Momoyama culture, which blossomed during the time of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, was powerful, magnificent, and luxurious, reflecting the spirit of rising daimyos and wealthy merchants. It can be called the most flamboyant period in Japanese cultural history.
Basic Knowledge
The name Momoyama culture comes from the name “Momoyama,” which was given because peach trees were later planted on the site of Hideyoshi’s Fushimi Castle.
Architecture and castles:
・Azuchi Castle (Nobunaga, 1576) — five-story, seven-floor keep; origin of early-modern castles
・Osaka Castle (Hideyoshi, 1583) — enormous stone walls; impregnable
・Jurakudai (Hideyoshi, 1587) — kampaku residence in Kyoto
・Fushimi Castle (Hideyoshi, 1592) — origin of the name “Momoyama”
・Himeji Castle (Ikeda Terumasa, after Sekigahara) — White Egret Castle; World Heritage Site
・Matsumoto Castle, Inuyama Castle, and Hikone Castle are also famous as surviving original castle keeps
Wall paintings (sliding-door and folding-screen paintings):
・Kano Eitoku — “Folding Screen of Chinese Lions” and “Scenes In and Around Kyoto”; master of the Kano school
・Kano Sanraku — Eitoku’s disciple; “Hawks in a Pine Tree”
・Hasegawa Tohaku — “Pine Trees Screen” (National Treasure); rival of the Kano school
・Kaiho Yusho and Unkoku Togan were also active
Tea ceremony (completion of wabi tea):
・Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) — from Sakai, disciple of Takeno Jo-o, tea master of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. He perfected wabi tea and designed Myokian’s Tai-an (a two-tatami-mat tea room and National Treasure). In 1591, Hideyoshi ordered him to commit suicide (there are different theories).
Noh, kabuki, and puppet theater:
・Okuni of Izumo — began kabuki dancing in Kyoto in 1603 (Keicho 8). This became the origin of kabuki.
・Hideyoshi was passionate about Noh, and records state that he performed Noh himself.
Nanban culture:
・Nanban screens depicting the arrival of Nanban ships, Christian editions (movable-type printing), and European printing technology brought by the Tensho boy embassy
・Music (organs) and painting (influenced by Western painting) were also introduced
Kano Eitoku “Folding Screen of Chinese Lions”; “Scenes In and Around Kyoto”
Hasegawa Tohaku “Pine Trees Screen” (National Treasure)
Sen no Rikyu Completed wabi tea; Tai-an
Okuni of Izumo Kabuki dancing (1603)
Himeji Castle Ikeda Terumasa; largest surviving keep (National Treasure and World Heritage Site)
In Depth (Background and Effects)
The defining feature of Momoyama culture was “magnificent splendor.” Supported by the economic power of rising daimyos and wealthy merchants, gold-ground wall paintings, huge castles, and splendid tea rooms combined strength with luxury.
The Kano school was favored by Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, undertaking the wall paintings of Azuchi Castle, Osaka Castle, and Jurakudai. It later continued as official painters for the Edo shogunate. Kano Eitoku is said to have died from overwork in his late forties, illustrating the burden placed on individuals by the cultural prosperity of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
The relationship between Sen no Rikyu and Hideyoshi is an important story in cultural history. In 1587, Hideyoshi held the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto, inviting more than 800 people of all social classes in one day, with Rikyu supervising. In 1591, however, Rikyu was suddenly ordered by Hideyoshi to commit suicide. The causes are disputed, including a wooden statue at the gate of Daitokuji, the sale of medicine, and political conflict.
Nanban culture reached its peak during the Momoyama period under the influence of Christianity introduced during the Warring States period. Nanban screens depict Portuguese clothing, Nanban ships, and missionaries, providing valuable evidence of international exchange at the time.
- Momoyama culture = the era of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi; magnificent splendor
- Azuchi, Osaka, Fushimi, and Himeji castles = enormous castles
- Kano Eitoku = master of the Kano school; “Folding Screen of Chinese Lions”
- Hasegawa Tohaku = master rivaling the Kano school; “Pine Trees Screen”
- Sen no Rikyu = from Sakai; completed wabi tea; Tai-an
- 1591 = Sen no Rikyu was ordered by Hideyoshi to commit suicide
- 1603 = Okuni of Izumo began kabuki dancing, the origin of kabuki
- Nanban culture = Nanban screens, Christian editions, and movable-type printing
Points to Note (Easily Confused)
① Distinguish the order and characteristics of Kitayama culture (early Muromachi), Higashiyama culture (late Muromachi), Momoyama culture (Azuchi-Momoyama), and Genroku culture (early Edo).
② Distinguish Kano Eitoku and Kano Sanraku. Eitoku was the official painter of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi; Sanraku was Eitoku’s disciple.
③ Sen no Rikyu (from Sakai, Azuchi-Momoyama period) completed wabi tea. He was Takeno Jo-o’s disciple.
④ Okuni of Izumo (1603) was a woman who began kabuki dancing in Kyoto. Female kabuki was later banned as immoral, and it developed through youth kabuki and male kabuki into its present form.
Practice
- State the name of the person who painted the “Folding Screen of Chinese Lions,” a representative work of Momoyama wall painting.
- State the name of the tea master who completed wabi tea and served as Hideyoshi’s tea master.
- State the name of the person who began kabuki dancing in Kyoto in 1603 and is considered the originator of kabuki.