Japanese Art before 1333 November 3, 2014 Ch. 12 Japanese Art before 1333 November 3, 2014

Has been identified as a female shaman Primarily found in Kofun period A link between world of living and the dead. Haniwa, Kyoto Kofun period, 6th century CE Earthenware, Height 27”

Haniwa figures

Heian Period Esoteric buddhism: Dainichi buddha replaces the historical buddha

Womb world mandala, Heian period, late 9th century Womb world mandala, Heian period, late 9th century. Hanging scroll with colors on silk Culture: Japanese Religion: Buddhist Function: to teach hierarchical relationships of each god within esoteric Buddhism - Represents the ultimate reality beyond the visible world

Mandala (means “circle” in sanskrit) Most widely known example of Buddhist art First appeared in ancient India in 1500-600 bc created to influence natural phenomena such as monsoon rains The enclosing mandala had to be an accurate and correct diagram of the universe Cosmic axis at the center Realms of existence radiate out from the center The 3-d mandalas were represented in architecture (as a building form – see Borobadur) Provided a fixed, empowered, sacred space that a person or monk could walk into the space and move, around the axis

Created using joined-block method of construction - Developed by JOCHO Amida Buddha Heian period c. 1053 ce Gold leaf and laquer on wood, 9 feet and 8 inches

Detail of Amida Buddha, Heian period Japanese Joined-block wood form

Study Tips for Ch. 12 I’ve deliberately condensed ch. 12 to include only a few main artworks so that we can keep moving forward to chpts. 13 and 14 Compare Japanese bodhisattvas with Chinese and Southeast Asian examples Compare different mandalas in chpts. 10-12 Review rock-cut architecture from ch. 10! http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/borobudur.html http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/bodhisattva-from-china.html