Ningyo
Описание книги
Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll features over 250 unique photographs as well as extensive commentary and background history. Japanese dolls ( ningyo ) have played an important role in Japanese art and culture since its earliest stages of development, as talismanic figures, centerpieces, in elaborate festivals, medical study tools, theater distractions, decorative objects, and avidly collected art forms, as well as childhood playthings. Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll is the most comprehensive book on antique Japanese dolls and figurines published in English. The book focuses on the many types of Japanese dolls: gosho: palace dolls hina: Girl's Day dolls musha: warrior dolls for the Boy's Day Festival isho: fashion dollsThe principal forms of the dolls and their history, stylistic development, cultural context, and economic imperatives are discussed against the backdrop of Edo-period society and popular culture. Beautifully detailed color photographs of ningyo drawn from private collections, many of which are published here for the first time, as well as images of related materials selected from celebrated museums and temple collections, such as folding screens, woodblock prints, sculpture, painting ceramics, and textiles, help place the dolls in context. Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll is a fascinating book for anyone interested in Asian doll art and doll collecting.
Отрывок из книги
Osome Meiji period, late 19th century
Height 36 1/2 inches
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In the late eighteenth century, mitate gosho-ningyō based directly on Noh themes and plays became popular. Known simply as noningyō (Noh dolls), these figures displayed a particularly high level of artistry and sensitivity. Figures nearly as tall as a small child, two feet in height and larger, were created, elaborately costumed in textiles closely approximating those worn on the Noh stage. Noningyō, however, were rarely, if ever, created with masks, a signature element of the Noh drama itself. Karakuri (mechanical) gosho frequently have masks attached depicting the faces of Okina or some other highly recognizable figure, but nō-ningyō relied on the intimate knowledge of the viewer to reveal their identities: tableau images re-enacting scenes from famous plays were created, figures grouped in telling ways, with their accessories and textiles giving a name to the unspoken drama presented.
As a dramatic form, Noh had its origins early in Japanese history, in ritual dances held at Shintō shrines designed to entertain the gods and to invite blessings. Buddhist priests from certain esoteric sects also used performance to educate and convey their religious ideals to the public. Lay itinerant performers traveled the countryside as well, using shrine and temple precincts in which to showcase their talents that included brief skits, dance, and acrobatics. Called sarugaku (monkey music), these performances gradually became more sophisticated, frequently taking on some of the more sacred elements of their religious counterparts. The chronology of this early development is unclear, but by the end of the Heian period, certain Noh dances that we recognize today, such as Okina, were already established pieces with a highly cultured patronage and a rapidly developing material culture.
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