P6+Samurai+Arts

Samurai Arts: Ikebana, Haiku, Landscape Painting and Gardens
By: Carly L. and Grey S. Introduction Samurai Arts were a very valued part of samurai culture during the Tokugawa period because samurai treated them as part of themselves, and practiced them often to enrich and enlighten their lives. Samurai used these arts to express themselves and show who they are to others. This essay will show how important art is to samurai, and will explain how each art is practiced. This essay covers the arts of Haiku, Ikebana, Stone Gardening, Gardening, and Samurai Religion, some of the most important arts that the samurai practice.

Samurai Religion The two main religions of the samurai during the Tokugawa period were Shinto and Zen Buddhism. Both religions were very similar in that they believed in closer to nature and respecting their ancestors. These are important parts of samurai culture because they are a daily occurrence in a samurai's life, and the samurai follow them strictly. When practicing these religions, the samurai strive to achieve small bits of enlightenment coming over time. They do this by meditating (sitting with legs crossed and hands held slightly upward), often in a //zendo// or in nature. Another way for a samurai to demonstrate his/her faith is to clap their hands. The religious ceremonies of faith were dedicated to nature and the //kami// (nature gods and goddesses). Ultimately, both religions strive to achieve inner peace and enlightenment through religion.

Haiku Haiku is a form of formal poetry about a specific moment in nature, written by Zen Buddhist samurai. Haiku is an important part of Zen Buddhism because the main point of haiku is to give you //kensho// (bursts of enlightenment), which is one of the main goals of Zen Buddhism. Many samurai write haiku, and the haiku they write is believed to show a part of who they are, and give enlightenment. For example, a famous Haiku poet, Basho, was a samurai and his spirit seemed to show in the haikus he wrote. Kobayashi Issa and Yosa Buson were some other haiku poets during the Tokugawa period. Haiku is a way for the samurai to express what they see and feel in nature and through meditating. Haiku is about a single observation or moment in nature, and it is always a single poem, not a whole story of poems.

Gardens Gardens were a part of almost every samurai's life and contained a wide variety of beautiful and symbolic plants. Gardens were and are still the focus of meditation. Gardens contain many plants. One of them is the bonsai tree. A bonsai tree is a tree grown in a small pot to enhance its beauty. Another plant is the lotus. The lotus is special to the samurai (and Buddhists) because it symbolizes a growth in spirit. Lotus flowers are not only a common appearance in the gardens, but they are also used as offerings. The gardens are often arranged in abstract ways in order to soothe and calm the mind in preparation for meditation.

Stone Gardens/Ryoanji Another art of the samurai was stone gardening. Ryoanji is a famous stone garden. Ryoanji was made in around 983ce and was the Fujiwara family's property. Ryoanji is made up of a pond and two islands. One of the islands leads to a shrine that honors the god Benten. Stone gardens in general are often made up of a few rocks and are about 30 by 10m. The gardens often make you wonder about unknown parts of Zen Buddhism. Stone Gardens, like normal ones, were a common part of samurai culture in the Tokugawa period. Ikebana Ikebana is an art form of flower arrangements originated from the Buddhist tradition of arranging flowers and giving them as offerings. Ikebana is a traditional practice of arranging the flowers to have three stems to represent heaven, man, and earth. It began in the 6th century but wasn't an official art form until the 15th century. Ikebana was once a religious symbol, and was the focus of many festivals, but in the early 1600s its religious status went down, and then it was mostly an art created for the sole purpose of decoration. Ikebana was first learned by those higher up in the social structure, including many samurai and their masters. Not many of the lower classes knew the art of Ikebana, but the higher classes were able to make the beautiful art form. Ikebana was highly important and looked up upon because of that. It was a part of samurai culture since samurai were able to make it, so ikebana could be found in many of their homes.

Conclusion As you can see, without the samurai arts samurai wouldn’t be the same. The arts are their routine and show a part of who they are. Each person has a different way of expressing themselves, and the samurai do so through the arts. The way samurai present their art can tell about how one is feeling and how one acts towards others. The samurai practice these arts as a part of their life, and each art is equally valued for their part in samurai culture. The samurai lifestyle would not only be different, but the samurai would lose a part of themselves and their culture without their arts.

Power Point:

Citations:
 * Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas. //The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn//. New York: Puffin Books, 1999. Print.
 * “History.” //Ikebana International.// Ikebana International, 2005. Web. 2/16/09.
 * Wilkinson, Philip. __Buddhism__. New York: DK, 2003. Print.
 * “Ryoanji.” //Destinations… Japan Travel Guide.// The Yamasa Institute. Web. 2/22/10.
 * “Part 4- Haiku and Zen.” //In the Moonlight a Worm… silently drills through a chestnut.// National Lottery, 1999. Web. 2/22/10.
 * “Shinto.” //Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.// The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-2010. Web. 2/22/10.