Buddhist art in Japan

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto

".

were especially famous. The sect of Buddhism, portraiture of priests such as Bodhidharma became popular as well as scroll calligraphy and sumi-e brush painting.

Asuka period

The dates for the Asuka period are debated, however it is agreed upon that the period extends from mid 500s to early 700s AD. This period is marked by an emphasis on political and

This style is incredibly typical of the Asuka period. Key works include: the Shaka Triad, Yakushi Triad, Kannon, and Tamamushi Shrine.

• 
  Bodhisattva, Asuka period, 7th century. Tokyo National Museum.
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  The Shakyamuni Daibutsu Bronze (4.8 metres) is the oldest known sculpture of Buddha in Japan cast by Tori Busshi in 609.
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  Golden Hall of Hōryū-ji
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  Five-storied Pagoda of Hōryū-ji
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  Kannon(Avalokitesvara) or Guze Kannon, wood plated with gold, crown: bronze openwork gilt. Early CE 7th century, Horyu-ji, Nara.
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  Tile with seated

  Buddha
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  7th century Nara temple roof tile showing Greco-Buddhist influence.

Nara period

Kofuku-ji

in Nara

The dates for the Nara period are thought to be around 710–784. The beginning of this period is marked by the relocation of Japan's capital to Nara. It was during this period that Japanese society took on a more hierarchical structure with all power proceeding the emperor. In addition there was a merging of Buddhism and state which led to the commission of large scale temple complexes with monuments such as pagodas. In terms of sculpture, this period marked the adoption of the hollow- core dry lacquer technique – it has been suggested that this technique was used in an effort to reduce the use of bronze. Rather than merely depicting Buddha and bodhisattvas, renderings of deities and guardian figures begin to appear with individualistic and expressive features. The Early Nara period saw a move towards more naturalistic styles emerging from China. The Triad of Yakushi shows the healing Buddha which presides over the Eastern Pure Land attended by two Bodhisattvas Nikko and Gakko. The triad, housed in the Yakushiji temple (7th century in Nara), reveals Chinese and central Asian influences in its anatomical definition, naturalism and realistic drapery.^[3] The technique known as hompa-shiki was a new way to render drapery in a more solid and fleshy form. This technique later rose in popularity during the Heian period. The end of the nara period is marked by a stylistic shift in sculpture. In terms of painting, Buddhist works emulated the Chinese Tang style, which was characterized by elongated and rounded figures and broad brush strokes.

Temple building in the 8th century was focused around the Tōdai-ji in Nara. Constructed as the headquarters for a network of temples in each of the provinces, the Tōdaiji is the most ambitious religious complex erected in the early centuries of Buddhist worship in Japan. Appropriately, the 16.2 m (53 ft) Buddha (completed 752) enshrined in the main Buddha hall, or Daibutsuden, is a Rushana Buddha, the figure that represents the essence of Buddhahood, just as the Tōdaiji represented the center for Imperially sponsored Buddhism and its dissemination throughout Japan. Only a few fragments of the original statue survive, and the present hall and central Buddha are reconstructions from the Edo period. Under the Ritsuryō system of government in the Nara period, Buddhism was heavily regulated by the state through the Sōgō (僧綱, Office of Priestly Affairs). During this time, Tōdai-ji served as the central administrative temple for the provincial temples^[4] for the six Buddhist schools in Japan at the time. Key works include: Todai Temple Complex with statue of the Great Buddha and Great Buddha Hall and Kofuku Temple.

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  Yakushi-ji's East Pagoda built in the Nara period of the 8th century
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  Triad of Yakushi at Yakushi-ji
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  Jūichimen kannon. 8th century, Shōrin-ji in Nara
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  Senju Kannon of Fujii-dera in Osaka
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  Great Buddha hall of Tōdai-ji in Nara
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  Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji in Nara
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  Fukū-kensaku Kannon of Hokke-do. Tōdai-ji in Nara
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  Shukongoshin. Tōdai-ji in Nara
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  Golden Hall of Tōshōdai-ji in Nara
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  Lecture Hall of Tōshōdai-ji in Nara

Heian period (794–1184)

The dates for the Heian period are believed to be 794–1184 AD. In 784 the Emperor Kanmu, threatened by the growing secular power of the Buddhist institutions in Nara, moved the capital to Heian-kyō (Kyōto). This remained the imperial capital for the next 1,000 years.^[5] The term Heian period refers to the years between 794 and 1185, when the Kamakura shogunate was established at the end of the Genpei War. The period is further divided into the early Heian and the late Heian, or Fujiwara era, the pivotal date being 894. In 894, the imperial embassies to China were officially discontinued. In addition, this period is marked by the deviation from Chinese artistic models and the development of art specific to Japanese concerns. This art was highly supported by noble commissions. However, there were great social and political changes occurring during the Heian period, and it is necessary to look at Buddhist art in this context.

Buddhism underwent changes as a new form of Buddhism rose in popularity: Amidism. This branch held that nirvana and entry to the Pure Land could be earned through a recitation before death and merit. There was also a new found emphasis on creating an adequate worship space. It was thought that the creation of these spaces and commissions would result in strong karma. A commonly commissioned work was the mandala, a roadmap of sorts to the cosmos. Mandalas came in twos, one rendering the phenomenal world while the other rendered the womb world. It was a common practice to meditate before the mandalas and to use them as a religious tool.^{[citation needed]}

Jōchō is said to be one of the greatest Buddhist sculptors not only in this period but also in the history of Buddhist statues in Japan. Jōchō redefined the body shape of Buddha statues by perfecting the technique of "yosegi zukuri" (寄木造り) which is a combination of several woods. The peaceful expression and graceful figure of the Buddha statue that he made completed a Japanese style of sculpture of Buddha statues called "Jōchō yō" (Jōchō style, 定朝様) and determined the style of Japanese Buddhist statues of the later period. His achievement dramatically raised the social status of busshi (Buddhist sculptor) in Japan.^[6]

Sculpture further developed from techniques of the late Nara period. Hyperrealism became a popular style in renderings of Buddha, deities, and priests; which is marked by an exaggeration of naturalistic features. Painting also evolved during this period with depictions of hell and the Pure Land. Depictions of hell came into being as Japan entered the period of mappo – a time of mass chaos and disturbance. Conversely, images of the Amida Buddha descending from heaven to collect the souls of those with good karma, known as Raigozu (来迎図), became a popular theme throughout the Heian period.^{[citation needed]}

In terms of temple structures, the temples erected

were built in the Kii mountains, far away from the Court and the laity in the capital. The irregular topography of these sites forced Japanese architects to rethink the problems of temple construction, and in so doing to choose more indigenous elements of design. Cypress-bark roofs replaced those of ceramic tile, wood planks were used instead of earthen floors, and a separate worship area for the laity was added in front of the main sanctuary. The temple that best reflects the spirit of early Heian Shingon temples is the Murō-ji (early 9th century), set deep in a stand of cypress trees on a mountain southeast of Nara. Key works include: To Temple Mandala and Yakushi figures.^{[citation needed]}

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  Amitābha in Byōdō-in created by Jōchō. 1053.
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  Taishakuten Śakra, 839, Tō-ji
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  A gilt-wood statue of Vairocana Buddha, 11th-12th century.
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  Statue of Virūpākṣa. Jōruri-ji, 11th-12th century.
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  Oagida of Daigo-ji in Kyoto. It was built in 951.
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  Kongokai (vajra) mandala – Shingon tantric buddhist school
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  Fugen enmei, the Bodhisattva of Universal Virtue who Prolongs Life, 12th century. Ink, color, gold, and silver on silk.
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  Mandarado of Taima-dera in Katsuragi. It was built in 1161.
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  Pagoda of Ichijō-ji. It was built in 1171.
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  Buddha's Nirvana. Hanging scroll, 267.6 cmx 271.2 cm. Color on silk. Located at Kongōbu-ji, Mt. Kōya.
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  Five storied pagoda at Murō-ji. It was built in 800.
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  Shaka rising from the Gold Coffin. Late Heian, hanging scroll.
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  Wall Painting on East door of Byōdō-in, Detail
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  Wall Painting on South door of Byōdō-in
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  Achala Vidyaraja (Wisdom King), 1100–1185.
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  Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.
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  Amitabha Buddha. Late Heian,Color on silk Yushihachimanko Juhachika-in Temple. Central of three hanging scrolls.

Kamakura period (1185–1333)

The dates of the

around the year 1200.

With this shift in power, there was a cultural shift in values (strength, discipline, austerity) which were in keeping with Zen Buddhism (holds that the only way to enlightenment is through meditation). During this period there was also a national insecurity regarding the Mongols and a fear of invasion. This anxiety manifested itself in Buddhist art as there was a splurge in renderings of divine intervention and guardian figures. The technique in which this was done is known as Kamakura realism- an idealized focus on naturalistic features. Painting during this period has an extreme focus on mortality and immediacy. Scenes depicting hell and the Pure Land continued in popularity in narrative scrolls. It was thought that commissioning, producing, and using these scrolls would improve ones karma.^[citation needed]

Among sculptors of the Kei school, Unkei is the most famous and considered to be the most accomplished sculptor of the period.^[8] Among his works, a pair of large Nio (or Kongō Rikishi) in Tōdai-ji depict muscular guardians in a dramatic contrapposto stance.^[9] Unkei's sculptures of Indian priests Mujaku and Seshin in Kōfuku-ji demonstrate a new portrait-like realism.^[10] Both statues sport priestly vestments that frame their bodies realistically. They stand life-size and alone and are fully sculpted in the round as if intended to be viewed from any angle. Mujaku is depicted as a thin man manipulating some sort of holy, cloth-wrapped object. He appears reserved and reflective. Seshin, in contrast, is depicted in mid conversation, gesturing and speaking, an extroverted counterweight to the solemn Mujaku.^[11] The men are shown as specific people, not simply members of a stock type.^[12]

Unkei had six sculptor sons and their work is also imbued with the new humanism. Tankei, the eldest son and a brilliant sculptor became the head of the studio. Kōshō, the 4th son produced a remarkable sculpture of the 10th-century Japanese Buddhist teacher Kuya (903–972). Kaikei was a collaborator of Unkei and worked with him on the Nio statues in 1203. He worked with priest Chogen (1121–1206): the director of Tōdai-ji reconstruction project. Many of his figures are more idealized than Unkei and his sons, and are characterized by a beautifully finished surface, richly decorated with pigments and gold. His works have survived more than 40, many of which are signed by himself.^{[citation needed]}

Much of the cities of

Chinese styles, introducing new stylistic elements while remaining true to tradition.

One of the most outstanding Buddhist arts of the period was the statue of Buddha enshrined in

In terms of painting, some of the most popular paintings of the Kamakura period depict an ascending Amida Buddha. The main tenet of Pure Land Buddhism is that chanting the name of Amida could lead to a reincarnation in the pure land. Thus, scrolls of Amida would be hung in the room of the dying who would be saved by chanting the Amida mantra.[17] Key works include: Sanjusangendo Temple, Hachiman in the guise of a monk, Chogen, Nio figures of Todaiji, The Priest Kuya, Zoshi's Hell Scrolls, Jizo Raigo, Jeweled pagod mandala.

Amitabha

over the Mountain. Hanging scroll. Color on silk. Located at Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji, Kyoto.

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  Amitābha by Kaikei. Jōdo-ji, 1195－1197.
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  Nio guardian in Tōdai-ji, by Unkei, 1203
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  Portrait of monk Kūya (CE 930–972), total about cm height, wood, colored, CE13th century by Kosho
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  Kongō Rikishi, Kōfuku-ji, National Treasure
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  Senju Kannon by Tankei, Sanjūsangen-dō. 1254,
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  Kamakura Daibutsu (Amida Buddha) at Kōtoku-in

  .
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  Amida

  coming over the Mountain from the Kyoto National Museum dated to the 13th century. Hanging scroll, 120.6 cm x 80.3 cm. Color on silk.
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  Monju crossing the sea. Hanging scroll, 143.0 cm × 106.4 cm. Color on silk. Located at Daigo-ji, Kyoto.
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  The illustrated biography of priest Hōnen. Part of the handscroll (Emakimono), illustrated biographies of famous priests.
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  Illustrated Biography of the Priest Ippen, Volume 7, handscroll detail. Color on silk. Size of the full scroll: 37.8 cm x 802.0 cm.
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  Jōdo-dō of Jōdo-ji in Ono. It was built in 1194.
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  Danjogaran Fudodo in

  Mt. Kōya

  . It was built in 1197.

Muromachi period (1333–1573)

Sesshū

, 1495, ink on silk, 148.6 × 32.7 cm

During the

class, who embraced the Zen values of personal discipline, concentration and self-development. [18]

The development of the great Zen monasteries in Kamakura and Kyoto had a major impact on the visual arts. Because of secular ventures and trading missions to China organized by Zen temples, many Chinese paintings and objects of art were imported into Japan and profoundly influenced Japanese artists working for Zen temples and the shogunate. Not only did these imports change the subject matter of painting, but they also modified the use of color; the bright colors of

(墨絵), this style mainly used only black ink – the same as used in East Asian calligraphy.

Shūbun

The foremost painter of the new

is central to many Japanese arts including the art of the sword, archery and the tea ceremony.

By the end of the 14th century, monochrome landscape paintings (sansuiga) had found patronage by the ruling Ashikaga family and was the preferred genre among Zen painters, gradually evolving from its Chinese roots to a more Japanese style. Another important painter in this period is Tenshō Shūbun, a monk at the Kyoto temple of Shōkoku-ji who traveled to Korea and studied under Chinese painters. He returned to Japan in 1404 and settled in Kyoto, then the capital city. He became director of the court painting bureau, established by Ashikaga shoguns, who were influential art patrons. Shūbun's most well-known landscape painting, designated as a National Treasure in Japan, is Reading in a Bamboo Grove, now kept in the Tokyo National Museum.

Catching catfish with a gourd, (Hyōnen-zu, 瓢鮎図), ink on paper, 111.5 × 75.8 cm, Myōshin-ji temple, Taizō-in

, Kyoto.

Another style which developed in the Muromachi period is

(c. 1386 – c. 1428), it includes 31 verses of many Zen priests inscribed above the painting. [21] In the foreground of the painting a man is depicted on the bank of a stream holding a small gourd and looking at a large slithery catfish. Mist fills the middle ground, and the background, mountains appear to be far in the distance. The painting was commissioned by the 4th shogun of the Muromachi period, Ashikaga Yoshimochi (1386–1428), and was based on the nonsensical riddle "How do you catch a catfish with a gourd?". An example of one of the Koans illustrates the style of the poetry inscribed above the painting.

The painting and accompanying poems capture both the playfulness and the perplexing nature of Zen buddhist

school.

In the late Muromachi period, ink painting had migrated out of the Zen monasteries into the art world in general, as artists from the Kano school and the Ami school adopted the style and themes, but introducing a more plastic and decorative effect that would continue into modern times.

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  Pagoda of Myōō-in in Fukuyama. It was built in 1348.
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  Main Hall of Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa. It was built in 1397.
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  The Silver Pavilion of

  Higashiyama Bunka

  ).
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  Garden of Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto (Art of Miyabi, Kitayama Bunka).
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  Ryōan-ji dry garden in Kyoto.
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  Garden of Saihō-ji in Kyoto.
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  Garden of Tenryū-ji in Kyoto.
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  Pagoda of Negoro-ji in Iwade, Wakayama. It was built in 1547.
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  Autumn and Winter Landscapes by Sesshū.
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  Huike Offering His Arm to Bodhidharma (1496) by Sesshū
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  Landscape by Shubun, Hanging scroll, 108 cm x 32.7 cm. Ink and light color on paper, 1445. Located in the Nara National Museum.
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  Getting Hold of the Ox, one of the Ten

  Oxherding pictures

  by Shubun, 15th century copy of lost 12th century original.
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  Kano Motonobu, White-robed

  Kannon

  , c. first half of the 16th century. Hanging scroll. Ink, color and gold on silk. 157.2 x 76.4 cm.
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  Śākyamuni coming out of the mountains. 15th-16th century. Nara National Museum

Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603)

Meiji period. It was founded by Kanō Masanobu (1434–1530), a contemporary of Sesshū and student of Shūbun who became an official painter in the Shogun's court. The artists who followed him including his son improved upon his style and methods. His son, Kanō Motonobu

(1476–1559) established the Kano style as the main Japanese painting school during the Muromachi period.

In sharp contrast to the previous Muromachi period, the Azuchi Momoyama period was characterized by a grandiose polychrome style, with extensive use of

. The rise of the Kanō school saw a beginning of a move away from buddhist themes, as Kano school patrons commissioned paintings of a more secular nature to decorate their palaces.

However some painters in this period continued to look back to the Buddhist priest-painters which had initially influenced the Kano school. One of these painters was

The school founded by Hasegawa Tōhaku is known today as the

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  Pagoda of Shoman-in in Osaka. It was rebuilt in 1597.
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  Golden Hall of Daigo-ji in Kyoto. It was rebuilt in 1600.
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  Kaizando and Nyoirindo of Daigo-ji in Kyoto. They were rebuilt in 1606.
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  Pagoda of Kirihata-ji in Awa. It was built in 1607.

Zen art

The Zen sect of Buddhism became very popular in Japan in the 14th and 15th centuries. As a result, portraiture rose in popularity, specifically portraits of Zen priests. Zen Buddhism promotes simplicity and less involved in worship; therefore, religious paintings were not needed. Instead, Zen priests often painted images of teachers and Zen masters. The most iconographic master in zen art is the meditating Daruma. Daruma was the Indian monk who founded this branch of Buddhism and served as the first zen patriarch. He is usually rendered with a cloak, beard, and tan. He is typically meditating (as meditation is central to zen Buddhism) and is without arms and legs. In addition, he is also rendered with wide eyes, as legend holds that he tore off his eyelids.^{[citation needed]}

Meiji period

In the

Architecture

Buddhism exerted tremendous influence on

]

See also

• Japanese art
• Japanese architecture
• Japanese sculpture
• Sumi-e
• Buddhism in Japan
• Buddhist temples in Japan

Notes

References

• Hurst III, G. C, 'The Heian Period' in W. M. Tsutsui, (ed.), A Companion to Japanese History (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2007)
• Mason, Penelope (2005). History of Japanese Art. 2nd ed, rev. by Dinwiddie, Donald. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
• Noma, Seiroku (2003). The Arts of Japan: Ancient and Medieval. Kodansha International.
• Paine, Robert Treat, and Soper, Alexander (1981). The Art and Architecture of Japan. 3rd ed. Penguin Books Ltd.
• Shively, Donald H., and McCullough, William H. (1999). The Cambridge History of Japan, Vol. 2: Heian Japan. Cambridge University Press.
• Varley, Paul (2000). Japanese Culture, 4th ed. University of Hawai'i Press.
• Richard, and Richards Edwards. "Buddhist Imagery." Brigham Young University Studies 12, no. 1 (1971): 55–73. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43042476.
• Johnson, Markes E. "Zen Aesthetics and the Big Picture: An Epilogue." In Off-Trail Adventures in Baja California: Exploring Landscapes and Geology on Gulf Shores and Islands, 207–10. University of Arizona Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt180r1kf.16.
• Kitagawa, Joseph M. "The Buddhist Transformation in Japan." History of Religions 4, no. 2 (1965): 319–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1061962.
• Donald F. "The Earliest Buddhist Statues in Japan." Artibus Asiae 61, no. 2 (2001): 149–88. doi:10.2307/3249909.