Lit. longevity screen. Type of folding screen made for celebrations of longevity, ga 賀. They were embellished with…

Also gatsurin, getsurin. A perfectly round circle meant to represent the full moon, a frequently used…

A pictorial work or works that appear within a painting as part of the overall composition. The best example being the *…

Lit. Vajra on the Way of Painting, Nakabayashi Chikutō's 中林竹洞 (1776-1853) reactionary critique of contemporary…

Lit. Secret Principles on the Way of Painting, a late 17th-century discourse on painting *…

Ch: huapu. Lit. Painting primers, often illustrated books explaining the canon of painting production or appreciation. In…

Lit. Summary of Painting Laws, the first Japanese theoretical text on Western painting. Published in 1778, the text…

Lit. Painting Laws: Methods of Coloring, a mid-18th-century painting manual edited by Sugaodō Yūsashi 菅生堂祐佐子…

An album of paintings. Small-size paintings, sketches, or drawings are either pasted or directly drawn on the pages of an…

Chinese term for a painting on a handscroll. The Japanese term *emaki 絵巻 has the…

Silk used for painting. Same as *eginu 絵絹.

Hungry ghosts. One of the types within the group *rokudō-e 六道絵 (paintings of…

Also read Gakō benran. Lit. Handbook on Painters, a late 17th-century history of Japanese painting…

A modern term for drafts and other preparatory drawings used for making a painting. Includes *…

Lit. Deep Probes into the Skill of Paintings. A mid-18th-century six-volume history of the *…

A tablet, plaque, or framed picture. The oldest form, dating back to the Nara period, is the wooden plaque *…

Heavenly musicians. Heavenly beings *hiten 飛天, playing musical instruments,…

Ch: Hama Tiegue. Two Taoist immortals frequently paired in Chinese and Japanese painting. Gama 蝦蟇 (Ch: Hama), also…

Formerly called hishi 斐紙. Paper made from the fiber of the ganpi plant (Diplomorpha sikokiana honda or…

1　Pigment. Powdered colors used in oriental painting. Insoluble in water and most other liquid media.…

A fake or forgery. To produce a likeness of another painting with intent to deceive. Generally the forger is careful to use…

Images carved in a niche. In a broad sense the term refers to the Buddhist images of high relief carved into the rock walls…

Glass painting. Oil or thick pigments are mixed with glue and applied to the reverse sides of glass plates, to be viewed…

Ch: hualun. Discourses on Painting. Writings on painting theory, criticism, principles or classification, also including…

A kind of poetic inscription, added to a blank area above or next to a completed painting. Typically, this inscription gives…

Net of Paintings, an early 18th-century introductory text on the study of painting by Hayashi Moriatsu 林守篤 (fl. early 18th…

Also written 画箋紙 or abbreviated to gasen, written 画箋, 画牋, or 雅宣. A paper of Chinese origin, xuanzhi (Jp:…

Monks who produced paintings of Buddhist subjects to accumulate religious or spiritual merit. Gasō refers to those…

Principles of Painting. A mid-18th-century five-volume treatise on painting by Sakurai Sekkan 桜井雪館 (1715-90). An ally of the…

1　The triangular frame created by joining a pair of cruck-like members *…

Lit. Worthless Discussion of Painting. A late 18th-century three-volume treatise on painting by sinophile, Southern…

Also hyōdai 表題. The title daimoku 題目 of a literary work or painting. It is written on the outer cover of a…

Also hoko 鉾. A weapon, found as an attribute of fearsome Buddhist figures such as *…

Ch: Yan Ziling. A scholar-recluse of the later Han period, who was a childhood friend of Emperor Guangwu (Jp: Kōbu 光武, AD 4-…

Pictorial representations whose subject matter comes from Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji). Either a…

Also kō-no-zu 香の図. A geometrical design pattern originally symbolizing combinations of incense fragrances. The…

Also called hakuraku utsushi 剥落写し. Lit. a copy of the exfoliated state of a painting. An exact copy of the present-…

Ch: Xuanzhuang/Xuanzang (600/2-664). A Chinese monk of the Tang Dynasty and the founder of the Hossō sect (see *…

Return to the castle dance, Alternative names: Genkyōraku 環京楽 (Return to Capital Dance), Genjōraku 還成楽 (Return of One of…

Ch: jianbi. Often genpitsubyō 減筆描. Also ryakuhitsu 略筆. Lit. abbreviated brush drawing. An…

Lit. Genroku culture. The middle Edo period *Edo jidai 江戸時代 chūki 中期…

Also known as Minghuang (Jp: Meikō 明皇). Ch: Xuanzong (685-762). The sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty, well-known for his…

Genzu mandala. A version of the *Taizōkai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅 that is…

Humorous or satiric paintings, or sketches or drawings done in fun. Typically, giga have human and animal figures…

Also kuregaku 呉楽. Now-lost ancient masked theatrical performances given at temples from the 7th to 9th century.…

Masks worn for performances of *gigaku 伎楽, now-lost temple processions and…

Goddess of the Arts. A minor Buddhist deity revered in Japan as patroness of the arts. According to the Gigei tennyo…

Sk: kalpa. Regulations prescribing Esoteric Buddhist mikkyō 密教 ceremonies, incantations and services, and the…

Silver Buddha. Bronze was the most frequent metal used in the production of Buddhist statues. Where silver was used instead…

An annual festival at Yasaka Jinja 八坂神社 and surrounding area of Kyoto, and a popular subject of Japanese genre painting *…

Also sōgishi 僧祇支 (Sk: Sankaksika). A robe worn by Buddhist priests under the *…

A collection of iconographical line drawings *hakubyō 白描 in handscroll form…

Also gobutsukan 五仏冠, gobutsu hōkan 五仏宝冠, gochi nyoraikan 五智如来冠, gohō tenkan 五宝天冠. A…

Lit. Five Wisdom *nyorai 如来 (Sk: Tathagatas); this refers to the Five Buddhas…

Also sometimes called godaison 五大尊. Lit. five great *myōō 明王. Myōō…

Lit. five great bodhisattvas of strength. Also godairikiku 五大力吼 (five roars of great strength) or godairikison…

The technique of scattering drops of shell white *gofun 胡粉 onto a finished…

1　A white pigment *ganryō 顔料, used in Japan from the Muromachi…

The white pigment used for the white face powder of figures in a woodblock print *ukiyo-…

Ch: wubai luohan. Five hundred arhats *rakan 羅漢, a Buddhist art subject…

Maid of (the country of) Wu 呉. The only female mask in the *gigaku 伎楽 repertory…

Lit. combining volumes. Long, complicated revenge stories which required two, three, or up to ten booklets, that were sewn…

Also written 御光. Aureole. The light emitted from the Buddha. Often expressed as a halo *…

Lit. Man of (the country of) Wu 呉, a gigaku mask *gigakumen 伎楽面,…

Also read gokōshiyui Amida. Lit. *Amida 阿弥陀 Meditating for Five Kalpas, a kalpa…

A short club with five prongs at each end, usually made of gilt bronze. The central grip is encircled by demons' eyes …

Bright, strong color applied in layers to a painting, Buddhist image or architectural structure. The technique involves…

Also gomazuki ごまずき. A woodblock print *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 technique whereby a…

Lit. five seasonal festivals. A popular pictorial theme in Edo period art. The five Chinese-inspired festivals are: …

An *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 subject depicting ladies and noblemen in formal attire, which…

Imperial carts. Ox carriages used by the emperor and empress, or aristocrats. Gosho 御所, meaning the Imperial Palace…

Ch: Wuzu. The Chinese priest Kōnin 弘忍 (Ch: Hongren, 601-75). The fifth patriarch of the Zen (Ch: Chan) sect. Representations…

Painters who were given a salary in the service of the shogunate or daimyō 大名. Although the Imperial Court and…

Lit. mudra of the Vanquisher of the Three Worlds (SK: trailokyavijaya mudra). A mudra or hand gesture *…

Also Shōzanze Myōō 勝三世明王. Lit. *myōō 明王 who subjugates the three worlds…

The internal organs of the body as defined in Chinese medicine kanpō 漢方. A model of the internal organs, made of…

Also called Butō 武塔, Gion Tenjin 祇園天神, or simply Tennō 天王. The deity of Yasaka Jinja 八坂神社 in Gion 祇園, Kyoto, also called…

White pigment *ganryō 顔料 including shell lime *…

Applying an undercoat to paper to be used for painting. The undercoat consists of a thin solution of animal glue *…

Lit. *Amida 阿弥陀 with Red Skin. An image of Amida depicted in red, or less commonly…

A light-colored, opaque pigment *ganryō 顔料 made by mixing white pigment such as…

Lit. pictures of herds of horses. One of several horse themes popular in 16th- and 17th-century screen painting. Unlike…

Also Kanro Gundari 甘露軍荼利 (Sk: Amrtakundalin); also known as Kirikiri Myōō 吉里吉里明王. One of the five great myōō *…

Also written 君持 or 軍遅. Sanskrit kundika. A vase with two spouts, found as an attribute *…

Also *iwa-gunjō 岩群青. A blue pigment made from pulverized azurite, randōkō…

Also written 呉利, and pronounced gori or gurin. A design of stylized bracken-leaf shapes forming repeated…

Ch: Judiyizhi. A 9th-century Chinese Zen monk famous for his one-finger isshi Zen. According to the Wumenguan…

A name often used for *Shōkannon 聖観音, it refers to the simple (non-esoteric) form of…

An opaque, dark grey pigment *ganryō 顔料 made by mixing black carbon ink *…

Lit. inverted perspective. A visual technique sometimes employed in Chinese and Japanese painting. While the Western…

Also read gomotsu. The emperor's property. The Imperial Collection of art objects, books, etc., which are either of…

Also written 仰覆蓮華. A type of lotus flower design pattern *rengemon 蓮華文. The…

A smile found on Buddhist images, where both ends of the mouth curve upward into the shape of a crescent moon. This smile is…

Lit. crystal eyes. Eyes made of crystal which were inserted into the head of a wooden buddhist statue in order to produce a…

An arrangement of sculpted lotus petals *renben 蓮弁 on a lotus pedestal *…

Ch: yuqiao wenda. A pictorial theme of a philosophical dialogue between a fisherman and a woodcutter. The origin of…

Lit. traveling image. 

1　Buddhist images shown in the position of walking, often used in…

Ch: Wang Xizhi (303-61). A famous Chinese calligrapher of the Eastern Jin period, considered an originator of both the…

Ch: Huang Renlan. A Chinese immortal who travels many thousands of ri 里 (a ri is approximately 4 km) on…