argument

Argument Although the word ¡°ukiyo¡± in pre-modern Japan originally contained the Buddhist sense of ¡°transience and suffering of this world,¡± in the Tokugawa period (1603-1867) it took on a new set of connotations as a ¡°floating world¡± of pleasures as well as sorrows (contrary to our American perspective about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the pre-modern worldview was never free from sorrow). Using three primary texts, explore what the ¡°floating world¡± means and how it plays out in the texts you choose to discuss. You may consider its role in noh, puppet theater, kabuki and/or haikai poetics (Chushingura, 1971). In Japanese history, during Buddha time the word ukiyo had a Buddhist approach and it considered human endeavors in the world. Nonetheless the word developed a different meaning in the Tokugawa period. During this time Ukiyo it was used to mean floating world and had roles in Kaibuki, noh puppet theater and or haikai poetics. The word originated from the metropolitan culture of Edo in Tokyo during the period of political and military power that was in the hands of the shoguns while the country was virtually isolated from the rest of the world. It is an art closely connected with the pleasures of theatres, restaurants, teahouses, geisha and courtesans. Many ukiyo-e prints by artists like Utamaro and Sharaku were in fact posters, advertising theatre performances and brothels, or idol portraits of popular actors and beautiful teahouse girls. But this more or less sophisticated world of urban pleasures was also animated by the traditional Japanese deep liking of nature and enormous impact on landscape painting all over the world. Tremendous developments have taken place during the floatation period. These progresses are evident in Japanese cultural developments that the populace has made in many areas of life. Indicators of these advances are traced in artistic developments which have enabled man to document periods and other important times and areas of life. The floating world is a translation of Japanese word and period called Ukiyo. In the Japanese culture, the word was used to refer to tremendous developments that came along with urbanization. The ‘floating world’ is a marked period due to the progresses that were experienced in the cultures of Japan. For instance, the word Ukiyo in premodern times has been used to classify two periods in the history of Japan. This era comprises of the Edo period which was experienced between 1620s and 1867 when a new era of Meiji began and lasted until 1912. In Japan, calm which was experienced during this time necessitated major progressive developments that took place in between 1620 and 1867. The Edo period was succeeded with Meiji, a new era that opened up Japan to the west. However, at the time of Budhha, the word Ukiyo was deceptively used to mean the ‘Sorrowful World’ that entailed sacrifice and suffering in order to ...