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Introduction
This workshop focuses on the Edo period (1615–1868) in Japan, and its rich artistic and
cultural heritage. Teachers may chose to combine the slides and activities in this packet,
which focus on courtly and literati arts, with other packets produced by the Asian Art
Museum and other institutions treating this period that are listed in the Bibliography.
Teachers may also wish to borrow the museum’s activity trunk on Edo, which includes
clothing of different classes, the Hokusai & Hiroshige slide packet, and introductory video
on the Hokusai & Hiroshige exhibit.
Notes to the reader
Japanese names in this text will be listed following the Japanese convention. The family
name precedes the given name, for example Ike Gyokuran, with Ike being the artist’s family
name. However, unlike the Western practice—which commonly refers to artists by their last
names (for example, Picasso or O’Keefe) Japanese artists are often referred to by their first
names (for example, Gyokuran). One reason for this is that artists often changed their family
name to that of their master or their artistic school (Kano Tanyu, for example). Since
there have been hundreds of Kano artists, this name alone is not helpful in distinguishing
Tanyu from other Kano artists, such as Kano Eitoku or Kano Hogai.
Notes on pronunciation of Japanese words:
Surprisingly to many English speakers, Japanese is not a very difficult language to pronounce.
Most of the sounds, with a few exceptions, exist in English. Unlike English, Japanese
does not have stress points within words nor does it have silent letters. Each syllable is
given equal emphasis, and vowel sounds are standard. In English the letter “e” can sound
very differently depending on the word, or it can be silent, (“eat” vs. “get” vs. “late”). Not so
in Japanese. Each vowel has only one sound, which is always pronounced. Below is a basic
guide to Japanese pronunciation.
Sounds in Japanese are expressed in syllable-like units that generally consist of a consonant
followed by a vowel, the three syllables: ki mo no, for example together make the word
kimono (Japanese clothing).
Vowels are pronounced as in the following English words:
a as in at
i as in machine
u as in food (without rounding lips)
e as in bet
o as in orange
Asian Art Museum Education Department