Full of hidden charms! Visiting the places associated with the “Kan’ei Culture” born in Kyoto 400 years ago and touching upon the roots of Japanese aesthetics [Part XNUMX]

Another important point to understand about the Kan’ei culture is that the boundary between those who carry culture (performers) and those who enjoy it (viewers) was unclear.

The arts (painting, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, gagaku, Noh and Kyogen, etc.), which were previously the occupation of people with specialized skills, have come to be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from the emperor to townspeople. Furthermore, with the appearance of textbooks, the spread of movable type printing, the establishment of the iemoto system, and the development of wide-area distribution, an era has arrived in which anyone across the archipelago can enjoy culture.