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Momoyama Period (1573–1615)

• 
  Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto), 16th century; Momoyama period
  Japanese
  Lacquered iron

  H. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm)
  Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935 (36.25.81)

• 
  Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons, Momoyama period (1573–1615), early 17th century
  Kano School
  Japan
  Pair of six-fold screens; color on gold-leafed paper

  Each screen 42 1/8 x 137 3/4 in. (106.7 x 349.9 cm)
  Purchase, Mrs. Jackson Burke and Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation Gifts, 1987 (1987.342.1,2)

• 
  Shoin Room, 17th century
  Japan

• 
  Whose Sleeves? (Tagasode), Momoyama period (1573–1615), late 16th century
  Japan
  Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper

  57 1/16 x 136 9/16 in. (144.9 x 346.8 cm); folded: 65 x 26 1/2 x 5 in. (165.1 x 67.3 x 12.7 cm)
  H. O. Havemeyer collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 (29.100.493–4)

• 
  Wine container, Momoyama period (1573–1615), ca. 1596–1600
  Japan
  Lacquered wood

  H. 9 7/8 in. (25 cm)
  Purchase, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, by exchange, 1980 (1980.6)

• 
  Dish with a handle (tebachi) in the shape of a double fan, Momoyama period (1573–1615), late 16th–early 17th century
  Japanese
  Stoneware with overglaze enamels (Mino ware, Oribe type)

  H. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm)
  The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.443)

• 
  Poem page mounted as a hanging scroll, Momoyama period (1573–1615), dated 1606
  Painting by Tawaraya Sotatsu (Japanese, active early 17th century); Calligraphy by Hon'ami Koetsu (Japanese, 1558–1637)
  Ink on paper decorated with gold and silver

  7 7/8 x 7 in. (20 x 17.8 cm)
  The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.59)

• 
  Meeting of Emperor Wen and Fisherman Lü Shang, Momoyama period (1573–1615), ca. 1600
  Attributed to Kano Takanobu (Japanese, 1571–1618)
  Two six-panel folding screens: ink, color, and gold on gilt paper (2006.42.1,.2)

• 
  Stationery box, Momoyama period (1573–1615), early 17th century
  Japan
  Lacquer, with sprinkled gold decoration in Kodaiji style, inlaid with gold and silver foil

  H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm), W. 17 15/16 in. (45.6 cm)
  Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1987 (1987.82ab)

• 
  Scenes from the Tale of Genji: "The Royal Outing" (Miyuki, chapter 29), "A Boat upon the Waters" (Ukifune, chapter 51), and "The Gatehouse" (Sekiya, chapter 16), Momoyama period (1573–1615), 17th century
  Tosa Mitsuyoshi (Japanese, 1539–1613); Tosa Mitsuoki (Japanese, 1617–1691)
  Pair of four-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper

  Each 65 1/2 x 140 in. (166.4 x 355.6 cm); folded: 67 1/2 x 36 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. (171.5 x 93.3 x 9.5 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1955 (55.94.1–.2)

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With the decline of Ashikaga power in the 1560s, the feudal barons, or daimyos, began their struggle for control of Japan. The ensuing four decades of constant warfare are known as the Momoyama (Peach Hill) period.

Related

Timelines (3)

• China, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Japan, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Korea, 1400–1600 A.D.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• List of Rulers of Japan
• Samurai
• Shoguns and Art

Other Thematic Essays (23)

• Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868 a.d.)
• Art of the Pleasure Quarters and the Ukiyo–e Style
• Edo–Period Japanese Porcelain
• In Pursuit of White: Porcelain in the Joseon Dynasty, 1392–1910
• Interiors Imagined: Folding Screens, Garments, and Clothing Stands
• The Japanese Blade: Technology and Manufacture
• Japanese Fashion in the Twentieth Century
• Japanese Incense
• The Japanese Tea Ceremony
• Japanese Weddings in the Edo Period (1615–1868)
• Joseon Buncheong Ware: Between Celadon and Porcelain
• The Kano School of Painting
• Lacquerware of East Asia
• Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
• Muromachi Period (1392–1573)
• Noh Costume
• Painting Formats in East Asian Art
• Rinpa Painting Style
• Seasonal Imagery in Japanese Art
• Shinto
• Techniques of Decoration on Arms and Armor
• Yangban: The Cultural Life of the Joseon Literati
• Zen Buddhism

Maps (1)

• World, 1400–1600 a.d.

Index Terms (20)

Art Movement/Style

• Momoyama Period of Japan
• The Kano School of Japanese Art

Artist

• Hon'ami Koetsu (Japanese, 1558–1637)
• Kano Takanobu (Japanese, 1571–1618)
• Tawaraya Sotatsu (Japanese, active early 17th century)
• Tosa Mitsuoki (Japanese, 1617–1691)
• Tosa Mitsuyoshi (Japanese, 1539–1613)

Geography/Place

• Japan

Material and Technique

• Gold Leaf

Object

• Kimono
• Period Rooms from East Asia
• Women's Clothing from East Asia

Subject Matter/Theme

• Interior
• Lacquer with Seasonal Imagery
• Painting with Seasonal Imagery
• Screen with Seasonal Imagery
• Spring
• Summer
• Trade (1400–1600 A.D.)
• Winter

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With the decline of Ashikaga power in the 1560s, the feudal barons, or daimyos, began their struggle for control of Japan. The ensuing four decades of constant warfare are known as the Momoyama (Peach Hill) period. The name derives from the site, in a Kyoto suburb, on which Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598) built his Fushimi Castle. Unity was gradually restored through the efforts of three warlords. The first, Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582), took control of Kyoto and deposed the last Ashikaga shogun through military might and political acuity. He was followed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who continued the campaign to reunite Japan. Peace was finally restored by one of Hideyoshi's generals, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616).

The decorative style that is the hallmark of Momoyama art had its inception in the early sixteenth century and lasted well into the seventeenth. On the one hand, the art of this period was characterized by a robust, opulent, and dynamic style, with gold lavishly applied to architecture, furnishings, paintings, and garments. The ostentatiously decorated fortresses built by the daimyo for protection and to flaunt their newly acquired power exemplified this grandeur. On the other hand, the military elite also supported a counter-aesthetic of rustic simplicity, most fully expressed in the form of the tea ceremony that favored weathered, unpretentious, and imperfect settings and utensils.

During this era, the attention of the Japanese was more than usually drawn beyond its shores. In addition to the continued trade with and travel to and from China and Korea, Toyotomi Hideyoshi instigated two devastating invasions of the Korean peninsula with the ultimate goal of invading China. The arrival of Portuguese and Dutch merchants and Catholic missionaries brought an awareness of different religions, new technologies, and previously unknown markets and goods to Japanese society. Over time, these foreign influences blended with native Japanese culture in myriad and long-lasting ways.

Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Asian Art. "Momoyama Period (1573–1615)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/momo/hd_momo.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Hickman, Money L., ed. Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996. Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Murase, Miyeko. Bridge of Dreams: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection of Japanese Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Shimizu, Yoshiaki, ed. Japan: The Shaping of Daimyo Culture, 1185–1868. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1988. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions) Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth-Century Japan

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Ford, Barbara Brennan. "The Arts of Japan." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 45, no. 1 (Summer, 1987). JSTOR | PDF Mailey, Jean. "Four Hundred Winters ... Four Hundred Springs ...." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 18, no. 4 (December, 1959) JSTOR | PDF