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Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 30 hours
  • Course by The University of Tokyo
  • Offered by

About

In their ambition to capture “real life,” Japanese painters, poets, novelists and photographers of the nineteenth century collaborated in ways seldom explored by their European contemporaries. This course offers learners the chance to encounter and appreciate behavior, moral standards and some of the material conditions surrounding Japanese artists in the nineteenth century, in order to renew our assumptions about what artistic “realism” is and what it meant. Learners will walk away with a clear understanding of how society and the individual were conceived of and represented in early modern Japan. Unlike contemporary western art forms, which acknowledge their common debt as “sister arts” but remain divided by genre and discourse, Japanese visual and literary culture tended to combine, producing literary texts inspired by visual images, and visual images which would then be inscribed with poems and prose. Noticing and being able to interpret this indivisibility of visual/literary cultures is essential in understanding the social and psychological values embedded within the beauty of Japanese art.

Modules

Introduction

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 1-1

1 Videos

  • 1-1 Introduction

1 Readings

  • Course Description

Samurai Portraits

    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Assignment
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3 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 1-2
  • Practice Quiz 1-3
  • Practice Quiz 1-4

3 Videos

  • 1-2 "Portrait of Satō Issai" by Watanabe Kazan I
  • 1-3 "Portrait of Satō Issai" by Watanabe Kazan II
  • 1-4 "Portrait of Satō Issai" by Watanabe Kazan III

Representation of Reality

    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Assignment
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3 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 1-5
  • Practice Quiz 1-6
  • Practice Quiz 1-7

3 Videos

  • 1-5 Representation of Reality in Literatures I
  • 1-6 Representation of Reality in Literatures II
  • 1-7 Watanabe Kazan's Representation of Reality

Literatures in the period of the Meiji Restoration

    • 5 Videos
    • 5 Assignment
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5 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 1-8
  • Practice Quiz 1-9
  • Practice Quiz 1-10
  • Practice Quiz 1-11
  • Practice Quiz 1-12

5 Videos

  • 1-8 Chinese Quatrain by Rai Mikisaburō
  • 1-9 "Portrait of Yoshida Shōin" by Matsura Shōdō I
  • 1-10 "Portrait of Yoshida Shōin" by Matsura Shōdō II
  • 1-11 Yoshida Shōin and His Writings I
  • 1-12 Yoshida Shōin and His writings II

Graded Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Module 1 Graded Quiz

Painted Beauties

    • 8 Videos
    • 8 Assignment
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8 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 2-1
  • Practice Quiz 2-2
  • Practice Quiz 2-3
  • Practice Quiz 2-4
  • Practice Quiz 2-5
  • Practice Quiz 2-6
  • Practice Quiz 2-7
  • Practice Quiz 2-8

8 Videos

  • 2-1 "Portrait of a Geisha" by Watanabe Kazan I
  • 2-2 "Portrait of a Geisha" by Watanabe Kazan II
  • 2-3 "Portrait of a Geisha" by Watanabe Kazan III
  • 2-4 "A Courtesan" by Takahashi Yuichi I
  • 2-5 "A Courtesan" by Takahashi Yuichi II
  • 2-6 "The Courtesan Usugumo of the Miura House at the Age of 89"
  • 2-7 Beauties in Ukiyo-e I
  • 2-8 Beauties in Ukiyo-e II

Beauties in Other Artifacts

    • 6 Videos
    • 6 Assignment
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6 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 2-9
  • Practice Quiz 2-10
  • Practice Quiz 2-11
  • Practice Quiz 2-12
  • Practice Quiz 2-13
  • Practice Quiz 2-14

6 Videos

  • 2-9 Beauties in Writings I
  • 2-10 Beauties in Writings II
  • 2-11 "Beauty in the Painting" by Matsumoto Fūko I
  • 2-12 "Beauty in the Painting" by Matsumoto Fūko II
  • 2-13 Beauties in Photographs I
  • 2-14 Beauties in Photographs II

Graded Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Module 2 Graded Quiz

Capturing the Moment before Photography

    • 4 Videos
    • 4 Assignment
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4 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 3-1
  • Practice Quiz 3-2
  • Practice Quiz 3-3
  • Practice Quiz 3-4

4 Videos

  • 3-1 "Calligraphy and Painting Gathering in Satte Post Town" by Yoda Chikkoku I
  • 3-2 "On Reading" by Miyaoi Yasuo I
  • 3-3 "On Reading" by Miyaoi Yasuo II
  • 3-4 "Calligraphy and Painting Gathering in Satte Post Town" by Yoda Chikkoku II

Inscribed Photographs

    • 4 Videos
    • 4 Assignment
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4 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 3-5
  • Practice Quiz 3-6
  • Practice Quiz 3-7
  • Practice Quiz 3-8

4 Videos

  • 3-5 Inscribed Photographs I
  • 3-6 Inscribed Photographs II
  • 3-7 Masaoka Shiki and Post Meiji-Restoration Writers I
  • 3-8 Masaoka Shiki and Post Meiji-Restoration Writers II

Graded Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Module3 Graded Quiz

Inscribed Photographs Continued

    • 4 Videos
    • 4 Assignment
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4 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 4-1
  • Practice Quiz 4-2
  • Practice Quiz 4-3
  • Practice Quiz 4-4

4 Videos

  • 4-1 Inscribed Photographs III
  • 4-2 Portrait of Niijima Yae
  • 4-3 Picture Postcard I
  • 4-4 Picture Postcard II

Nagai Kafū and His Works

    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Assignment
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3 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 4-5
  • Practice Quiz 4-6
  • Practice Quiz 4-7

3 Videos

  • 4-5 Letters from Nagai Kafū
  • 4-6 ”Strange Tale from East of the River” by Nagai Kafū I
  • 4-7 ”Strange Tale from East of the River” by Nagai Kafū II

Wrap-up

    • 2 Videos
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz 4-8
  • Practice Quiz 4-9

2 Videos

  • 4-8 Course Summary I
  • 4-9 Course Summary II

Graded Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Module 4 Graded Quiz

Auto Summary

Explore the rich interplay between visual and literary arts in nineteenth-century Japan through this captivating course. Delve into how Japanese painters, poets, novelists, and photographers uniquely collaborated to portray “real life,” revealing behaviors, moral standards, and material conditions of the era. Gain insights into societal and individual representations in early modern Japan, distinguishing it from contemporary Western art by its seamless blend of visual and literary cultures. Guided by expert instructors on Coursera, this foundational course spans approximately 30 hours, offering flexible subscription options including Starter and Professional. Ideal for enthusiasts of arts and humanities, this course will deepen your understanding of Japanese artistic realism and the profound connection between visual and literary expressions. Join to appreciate the social and psychological values embedded within the beauty of Japanese art.

Robert Campbell
Instructor

Robert Campbell