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Hiroshige. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese: 歌川 広重), also Andō Hiroshige (Japanese: 安藤 広重; 1797 – 12 October 1858) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.

Hiroshige

Hiroshige is best known for his landscapes, such as the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō; and for his depictions of birds and flowers. The subjects of his work were atypical of the ukiyo-e genre, whose typical focus was on beautiful women, popular actors, and other scenes of the urban pleasure districts of Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). The popular Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series by Hokusai was a strong influence on Hiroshige's choice of subject, though Hiroshige's approach was more poetic and ambient than Hokusai's bolder, more formal prints. Torii. A torii (鳥居?

Torii

, lit. bird abode, /ˈtɔəri.iː/) is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred (see Sacred-profane dichotomy).[1] The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the simplest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon represents them on Japanese road maps. [note 1] They are however a common sight at Japanese Buddhist temples too, where they stand at the entrance of the temple's own shrine, called chinjusha (鎮守社?

, tutelary god shrine) and are usually very small. Their first appearance in Japan can be reliably pinpointed to at least the mid-Heian period because they are mentioned in a text written in 922.[1] The oldest existing stone torii was built in the 12th century and belongs to a Hachiman Shrine in Yamagata prefecture. Meaning and uses of torii[edit] Tea ceremony. The elaborate and refined Japanese tea ceremony is meant to demonstrate respect through grace and good etiquette as demonstrated here by Dr.

Tea ceremony

Genshitsu Sen, 15th Grand Master of the Urasenke Tea School. A tea ceremony is a ritualized form of making tea practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere by the Chinese, Japanese,[1] Korean and Vietnamese tea ceremony. The tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea. The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called Tea ceremony.

The Japanese tea ceremony is better known, and was influenced by the Chinese tea ceremony during ancient and medieval times. At a very basic level, tea ceremonies are a formalized way of making tea, in a process which has been refined to yield the best taste. Teaism[edit] Edo period. The Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai?)

Edo period

, or Tokugawa period (徳川時代, Tokugawa jidai?) , is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional Daimyo. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, environmental protection policies,[1][2][3][4] and popular enjoyment of arts and culture. The shogunate was officially established in Edo on March 24, 1603, by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Takeda Shingen. Takeda Harunobu A modern reproduction of Takeda Shingen's famous armour Takeda Shingen (武田 信玄?

Takeda Shingen

, December 1, 1521 – May 13, 1573), of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Name[edit] Shingen was called "Tarō" (a commonly used pet name for the eldest son of a Japanese family) or "Katsuchiyo" (勝千代) during his childhood. Both the Ashikaga and the Takeda clans descended from the Minamoto (源) clan. In 1551 Harunobu chose to live a pabbajja life and received a dharma name, Shingen (信玄), from his Buddhist master.

Shingen is sometimes referred to as "The Tiger of Kai" (甲斐の虎) for his martial prowess on the battlefield. Early life[edit] Bushido. Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s.

Bushido

Photograph by Felice Beato Bushidō (武士道?) , literally "samurai's way", is a Japanese word for the way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. Bushido, a modern term rather than a historical one, originates from the samurai moral values, most commonly stressing some combination of frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor unto death. Born from Neo-Confucianism during times of peace in Tokugawa Japan and following Confucian texts, Bushido was also influenced by Shinto and Zen Buddhism, allowing the violent existence of the samurai to be tempered by wisdom and serenity. Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, some aspects of warrior values became formalized into Japanese feudal law.[2] The word was first used in Japan during the 17th century.[3] It came into common usage in Japan and the West after the 1899 publication of Nitobe Inazō's Bushido: The Soul of Japan.[4] In Bushido (1899), Nitobe wrote: Historical development[edit]