ART, ARCHITECTURE, and the ASAI SISTERS by Elizabeth Self
ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND THE ASAI SISTERS by Elizabeth Self Bachelor of Arts, University of Oregon, 2007 Master of Arts, University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of the Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2017 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH THE KENNETH P. DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Elizabeth Self It was defended on April 6, 2017 and approved by Hiroshi Nara, Professor, East Asian Languages and Literatures Mrinalini Rajagopalan, Assistant Professor, History of Art and Architecture Katheryn Linduff, Professor Emerita, History of Art and Architecture Dissertation Advisor: Karen Gerhart, Professor, History of Art and Architecture ii Copyright © by Elizabeth Self 2017 iii ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND THE ASAI SISTERS Elizabeth Self, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2017 In early modern Japan, women, like men, used art and architectural patronage to perform and shape their identities and legitimate their authority. Through a series of case studies, I examine the works of art and architecture created by or for three sisters of the Asai 浅井 family: Yodo- dono 淀殿 (1569-1615), Jōkō-in 常高院 (1570-1633), and Sūgen-in 崇源院 (1573-1626). The Asai sisters held an elite status in their lifetimes, in part due to their relationship with the “Three Unifiers” of early 17th century Japan—Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537- 1589), and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). As such, they were uniquely positioned to participate in the cultural battle for control of Japan. In each of my three case studies, I look at a specific site or object associated with one of the sisters.
[Show full text]