| 紀元前10000年頃を起源とする日本の芸術文化は、歴史的に見ると新文化あるいは外国の考えが突然流入してくる時期があり、その後に海外との接触がほとんどない時期が長く続いている。 |
Seen through a historical lens, Japan's artistic culture. which extends as far back as 10,000 B.C., is marked by periods in which a rapid infusion of new culture and philosophy flows in from abroad, followed by a long period in which there is little to no contact with other nations. |
| 年月を経て日本人は外国文化の要素を吸収し、真似、そして同化して日本独特の美的嗜好を完成させる能力を身につけた。 |
Over the years, the Japanese have become skilled at absorbing elements of overseas culture, emulating them, and ultimately assimilating them to form their own uniquely Japanese aesthetic. |
| 日本における最初の複雑な美術は仏教と密接に関連付けられたもので、7、8世紀頃に生まれた。 |
Japan's first complex artistic tradition bore a close association with Buddhism and developed around the 7th and 8th centuries. |
| 9世紀になり、日本が次第に中国と距離を置き、自国の表現方法を生み出し始めると、今度は非宗教的な美術に重点が置かれた。 |
As Japan increasingly distanced itself from China at the dawn of the 9th century, domestic forms of expression were born and emphasis was placed on art that was secular in nature. |
| 10世紀から12世紀までの国風文化と院政期文化の時代には、日本人好みの文化「和様」が洗練されていった。 |
The Wayo aesthetic characteristic of Japan was refined during the "Kokufu Bunka" ( National Culture) and "Insei" (Cloistered Rule) eras, which took place between the 10th and 12th centuries. |
| 寝殿造の和様建築には浄土教の影響を受けた浄土式庭園が造成された。 |
The "Shinden-zukuri" style of palatial architecture incorporated Jodo-style gardens that were influenced by the Jodo (Pure Land) sect of Buddhism. |
| 禅宗が盛んになる13世紀中期以降は枯山水が流行し、15世紀後期まで、仏教美術と非宗教美術の双方ともが繁栄した。 |
After Zen began to take hold in the mid-13th century, rock gardens became popular and by the late 15th century, both religious and secular art had flourished. |
| 応仁の乱（1467年-1477年）後100年以上にわたり、日本では政治的、社会的、そして経済的に分裂した戦国時代に突入した。 |
The 100 years following the Onin War (1467-1477) saw the country fracture politically, socially and economically, leading to the Sengoku (Warring States) era. |
| 徳川幕府が治める江戸時代に入ると、組織的宗教は人々の生活にはほとんど影響を及ぼすことはなくなり、残った美術は非宗教的なものがほとんどであった。 |
Once the nation entered the Edo Era, under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, organized religion lost nearly all influence over daily life and nearly all of the art that remained was secular. |
| 日本庭園は、17世紀初期より大名の広大な邸宅に回遊式庭園が造られるようになった。 |
In terms of Japanese gardens, the early 17th century saw the rise of large gardens with circular walking paths; these were built on the vast estates that housed feudal lords. |
| 絵画は日本では良質な芸術表現として好まれ、プロもアマも同じように制作を行っている。 |
Painting has long been appreciated in Japan as a superior form of artistic expression and is carried out by both professionals and amateurs. |
| 現代に至るまでは日本人はペンよりも筆をよく用い、古くから筆になじんでいたため、絵画の美しさや価値を鑑定する眼は非常に鋭かった。 |
To the present day, many Japanese make greater use of brushes than pens and generations of familiarity with brushes has given the people a keen eye for the beauty and value of paintings. |
