Japanese Art iPhone Cases

Japanese Art Phone Cases

Feast your eyes, fellow wanderers, on these Japanese art phone cases, little portals to a realm where koi fish dance across cherry blossoms and samurai spirits whisper secrets through delicate lines. No mere slabs of plastic, these are canvases reborn, ready to transform your phone into a pocket-sized wonder. We're talkin' echoes of Hokusai's waves, the bold energy of anime, and the timeless elegance of Ohara Koson's birds. Imagine the whispers of admiration, the intrigued glances when you pull out your phone adorned with such vibrant visions. It's like carryin' a tiny Japanese daydream in your pocket, a jolt of artistry to break up the everyday humdrum. And hey, these ain't just about lookin' pretty - they're built tough, too. Think of 'em as tiny, stylish samurai, protectin' your precious phone while turnin' heads. So go ahead, indulge your love for all things Japanese. Let your phone be a beacon of your unique taste, a conversation starter fueled by the timeless spirit of Japanese artistry.

Japanese art is called many things because it encompasses such a wide range of styles and media, evolving over a long and rich history dating back to the 10th millennium BCE.

Some of the major traditional Japanese art forms are called:

Calligraphy (Shodo)

• Elegant form of writing using brush and ink on paper or silk. Influenced by Chinese calligraphy, it developed into a uniquely Japanese art form.

Painting (Kaiga)

• Traditional painting styles include sumi-e ink painting, ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and nihonga. These showcase nature, flowers, birds, landscapes, and scenes of daily life.
• Nihonga is a style of Japanese painting that emerged in the late 19th century as a countermovement to the increasing popularity of Western art styles like oil painting. The term "nihonga" literally means "Japanese painting" and was coined by art critic Ernest Fenollosa in the 1880s to distinguish traditional Japanese painting techniques from Western-influenced painting or yōga. Nihonga emphasizes outlines and flat, decorative surfaces over 3D perspective and chiaroscuro. Captures emotion through simple, abstracted forms rather than anatomical realism. Subject matter draws heavily from nature, literature, mythology, and history. Though initially aimed at reviving medieval and Edo-era painting styles, nihonga continued evolving into the 20th century with artists like Yokoyama Taikan. Today it is taught in art schools but allows for some modern techniques and influences.

Pottery (Tojiki)

• Japanese pottery has a history of over 10,000 years, with distinctive styles like Jomon, Haji, and Arita ware. Known for simplicity, natural forms, and exquisite glazes.

Sculpture

• Sculptural arts like wood carving, lacquerware, and netsuke were used to decorate temples, shrines, and households. Bronze Buddhist sculptures were also common.

Origami

• The Japanese art of paper folding, used to create both decorative and symbolic shapes. Originated in the 17th century, it is now appreciated worldwide.

Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints

• Colorful prints depicting scenes from the entertainment districts, landscapes, and daily life. Utagawa Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai were famous ukiyo-e artists.

Ikebana Flower Arrangement

• A disciplined art form focused on arranging flowers and plants in harmony. Emphasizes shape, line, and form over color.

Textiles (Kogei)

• Woven fabrics like kimono, futon, and other traditional clothing and items. Characterized by natural dyes, elegant patterns, and exquisite detail.

In summary, Japanese art is wide-ranging and often emphasizes simplicity, minimalism, and closeness to nature. It has had a major influence on Western art since Japan reopened to the world in the 19th century.

Japan has a rich artistic tradition spanning various mediums, styles, and time periods. Some of the most popular and influential forms of Japanese art include:

Ukiyo-e (Woodblock Prints)

• Ukiyo-e refers to a genre of woodblock printing that flourished from the 17th to 19th centuries.
• Famous ukiyo-e artists include Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro, and Sharaku. Their prints often depict scenes of the "floating world" - theaters, teahouses, sumo wrestlers, geisha, and landscapes.
• Ukiyo-e had a major influence on European impressionists like Monet and Van Gogh. Its flat perspective, bold colors, and everyday subject matter inspired new artistic approaches in the West.

Origami (Paper Folding)

• Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, dating back to the 17th century.
• Origami encompasses various styles like action origami with movable parts, and modular origami using multiple sheets.
• Traditional origami subjects include animals, flowers, boxes, and the famous paper crane. Origami is still widely practiced in Japan today.

Shodo (Calligraphy)

• Shodo is the Japanese art of artistic writing using brush and ink on paper or silk. It originated from Chinese calligraphy.
• Shodo is done using a fude brush, sumi ink, and washi paper. It emphasizes line, rhythm, and balance to form characters.
• Major styles include kaisho (regular script), gyosho (semi-cursive), and sosho (cursive). Works often feature kanji, hiragana, or poetry.

Ikebana (Flower Arrangement)

• Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, dating back to the 6th century.
• It emphasizes shape, line, and form using minimal plant materials. Common styles are upright, slanting, and cascading.
• Ikebana is deeply influenced by Buddhism. It is meant to create harmony between humanity and nature.

Tojiki (Pottery)

• Tojiki refers to Japanese pottery, originating from the Jomon period around 14,000 BCE.
• Major types include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. Regional kilns produced distinct styles like Seto, Karatsu, and Arita ware.
• Japanese pottery emphasizes subtlety, asymmetry, and imperfection. It influenced modern potters like Shoji Hamada.

Japan's most famous painting is "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (c. 1831) by Katsushika Hokusai. This iconic woodblock print is part of Hokusai's series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji". The painting depicts a massive wave towering over three small fishing boats in Sagami Bay, with Mount Fuji visible in the distant background.

"The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is considered one of the most reproduced images in the history of art and a contender for the most famous artwork in Japanese history. It has influenced several notable artists and musicians, including Vincent van Gogh, Claude Debussy, Claude Monet, and Hiroshige.

Hokusai's masterpiece is characterized by its visually dynamic composition, fully saturated blues, and extraordinary contrast. The print features the use of Prussian blue, an exotic pigment that was newly available for the print market at the time.

The composition is carefully arranged to frame Mount Fuji, with the curves of the wave and the hull of one boat dipping just low enough to allow the base of the mountain to be visible. The white crest of the great wave creates a diagonal line that leads the viewer's eye directly to the peak of Mount Fuji.

The popularity of "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" has led to its inclusion in numerous museum collections worldwide, many of which were acquired from 19th-century private collections of Japanese prints. The painting's fame has also inspired various adaptations and reinterpretations in contemporary art and popular culture.

Ukiyo-e refers to a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. The term "ukiyo-e" translates to "pictures of the floating world".

Origins and Meaning

• The term "ukiyo" originally comes from a Buddhist concept meaning the sadness and impermanence of life.
• However, the homophone "ukiyo" meaning "floating world" later became associated with the hedonistic lifestyle and entertainment districts of Edo period Japan.

Subject Matter

• Ukiyo-e art depicted scenes from the pleasure quarters, kabuki theater, travel, nature, history, literature etc.
• Common subjects included beautiful women, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, landscapes, flora/fauna, erotica.
• The art celebrated the contemporary urban culture and sensory pleasures of Edo period Japan.

Style and Techniques

• Ukiyo-e started as hand-painted works but later transitioned to woodblock printing.
• It combined realism with decorative style and flattened perspective.
• Ukiyo-e prints featured bold outlines, vivid colors, and innovative composition.
• Special techniques like gradation, embossing, metallic pigments etc were used.

Significance

• Ukiyo-e was an influential art movement that appealed across social classes in Edo Japan.
• It had a profound impact on European art movements like Impressionism and Japonism.
• Ukiyo-e established woodblock printing as a high art form and inspired many later artists.

In summary, ukiyo-e refers to a genre of Japanese art from the Edo period that depicted the contemporary floating world and pleasures of urban life using innovative techniques and aesthetics. It became immensely popular and influenced art globally.

What is Shin-hanga?

Shin-hanga (新版画) translates to "new prints" and refers to a style of Japanese woodblock printing that emerged in the early 1900s. It revitalized the ukiyo-e tradition and was led by publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō.

Key Features

• Used traditional ukiyo-e techniques like multiple woodblocks and hand-brushing
• Combined Japanese aesthetics with Western naturalism and perspective
• Depicted traditional subjects like landscapes, beautiful women, kabuki actors
• Targeted foreign markets and patrons, especially in Europe and America

Major Artists

• Kawase Hasui - Famous for lyrical landscape prints, often with snow
• Hiroshi Yoshida - Landscapes inspired by travels abroad, with modern sensibility
• Ito Shinsui - Scenes of contemporary urban life, beautiful women, and theater
• Hashiguchi Goyo - Portraits of elegant women with decorative patterns

Revival of Woodblock Printing

• Decline of ukiyo-e in Meiji era prompted revival efforts
• Shin-hanga reinvigorated public interest in woodblock printing as an art form
• Success overseas exposed Western artists to ukiyo-e techniques and aesthetics
• Publishers like Watanabe played a key role in facilitating production

In summary, Shin-hanga revived and modernized traditional ukiyo-e woodblock printing in the early 20th century, combining Japanese and Western approaches. It sparked renewed interest in woodblock printing and influenced Western printmaking.

The Rinpa style is characterized by its vibrant colors, decorative patterns, and emphasis on natural motifs and classical literature references. And Rinpa artists worked across various mediums, including paintings, textiles, ceramics, and lacquerware. They often depicted scenes from classical literature, poetry, and nature, with a focus on birds, flowers, and seasonal imagery. The style is known for its brilliantly colored paintings and lavish use of gold. Rinpa artists also experimented with innovative techniques like tarashikomi (ink pooling), horinuri (layering), and mokkotsu (boneless) painting.

Lavish and bright colors

• Rinpa is known for its use of vibrant, lush pigments and colors, often applied in a bold, expressive manner.
• Works feature vivid hues like vermilion, cinnabar red, malachite green, azurite blue, and safflower yellow.
• The striking color schemes create a sense of drama, energy, and decoration.

Bold natural motifs

• Rinpa art extensively depicts nature including flowers, birds, trees, landscapes, and seasonal imagery.
• The natural elements are rendered with flowing, energetic brushwork and bold outlines.
• Stylized motifs like maple leaves, irises, and plum blossoms are common.

References to traditional court literature and poetry

• Rinpa artists drew inspiration from classic Japanese literature, poetry, and mythology.
• Scenes and characters from The Tale of Genji, The Tales of Ise, and other texts were frequently depicted.
• Inscriptions of waka poetry were also incorporated into compositions.

Use of gold and silver

• Lavish use of gold or silver leaf and powder is a hallmark of Rinpa decoration.
• Gold backgrounds and accents, silver clouds, and metallic textures create a luxurious effect.
• Gold conveys a sense of eternity, while silver represents the moon and water.

Experimentation with materials

• Rinpa extended across mediums like screens, ceramics, lacquerware, and textiles.
• Artists experimented with tarashikomi ink pooling, embossing, and bold textile patterns.
• This interdisciplinary approach was innovative and distinguished Rinpa art.