When, after almost two centuries of isolation, Japan opened its borders to Western pressure in 1854, it was confronted with a world very different from its own. However, its knowledge of what had happened in the area in connection with the colonisation of Asia by the Western powers put it on its guard and it was able to prevent a repetition of the same situation in the Japanese archipelago. This attitude of observation and vigilance was put into practice not only in the fields of diplomacy and politics, but also in economics and art, as evidenced by the pieces studied in this work. The great demand for Japanese pieces meant that artistic production was mass-produced for the Western market, a market that often valued exoticism more than quality. The result was that on many occasions, as is the case today, the European or American buyer was buying products designed exclusively for them, and not something ‘authentically Japanese’.
Collection: Texts
Project: 9. Travels and travelers: economic, social and cultural connections.
Chronology: -
Scope: Secondary Education
Link: http://www.man.es/man/dam/jcr:f0a2482f-2e82-4cc0-8c4f-a24e0b435cd7/man-bol-1996-cabanas-moreno.pdf
Resource type: pdf
Format: Texts
Owner: Arqueological National Museum of Spain (MAN) (Modernalia)
Abstract: When, after almost two centuries of isolation, Japan opened its borders to Western pressure in 1854, it was confronted with a world very different from its own. However, its knowledge of what had happened in the area in connection with the colonisation of Asia by the Western powers put it on its guard and it was able to prevent a repetition of the same situation in the Japanese archipelago. This attitude of observation and vigilance was put into practice not only in the fields of diplomacy and politics, but also in economics and art, as evidenced by the pieces studied in this work. The great demand for Japanese pieces meant that artistic production was mass-produced for the Western market, a market that often valued exoticism more than quality. The result was that on many occasions, as is the case today, the European or American buyer was buying products designed exclusively for them, and not something 'authentically Japanese'.
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