Japanese literature: Did you mean...?

An example of Japanese calligraphy. From a scroll with extracts from the 'Tale of the Genji' or Genji Monogatari, written in the 11th century CE by Murasaki Shikibu. Ink on decorated paper. Attributed to Prince Son'en (1298-1356 CE). (Tokyo...

A print showing Japanese tea vendors. Edo Period, c. 1846, print from a 1632 original. Copied by Kanō Osanobu and Kanō Masanobu. (From Poetry Competition of Artisans, vol.2)

This Japanese statuette of Buddha dates from the 12th century CE and the Heian Period. It was excavated at Mt. Nachi in Wakayama, Japan, and it is made of gilt bronze. (Tokyo National Museum)

A bowl of whisked green tea (matcha), typical of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

A traditional bamboo whisk (chasen) and bowl (chawan) used in the Japanese tea ceremony.

This ridge-end tile is from the former Fuchidaka Temple site in Aichi, Japan. It dates from the 8th century CE, which corresponds to the Nara period in Japanese history. (Tokyo National Museum)

This jar was excavated from a box-style stone coffin in Daishogunyama Tumulus on Tsushima, the Japanese island closest to the Korean peninsula. Its round body was created by lightly beating the outer surface of the bottom part with a beating...

These beads come from Japan and date from the Kofun period (250-538 CE) in Japanese history. In the Kofun Period beads of various shapes and materials were worn as fashion accessories, used in rituals, and buried in tombs. They include, for...

This Japanese funerary vessel is an example of Sue wares, originally made for tombs. They were probably used for feasting and drinking at the time of the funeral and then buried with the person who had died. They were crafted on a potter's...

A hishaku (bamboo ladle) and chawan (bowl) used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Before mixing the tea the bowl is rinsed with fresh water.