Momoyama Period gardens in Japan, (1574-1602). Though of very short duration, this period marks an epoch in the development of art in Nippon, in that it shook off all foreign influence and exerted the real self. The art of this period was characterised, on the one hand, by gorgeous luxuriance, bold and free in its conception, and, upon the other, by quiet refinement of shibumi. Contradictory as it may seem, the former was a reaction from constant turmoil and bloodshed and the latter the reflection of the permeation of cha-no-yu, and in both the people of the time found peace and satisfaction.
