Kanō Naizen, Nanban byōbu, late C16X1616

Kobe City Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NanbanCarrack.jpg

Japan's first western contacts were with Portuguese merchants and missionaries in the 16th century. By 1600, the impact within the Japanese islands of western customs, firearms, and religious teachings was already widespread and profound. Dismayed at the effects of these 'barbarian' influences, in 1639 the Tokagawa shoguns sealed Japan off from almost all foreign contacts for the next 214 years under the policy of sakoku (locked country).

This isolation was ended by the United States in 1853 when a squadron of gunboats forced the opening of Japanese ports. In the decades that followed, Japan experienced civil war and a bloody internal power struggle, but ultimately resolved to embrace many western technologies and developments (particularly in the military sphere). At the same time in the West, the Japanese aesthetic, as seen in countless imported decorative objects and prints, changed the course of modern art.

This course explores the interplay of these remarkable shifts between cultural interaction and isolation.

RJW F212217 Online freelance course (via Zoom)

A 5-hour short course, delivered via 2 x 2½-hour sessions on consecutive Saturdays (Saturday 5 & Saturday 12 March, 10.30-1.00).

£40 (individual registration); £64 (for two people sharing one screen).

NB If you would prefer to pay by BACS or cheque, please register via this form (BACS details/snail-mail address will be sent by return).