What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Japan”? Images of sword-wielding samurai and kimono-clad women ? Scrumptious sushi with a hint of spicy wasabi? Or perhaps anime-cartoon characters with giant sparkly eyes? What about the contemplative tea ceremony? Or Sony gadgets and Toyotas? An economic powerhouse that rivals the United States? Japan is indeed all of the above and a lot more!

Ask your students what associations they may have with Japan.

Four major islands, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido, plus the Ryukyu Islands and about 7,000 additional islands, make up Japan. As of 2001, the population of the country was about 127.3 million, making it the ninth most populous nation in the world. It is, however, barely the size of California and thus one of the most densely populated countries. Most of the people live in metropolitan centers such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo.

The four seasons are distinctly felt in most areas of Japan. Nature and seasonality affect the culture in profound ways, and this is reflected in the nation’s religion, art, and cuisine. Imagery associated with the seasons is common in Japanese art, and poetic descriptions of natural elements are often found in haiku. Among the lesson plans in the section following the sourcebooks are two lessons on haiku that will emphasize being in tune with nature and one’s surroundings.

The Peabody Essex Museum’s collection of Japanese art and culture is the earliest and among the largest in the United States. The first objects were brought back from Japan by Salem sea captains who traveled to the nation for trade purposes about 200 years ago. In addition, Edward Sylvester Morse (1838 –1925), one of the first directors of the museum, was influential in the growth of the collection and generating interest in Japanese art. Key objects from Peabody Essex Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works have been carefully chosen for this sourcebook to assist educators in teaching about Japan.

Download A Teacher’s Sourcebook for Japanese Art & Culture

PDF format, 2.1MB, 49Pages.

Featuring the Japanese Art Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum Salem, MA

Timeline of Japanese History:

ca. 10,500 – ca. 300 bce Jomon period
ca. 300 bce – ca. 300 ce Yayoi period
ca. 300 – 552 Kofun period
552 – 645 Asuka period
645 – 710 Hakuho period
710 – 794 Nara period
794 – 1185 Heian period
1185 – 1333 Kamakura period
1333 – 1573 Muromachi or Ashikaga period
1336 – 1392 Nambokucho period
1573 – 1615 Momoyama period
1615 – 1867 Edo or Tokugawa period
1868 – 1912 Meiji era
1912 – 1926 Taisho era
1926 – 1989 Showa era
1989 – present Heisei era

Religion and Spirituality in Japan:

Shinto and Buddhism have been practiced in Japan alongside each other for many centuries. Shinto is indigenous to Japan and is related to Izanami and Izanagi, who are considered the creators of the Japanese isles. Buddhism came to Japan from India via China and Korea in the 6th century.

Due to the intrinsic characteristics of Shinto and Buddhism, each came to serve distinct functions within Japanese culture. For example, since the idea of purity and cleansing is paramount in Shinto belief, a plot of land will be blessed by a Shinto priest prior to construction or a new car will be blessed at a Shinto shrine. Since Buddhist doctrine emphasizes reincarnation and the afterlife, funerals in Japan almost always follow Buddhist rituals.

Visit PEM Asia Curriculum's Web Site

The Peabody Essex Museum's education department has produced a set of original resources on Asian art and culture that feature the museum's collections of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art. Comprised of sourcebooks, lesson plans, and art cards, these resources were written for K-12 teachers by museum educators with academic and experiential knowledge of Asia.

The materials will help support the work of classroom teachers by providing succinct, relevant background knowledge of the art, culture, and history of China, Japan, and Korea; offering integrated curriculum units that coordinate with Massachusetts learning standards; and connecting museum visit lessons with pre- and post-visit classroom experiences.

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