Japanese Art and Architecture
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Japanese Art Collection Highlights | Collections Online
early 13th century Kaikei, (Japanese, active ca. 1185 - 1220) Kamakura period Wood with lacquer, gold, copper, and crystal H: 62.8 W: 43.2 cm Japan Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1909.345 Recent scholarship associates this sculpture of a bodhisattva (enlightened being) with Kaikei (fl. 1180–1220), a master sculptor who contributed to the revival of Buddhist sculpture in the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Proportion and balance in the figure, realistic yet sensitive modeling of the facial features, and graceful, regular arrangement of the garment folds are marks of Kaikei's style. <p style="text-align:right;color:#A8A8A8"></p>
Contemporary
The Jomon period, which encompasses a great expanse of time, constitutes Japan's Neolithic period. Its name is derived from the "cord markings" that characterize the ceramics made during this time. Jomon people were semi-sedentary, living mostly in pit dwellings arranged around central open spaces, and obtained their food by gathering, fishing, and hunting. While the many excavations of Jomon sites have added to our knowledge of specific artifacts, they have not helped to resolve certain fundamental questions concerning the people of the protoliterate era, such as their ethnic classification and the origin of their language.
Jomon Culture (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.) | Thematic Essay
Calligraphy