4.5 Muromachi Period : Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573-1615)
There is a short but very important period of time from the rise of Oda Nobunaga to the final unification of Japan under Ieyasu, which marks the end of the Sengoku Jidai Period. It is called Azuchi-Momoyama (1573-1615) after two famous castles built by Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. The tastes and styles of the period reflect the personal tastes of these two men.
Azuchi-Momoyama Period Culture
Castles and buildings: Azuchi, Juradakudai and Fushimi-Momoyama Castles
This was a period of great construction projects. New castles were built and others refurbished. The castles built were not only beautiful but also practical in that they were designed for the use of firearms in warfare. Hideyoshi built his Osaka Castle which was intended to surpass Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle, with a five-story main tower, three underground stories, and the addition of gold leaf. Hideyoshi significantly remodeled Himeji Castle. Hideyoshi constructed a lavish palace, the Jurakudai, on the site where the Imperial palace had stood in the Heian period. There he entertained Emperor Go-Yōzei, and provided room for Sen no Rikyū. Surviving buildings of Jurakudai can be seen at Hiun-kaku at Nishi Hogan-ji, the Karamon at Daitoku-ji, and the front gate at Myōkaku-ji. Many parts of Juradakudai were used for Fushimi-Momoyama Castle. Fushimi-Momoyama Castle was intended as a retirement palace for Hideyoshi and was famous for the Golden Tea Room.
Many years of warfare had devastated Kyoto. Hideyoshi began rebuilding and reconstructing the city.
Hideyoshi completely rebuilt the burnt down temple of Daigo-ji. There he was to throw his famous cherry blossom party, Daigo-no-Hanami. To this day there is a parade called Hōkō Hanami Gyōretsu in April celebrating the party.
Hideyoshi built Chishaku-in to commemorate his eldest son. It is especially known for the Cherry Room (sakura-no-ma), which has 25 murals considered Momoyama art masterpieces.
As part of city renovation works, Hideyoshi had Kawaramachi Street (“river side town”) built. Nishi Hongan-ji was moved to its present site in 1591. One of his most ambitious projects was at Hōkō-ji in 1586 in Kyoto, which had a greater Daibutsu temple than that of Nara. The temple was built on the area where the Kyoto National Museum now stands.
Houses and Architecture
During the Muromachi and especially the Momoyama Era, new styles of architecture appeared. In housing, the shoin style developed. Momoyama architectural masterpieces can be seen at Myōshin-ji Temple at the Sammon (Main Gate); at Nishi Hogan-ji Temple, the Hiun-kaku, a three story mansion; and Toji Temple, the Kon-dō (Main Hall).
Momoyama Culture
The Momoyama period with its ornate castle architecture and interiors adorned with painted screens embellished with gold leaf reflected a daimyō’s power. There was a new aesthetic sense quite different from the somber monotones of the Muromachi period. A genre that emerged at this time was called the Nanban style—exotic depictions of European priests, traders, and other “southern barbarians.”
Art
The art from the Azuchi-Momoyama Period reflects the tastes of Hideyoshi in certain ways. After all, the name Momoyama or “Peach Mountain” is the taken from the site of Hideyoshi’s villa.
As can be imagined from his buildings Hideyoshi was a flamboyant personality and the art of the day changed from the restraint and simplicity of the Kitayama bunka and Higashiyama bunka to exuberance and vividly colorful. Screens had large bold designs and gilt backgrounds, the outsides of structures featured rounder roofs with an ostentatious display.
The Kanō school continued as one of the dominant schools of Japanese painting. The most famous of the Kanō family was Eitoku (1543–1590). He built the screen for Nobunaga at Azuchi. He appears to have been the main figure in developing the new castle style. Some of the most famous examples of Kanō school castle decoration are found at Nijō Castle.
Tea
The tea ceremony or chanoyu, the “Way of Tea” took the shape that we recognize today under the direction of Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591). He became the tea master for Oda Nobunaga and then for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi and Rikyū are noted for hosting the Great Tea Party at Kitano Tenmangū Shrine.
Crafts
Lacquerware had been around for a while but the Momoyama period produced the highest form of this craft with elegant designs and sturdy vessels. Bamboo was adopted for use in the tea ceremony and bamboo crafts achieved their highest level of development.
Christianity
In 1549, Francis Xavier, the pioneer Jesuit missionary, landed in Japan and became the first European to see Kyoto. Oda Nobunaga saw Christianity as a wedge against Buddhism and some daimyō had an interest in it. One such daimyō was Ōtomo Sōrin (1530–1587). He converted to Roman Catholicism and sent the Tenshō embassy to the Pope and leaders in Europe.
The activities of European traders and various Catholic missionaries in Japan, as well as the Japanese ventures overseas, gave the period a cosmopolitan flavor. However, things would soon change.