Tokugawa period often reduced it to little more than an amusing word game.
Art in the times of Hideyoshi and the early Tokugawa showed in many respects a radical departure from the major trends of Zen art in Ashikaga days. The calm and serenity of the simple landscape paintings were lost in a burst of magnificence and splendor—fitting expression of the military and political might of the age. Primary emphasis was put on erecting and decorating magnificent palaces. Gorgeous decorative screens and panels, with brightly colored scenes and designs laid on backgrounds of gold leaf, were the most typical artistic creations of the time. By the late sixteenth century the deep religious spirit, which earlier had produced supremely beautiful statues of Buddhas and fine portrait-statues of Buddhist monks, was lost; and sculptors for the most part confined their efforts to ornamenting palaces and temples with a superabundance of elaborate, detailed carvings.
The increased industrial output of this period of peace and unification also resulted in a great gain in semi-industrial arts. The making of fine pottery and beautiful porcelain ware, at first under the guidance of Korean potters, became a great industry with high artistic standards. Gorgeous silk brocades were produced by the expanding textile industry, and lacquer ware of great decorative distinction was made in quantity. In pottery making, weaving, and lacquer work the Japanese maintained their aesthetic standards despite increasing production during the Tokugawa period. In these fields and in many other minor industrial arts they have continued up to the present day to