Buddhism Japanese vs. Chinese Buddha

Buddhism

Japanese vs. Chinese Buddha Comparison

According to Mark Schumacher, "simplicity, emptiness, directness, and naturalness" are the hallmarks of Japanese artistic depictions of the Buddha (Schumacher, 2006). One Japanese depiction of the historical Buddha, called "Shaka Nyorai" is a spare, wooden sculpture that seems to initially belie the significance of the founder of the faith. It was constructed during the Kamakura Era. Its slender right hand is fixed in a position that means "fear not" and its left hand blesses the visitors to the Gokurakuji Temple, for which it was constructed. This Japanese Buddha is very slim, almost austerely slender, with little musculature, although it has a quiet gravity and seems to convey peace and serenity in its stance. It wears a calf-length monk's robe and the folds of the robe fall into concentric circles, like gentle ripples of water, reflecting the circularity of human existence.

The wooden tone of color and the composition all suggest naturalness, rather than divinity, the supernatural, or the extraordinary. A commonality between the viewer's own personhood and the state is created, and there is little distance between the viewer and the statue. This reflects the fact that Japan has been dominated by two religions over the course of its history, the national religion of Shinto, as well as the transplanted Indian philosophy of Buddhism, which was imported through its exposure to China. Most Japanese practice both Shinto and Buddhism, and the Shinto emphasis on naturalness is recognizable in the human design of this Buddha, its accessible features, its small scale, humble material and construction, and, despite the religious person's greatness and significance, its relatively unprepossessing design. The hand's communicated position of fearing also makes the design both welcome and familiar, and 'of the moment.' The realism of the face has a beauty and serenity that might be religiously comforting, but this is not immediately obvious, upon first exposure to the Buddha.

In contrast, the Chinese "Shakyamuni," which is also of the historical Buddha, shows the Buddha flanked by bodhisattvas, "deities who have put off their own enlightenment in order to help mankind attain salvation" who are shown serving the Buddha and learning from the Buddha in this design ("Seated Buddha with Attending Bodhisattvas," Early 6th century a.D.). Rather than standing alone and interacting with the gazer, this Buddha holds back and is flanked by attendants, creating his own scene in the context of the relief. The Buddha's divinity, rather than his humanness is stressed in the design. The Buddha's hand is in a gesture of reassurance, conveyed from on high, as he sits upon an elevated platform.