P6+Moore+Samurai+Arts

**Enoch Kuan and** **Mohala Kaliebe** Art was very important to both samurai and Japanese culture. Without art, samurai would not be samurai, Japan would not be Japan. Art is a big part of any culture, and it is important to know what it is and how it was done. Poetry was very important to samurai and also Japanese culture. The Heian Period was a golden age for poetry. The history of haiku began in the last years of the 19th century. A retired samurai warrior named Matsuo Basho became the master of haiku in the 1600s. Basho means banana tree. He chose that name for himself later in his life. In childhood Basho was called Kinsaku, and he started writing under the name Sobo. He had more than 2000 students at the time of his death. The earliest form of poetry was Tanka, or “short song”. A Tanka is an unrhymed poem with five lines. Each line had a set number of syllables. Lords and ladies of Kyoto court devoted themselves to Tanka writing. A favorite form of poetry among the samurai was Renga, or “linked verse”. One person would speak the first lines of a Tanka, and another person would finish the poem. Painting was another important art for the samurai and Japanese culture. A narrative scroll is a painting made on a long roll of paper that tells a story. Japan learned the art of scroll painting during early contacts with China. The first scrolls showed religious subjects. Later subjects for narrative scrolls included nature, court and city life, and battles. One of the most famous, the Mongol Invasion Scroll made in 1281, gave a lot of information about samurai dress, weapons, and fighting styles. In the 1300s, many Japanese artists adopted the Chinese painting style called sumi-e. Using delicate brushstrokes, artists painted simple landscapes almost entirely in black ink. Two centuries later, Oda Nobunaga took over a lot of Japan and started a new trend: scrolls and screens painted with bright watercolors and flakes of gold. Merchants were so eager to own these paintings that painters carved wooden blocks which they dipped in ink to make copies of their best works. Subjects for these paintings included Kabuki players, fierce samurai, and geishas. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. In the sixth century, Ikebana was introduced to Japan by Chinese Buddhist missionaries. Later, in the fifteen century, Ikebana was practiced only by those of nobility. Then Ikebana spread farther out in Japan. As a result, schools were formed to practice the art. For this reason, the art of Ikebana was and is now practiced in all social classes. Zen gardens are important places for meditation for many reasons. One of these reasons is that Zen gardens can be very peaceful and relaxing places. Secondly, Zen gardens can look very different. For example, some Zen gardens look like empty gravel lots with rocks in them. Others are in the nature with lots of moss and ponds. This is important because samurai meditated in Zen gardens. Many Daimyo’s and important samurai had beautiful Zen gardens next to or near their houses. Calligraphy is a style of writing that is supposed to be very beautiful and fluid. For this reason, it is important in calligraphy that you use a brush. Also, there is one type of calligraphy that is used in writing Japanese poetry. This type of Calligraphy had an elegant and graceful appearance. In addition to being very graceful and elegant, calligraphy has long been highly esteemed in Japan. To conclude, samurai did a lot more things than killing. They did beautiful, graceful, and relaxing things like ikebana, painting, poetry, and Calligraphy. Their art was a major part in both their and Japanese culture.
 * Samurai Arts**
 * __Introduction__**
 * __Poetry__**
 * __Painting__**
 * __Ikebana__**
 * __Zen Gardens__**
 * __Calligraphy__**
 * __Conclusion__**

"ikebana." //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
 * __Citations__**

"**Japanese calligraphy.**" //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

Deal, William E. __Handbook to Life In Medieval and Early Modern Japan.__ New York: Facts on File Inc. 2006.

Schomp, Virginia//. Japan in the Days of the Samurai.// Benchmark Books: Tarrytown, 2002. Print.  To conclude, samurai did a lot more things than killing. They did beautiful, graceful, and relaxing things like ikebana, painting, poetry, and Calligraphy. Kei Grieg Toyomasu. "What is Haiku?" //Haiku for People.// Schoolzone, 1995. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.
 * __Conclusion__**

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