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CHAPTER TWELVE
JAPANESE ART BEFORE 1333
12
Multiple Choice
1. 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
2. What simple form was used to shape vessels of the haniwa figures that surrounded Kofun
tombs?
A. triangular
B. cubic
C. circular
D. cylindrical
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. Which form of writing is classified as cursive script with graceful lines?
A. hiragana
B. kana
C. kanji
D. sutras
10. 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
11. 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.
12. 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
13. 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.
14. Which period is known for its coiled clay vessels that probably imitated reed baskets?
A. Asuka
B. Nara
C. Jomon
D. Heian
15. From which culture did the architects of the large imperial tombs of the Kofun period
borrow?
A. Korean
B. Cambodian
C. Chinese
D. Indian
16. 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
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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
20. 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
21. What mythical Indian Buddhist sage was the founder of Zen monks’ lineage?
A. Daolong
B. Amida
C. Chan
D. Daruma
22. Who was the first shogun of the Kamakura period?
A. Yoritomo
B. Minamoto
C. Taira
D. Yining
23. 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
24. The earliest form of samurai armor is known as
A. kamakura.
B. soji.
C. yoroi.
D. giga.
25. Which period’s aesthetics are presented in the Amida Buddha (Fig. 12-10)?
A. Kamakura
B. Asuka
C. Nara
D. Heian
Short Answer
1. What social changes occurred in the Yayoi period?
2. What cultural transformations occurred during the Asuka period?
3. What is one of the jataka tales told by the paintings of Horyuji?
4. What are some of the Buddhist symbols and what do they stand for?
5. What is Esoteric Buddhism, and how is the concept artistically interpreted?
6. What are the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism?
7. Why did the Heian era end, and what period followed?
8. How do raigo paintings differ from mandalas?
9. How does Zen Buddhist art differ from that of Esoteric and Pure Land Buddhism?
10. Describe the joined-block wood sculpture technique.
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Essay
1. Compare the aesthetic and ritual characteristics of art made for different sects of Buddhism in
Japan.
2. Discuss the interplay of indigenous traditions and transmitted culture in Japanese art.
3. Discuss how Japan’s changing relationship with China and Korea impacted its art and cultural
development.
4. 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.
5. Compare and contrast paintings from the Heian period and the Kamakura period.
