Higashiyama Culture

The Higashiyama Period (東山時代), also known as the period of "Higashiyama Culture" or Higashiyama Bunka (^?), is a segment of Japanese culture originated and promoted in the 15th century by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, after he retired to his villa in the eastern hills (Higashiyama) of Kyoto.

Based largely on the ideals and aesthetics of Zen Buddhism and the concept of wabi-sabi (beauty in simplicity), Higashiyama Bunka centered on the development of chadō (Japanese tea ceremony), ikebana (flower arranging), Noh drama, and sumi-e ink painting. Much of what is commonly seen today as traditional Japanese culture originated or developed in this period. Higashiyama Bunka is often contrasted with Kitayama Bunka (^?), the "Kitayama Culture" from earlier in the Muromachi period. In this comparison Kinkaku-ji, representative of Kitayama Culture is compared with Ginkaku-ji, representative of Higashiyama Culture.

Yoshimasa's retirement villa became known as the temple Ginkaku-ji (the Temple of the Silver Pavilion) after his death. It is situated in Kyoto's Sakyō-ku, and was the center of the Higashiyama cultural outgrowth in a number of ways. The Pavilion is revered for its simple beauty, the silver having never been added. The rock garden next to it is likewise one of the most famous in Japan, and praised for its Zen and wabi-sabi aesthetics. It is a quintessential example of the idea that only the trained expert should be able to recognize the subtle beauty within art and architecture; the beauty of the object should not be underscored and emphasized, but gently hidden. The retired shogun also invited many artists, poets, and court nobles to his villa, encouraging the development of their arts.

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