Edo Avant Garde

The Guardians of Edo Avant-Garde reveals the pivotal role Japanese artists of the Edo era (1603 – 1868) played in setting the stage for the “modern art” movement in the West. During the Edo era, while a pacified Japan isolated itself from the world, audacious Japanese artists innovated stylization, abstraction, minimalism, surrealism, geometric composition and the illusion of 3-D.

Quick links to useful resources:

List of Artists and their Works

A Guide to Japanese Names

Glossary and Pronunciation Help

Watch videos of how the film was made

MODULE 1
Introducing the Edo era: Why did Japanese artists create so much innovative art?

PART I
Introduction

Download introduction to Part i (PDF)

High School Lesson Plans

Download High school lesson 1 (PDF)

Download high school lesson 2 (PDF)

Middle School Lesson Plans

Download middle school lesson 1 (PDF)

Elementary School Lesson Plans and Videos

Download elementary school lesson 1 (PDF)

Shinto Beliefs (Copy)

Maruyama Okyo (Copy)

Tawaraya Sotatsu (Copy)

Sakai Hoitsu (Copy)

Part II
The Art of Play in Japanese Art

DOwnload introduction to part ii (pdf)

Ideas for Teaching Playfulness

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The Educational Modules are made possible by support from The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership