Ukiyo-e is a unique Japanese mode of paintings and woodblock prints that existed during the Edo period. It is used to depict beautiful courtesans, renowned artists, erotic scenes, to mention a few. This essay will address my thoughts about the Ukiyo-e and woodblock prints. Since these paintings also have a religious aspect, the piece will also highlight their relation to the study of Shinto and Japanese religion.
When I look at some of Ukiyo-e artwork images, I see them as a medium of advertisement and commercialization. An example is hikifuda, which looks attractive and was used to capture people's attention, thus serving as commercial purposes as newspaper flyers do in the current age. Another example is Yakusha-e, which is eye-catching and is used to popularize band names like cosmetics (Coogan, 2005). However, some images when I look at them tend to look scary and intimidating. For example, the image of the greedy hag has a three-eyed monster with two long beards. The story behind the image was that of a woman who chose a large basket, thinking that it was full of treasures and overlooked the smaller one, only to find that it had demons and spirits. These are the demons that are probably portrayed on the artworks and serve to warn us against greed.
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Ukiyo-e woodblock prints play a vital role that aids explicitly in the study of Shinto and Japanese religion. The Japanese who borrowed the Ukiyo-e art and design from the Chines used these very skills to duplicate religious scriptures within their monasteries. This practice helped them visually represent their religious beliefs, the kami, which was the innate belief in the experience of supernatural powers and ghosts. Shintoism is the distinct Japanese religious tradition that has been in existence since time immemorial. However, during the 6th century, Chinese religion (Buddhism) infiltrated into Japan, and this historical religious twist is well-displayed in Ukiyo-e woodblock prints and artwork. This is a reminder of the Chinese religious invasion into the Japanese Shinto religion. Besides, the Ukiyo-e woodblock prints helped exemplify the true meaning of Shinto religion through visual art. Shintoism is built around the reverence of spirit-beings called kami and the love for nature (Coogan, 2005). An example is the magnificent kimonos produced by Itchiku Kubota, who got his inspiration from nature.
In conclusion, Ukiyo-e woodblock prints are like the building blocks of Japanese religion because they helped portray Japanese religious beliefs in a physical form of art and design.
Reference
Coogan, M., 2005. Eastern Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto . London: Duncan Baird, pgs.416-517.
