3.3 Kamakura Period 1185-1333: Art, Culture, Literature

Buddhism was the dominant factor in Kamakura culture and the Hōjō and their supporters at Kamakura avidly sought training from Kyoto teachers in the civilizing arts, particularly poetry and Buddhist texts.

Buddhism profoundly influenced the great literary classics of the time. The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari) is an epic account of the Genpei War compiled from a collection of oral stories told by monks for the repose of the souls of the Heike (Taira). The central theme is the Buddhist stress on the impermanence of life. The Heike’s great power and wealth proved to be impermanent as it vanished at the end. A second Buddhist theme developed in the epic is karma. Every action has consequences that are seen in another life. In  Hōjōki (An Account of My Hut) by Kamo no Chōmei (1153 or 1155–1216), the theme is  about the tension of the dichotomy of Chōmei’s desire to pursue artistic pursuits and his desire to renounce the world to seek salvation as a Buddhist monk.

While no longer wielding dominating political power, the emperor and his court continued to set the standards of taste and culture. After retirement, Go-Toba devoted his time to calligraphy, painting, music, poetry, literature, and editing.

Lady Nijō’s memoir An Unasked-For Tale, or The Confessions of Lady Nijō describes her life at court as a concubine of Emperor Go-Fukakusa .

Not only was Go-Toba renown for his intellectual pursuits, but he was known for archery, equestrianism, and swordsmanship. After all the cultural emphasis moved from admiration of the gentlemen, the scholar, and the aesthete to the fighting men and a worship of honor and the sword –  kyuba-no-michi – “the way of the horse and bow” and bushido – “the way of the warrior.” Go-Toba was a great lover of swords. He became a respectable swordsmith himself, and it was his patronage and encouragement of this art that gave birth to Japan’s Golden Age of bladesmithing. He summoned the finest bladesmiths to develop a new sword that resulted in one that was strong but not brittle and very sharp and came to become respected throughout the world, later turning into a major export to China.

Another popular art associated with the aristocracy is the ogi, or folding fan. After the death of Heike warlord, Taira-no-Atsumori, his wife became a priestess of the Mieido Hall, calling herself Renge-Inni. There, she together with the monks of the temple created ogi.

The Kamakura Era is particularly known for sculpture. This came out of necessity for during the Gempei War many religious sculptures were destroyed. Sculpture of the period is known for its blend of idealism as founded in the Nara period works and of realism from the Chinese Song dynasty sculpture. It is in this period one sees the sculptures with bulging eyes, protruding veins in the limbs, and theatrical poses, which was very popular with the Buddhist masses. The Kamakura Era is considered by many to be the last significant period in the history of Japanese sculpture until modern times.

The finest Kamakura period sculpture used meticulously crafted and assembled pieces of wood. Heian sculpture tended to use a single block of wood. At Sanjūsangen-dō there are 1001 Kannon statutes. It was a massive project, all the busshi (sculptors of Buddhist carvings) working in Japan at the time were commissioned to create them. The statues are covered in gold leaf, filling the dimly-lit hall with a mysterious golden light.

Kamakura period religious painting was influenced by the Amidist sects and Zen. Amidist painting depicted figures from the Pure Land Buddhist pantheon with Amida and his entourage descending from paradise to greet souls of the recently departed. Zen inspired art not only concentrated on mentor and patriarch portraiture, but also subjects not obviously religious in theme such as bird and flower paintings and landscapes. In both religious and secular painting the picture scroll format grew in importance. Religious scrolls had a rich vitality that made it easy for more people to relate to the spiritual message by depictions of ordinary life and concrete images.

Architecture

It was also a time for building the great temples of Zen and the Amidist sects. A new style of Buddhist architecture appeared the Zenshū style. In this style all building are in a straight line. Zen temples were set up at various geographic areas in Kyoto. In the northwest was Daitoku-ji, the head temple of Rinzai. In the southeast was Tōfuku-ji and Myoshin-ji. In the east was Nanzen-ji, the main temple of the Rinzai-shū sect founded by Eisai in 1291 and set up as a large monastery. The Amidist sects founded Hogen-ji as the main temple of Jodo-shinshū and Chion-in, the headquarters of the Jodo sect founded by Hōnen.

However, there were other elements afoot that led to the end of the Kamakura regime.