in length, over which 13 silk strings are stretched, which when plucked make musical notes. For a long time it was only played in imperial courts as a form of entertainment. Yatsuhashi Kengyo, a blind musician, was the first to learn how to play the instrument in the seventeenth century. He made the tune fit the traditional Japanese music and also freed the instrument from its role as a conducting instrument and made it a solo instrument. He also composed some of the most known Kato songs that still belong to today’s Japanese culture.

A major god in Shinto was Amaterasu, she was the sun goddess. The name Amaterasu derived from Amateru means "shining in heaven". She plays an important part in many ancient myths. One famous myth tells how Amaterasu’s brother, Susano-ô, once angered her so much by disrespecting the “rules” of heaven that she decided to hide in a cave and to not come out again. As a result of that, the world became dark, crops stopped growing and all activities came to a halt. The gods then came together to come up with a plan to get Amaterasu out of the cave and a wise god named Omori-kane proposed a solution. First, they hung up a mirror in front of the cave. Then they asked a young goddess to play some music and they danced and celebrated. Out of curiousness Amaterasu asked about what was going on and the answered by saying that they have found the greatest god/goddess. Amaterasu peeked out to see who it was and was surprised to see a mirror. While she looked at her self, a god nearby dragged her completely out of the cave and another sealed the entrance of the cave. The gods then banished Susano-ô out of heaven. In the painting we see Amaterasu coming out of the cave.

Hangaku Gozen

On the horse is Hangaku Gozen, one of the few female samurais. In 1201 she claimed her rightful place in the Japanese history. She was as skilled as she was beautiful, she led 3,000 men to defend the Torisakayama fort alongside her nephew. Unfortunately, the enemy outnumbered them with an army of 10,000 men and Hangaku was injured. But the enemy was so impressed with her skills that some of the men she was fighting begged to marry her (ugh men). In this painting Hangaku Gozen rides into battle swinging her bloodstained naginata (sword) and wearing yoroi armor symbolic of leadership.

Wado Kaichin

Here we have a coins from the Heian period (708 C.E). The coins are called Wado Kaichin. A gold coin, two kinds of silver coins and twelve kinds of copper coins were issued by the government. The coins were made in China, the gold used for making the coins was exported to China in exchange for the gold. The Wado Kaichin is Japan’s oldest coin which had been circulated across a wide area.

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Japan museum: History