but I think it may be quite a challenge to connect Confucian art with Japan.
Try a search for 'confucian' in this newsletter (turns up under "REISHIKI / ETIQUETTE ") --the context is more 'the arts' of civilzation than "art" per se.
I found a reference to
Hsin, Kwan-Chue 1992 A Brief Comparative Study of Confucian and Western Aesthetics. Asian (Asian Pacific) Cultures Quarterly 20 (3):1-39.(said to be an "examination of Confucian and Western philosophies of art"), but not clear how much Japanese content it might have.
I found this:
Several splashed ink [haboku] paintings by Sesshu are world-famous. The style has influenced contemporary painting in the west. Sesshu Toyo went to China in 1467 in search of a good painting teacher, but wrote later that he found only second-rate ones. The splashed ink style originated in the late Sung and was taken up by Ch'an [Zen] artists because it was such an appropriate vehicle for expressing spontaneity, instant response, and intuitive knowledge. James Cahill, states that it was "all but obliterated" in China because it came to be looked upon as inferior to the gentleman scholar [bunjin], Neo-Confucian style, and the canons of taste which dominated Chinese art criticism from the Yüan Dynasty onward.3 Just as can happen today, class-conscious ideology and snobbery blinded collectors to the purely artistic merit of the paintings themselves. The surviving Chinese examples of this style are nearly all to be found in Japan, brought there by Buddhist priests. (http://users.deltanet.com/~skill/Takuan.htm)
another fragment: "Carpenter,Bruce E. Confucian Aesthetics and Eleventh Century Ou-yang Hsiu" (from a site in Japanese...)
And there's this, but more Chinese than anything else:
Confucianism:Confucius (551-479 BC) took an entirely different attitude toward the chaotic world of that time. Unlike other scholars, he advocated and took an active part in the service of his country, constantly seeking ways for the salvation of China. No other teachings have influenced China’s culture more than those of Confucius, they became texts for study. Confucius teachings are reflected on tombs, sculptures, monuments and in paintings of all periods. They have been governing China since the establishment of Confucianism.
Confucius placed an emphasis on high ethical standards, with duty the path to a harmonious life. Sincerity in thought and action was stressed which could be achieved only through education and knowledge. Confucius, of course, worshipped the sages of old, he edited the classics and poetry of ancient times. He made a compilation of the rites and music. In his school, art had a specific purpose it was to develop men of culture as well as high moral standards and whose taste in aesthetic appreciation would be refined. In accordance with the spirit within the Confucian school, beginners were to follow established rules. Arts were used to illustrate the need for order and harmony in life. His devotion to the ways of the past produced a formalism of painting and calligraphy in China. Thus, the Confucian code of conduct reaffirmed the authority of the aristocracy in China, especially pertaining to the colors of attire.
On the other hand, Scholar-painters had developed a preference for calligraphy-based concepts and types of brushwork suitable for paper. Such terms as an owl scratching sand, a seal stamping clay, and a rain-stained wall evoked subtle, conceptual ideals of restraint, evenness, centeredness, and reserved strength, which conflicted with the "Confucian elements" of Chinese painting. Confucian modes of brushwork were neither congenial nor appropriate to painters who chose to work in the old, monumental, visionary mode of the Sung art style; and it is interesting that there still were a few such painters in the sixteenth century. Confucianism had major effect on traditional Chinese art, although in a more subtle way than did Buddhism. "Like Buddhism, Confucian doctrine strongly influenced Chinese religious and philosophical thought; Confucianism was applied largely to secular matters -- individual ethics and questions of government. It emphasized such abstract and general human qualities as virtue, magnanimity, and human heartiness, and such social values as loyalty, courage, and politeness." (Bush, S. & Murck, C. 1992, p. 61) Whereas Buddhism encouraged its adherents to turn away from the material world because of its changeability, Confucianism attempted to negate change by encouraging cultural stability. By codifying both the leader's responsibilities, as well as the follower’s duties, Confucianism generally appealed to those who held (and hoped to maintain) privileged positions. The characterization in Confucian aesthetics included the following:
He who commands our liking is called good (shan).
He who is sincere with himself is called true (xing).
He who is sufficient and real is called beautiful (mei).
He whose sufficiency and reality shine forth is called great (da).
He whose greatness transforms itself is called sagely (sheng).
He whose sageliness is beyond our comprehension is called spiritual (shen).
(Bush & Murck, 1992, p. 49)
(from http://www.lhup.edu/library/InternationalReview/dan.htm)