Japanese Art - Lesson 3: Notan

With detailed lesson plans, slides, and a range of printable resources, you will find everything you need to teach this Year 5/6 ‘Japanese Art’ scheme of work to your class, who will soon be creating their very own Japanese-inspired artworks!

If you are teaching your class about Japan, you might like to take a look at our Japan Today Geography scheme of work.

What is art? In this first lesson, children are introduced to the seven visual elements of art: line, shape, tone, colour, pattern, texture and form. They observe and discuss these elements within different styles of Japanese art, and are encouraged to give their own thoughts and opinions of a variety of different artworks, both as a class, in smaller groups and individually.

Children find out about the Japanese art style of ukiyo-e, and how it became accessible to everyone in the Edo period due to the woodblock printing method. They look at various examples of ukiyo-e prints, with a focus on Hokusai’s series, ‘Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji’. In their independent work, children design and create their own print to accompany Hokusai’s series. Alternatively, they focus on the role of the printer, and are challenged to recreate the exact tones of colours used in a given print.

In this lesson, children explore the Japanese concept of Notan - the balance between light and dark, and positive and negative space within an artwork. Children further this knowledge and understanding in their independent activities, where they use the principles of Notan to create an artwork. Alternatively, they explore how Notan can be used when planning the composition of an artwork.

Children learn about the origins of the amazing art of paper folding, and how the practice first developed in Japan. They are challenged to fold some of the common bases used in origami as starting points, before going on to fold a selection of different animals during their independent activities. In the alternative activity, children practise the art of kirigami – a variation of origami that involves cutting.

To begin, children first explore the Japanese writing system, and gain insight into how the Japanese language is written and read. They then learn about how writing can be considered an art form through the practice of calligraphy, or shodo. As a class, children look at different kanji characters and see how each one is made from several brushstrokes that are created in a certain order and direction. They practise creating their own calligraphy in their independent activities.

In this lesson, children explore the folk art of Japan. They focus on the Daruma doll, learning its origins and modern day use as a symbol of perseverance and good luck. In their independent activities, children design and make their own Daruma doll for a specific goal or wish that they have. In the alternative activity, children explore and make another type of Japanese folk art in the form of the Kokeshi doll.

In this final lesson, children look at the modern art of manga, and the impact it has on modern day Japanese culture. They learn about mangaka (the manga artists) and look closely at the manga style of drawing, paying close attention to how facial features can be used to convey different emotions. In their independent activities, children first practise drawing these facial features before moving on to design and draw their own manga characters. In the alternative activity, children design their own emojis to represent Japanese proverbs.