Japanese Artists Have Been Creating

¶ … Japanese artists have been creating distinctive works in a variety of styles and media. Many of their pieces are based on their religious philosophy and traditions. This is especially true of Zen Buddhism, which has left a deep mark on Japanese thought and is expressed especially in the black -- and white ink paintings, architecture, gardens, and the applied arts used in the tea-ceremony rooms. The Horyu-ji Temple is the first and best example of the use of Korean and Chinese Buddhism in Japan.

Because of its close geographical proximity to China and Korea, the inhabitants of Japan continually had some contact with the cultures of these other countries. The earliest historic period known in Japan is the J-mon culture, which extended from the earliest times to about 200 B.C., followed by Yayoi until A.D. 200 and then onto the Kofun or Tumulus period to the mid-sixth century when Buddhism reached Japan. The name of this period comes from the fact that extolled dead were buried in huge tumuli or hills.

It was not until 552 A.D. Buddhism and its culture were introduced by Korea on a large scale into the Japanese islands. This began Japan's first cultural awakening and the history of what today is recognized as Japanese art. When Buddhism first arrived in Japan, it led to a religious and political conflict between those who supported and those who opposed the new religion. In time, Buddhism's superior way of life surmounted the opposition and Japan adopted the religion countrywide.

For many centuries, Buddhism was to be the major way of thought and culture. This new culture began in the Asuka period. The H-ry?-ji Monastery represents the first Japanese Buddhist combination of architecture, sculpture, and painting that was influenced by India through China and Korea (Yashiro, 1958:24) The Horyu-ji was the first temple constructed in Japan, and it spread Buddhist teachings throughout the country. It also greatly influenced the design of other temples.

"Each type of temple represents a different way in which the initial Buddhist message, architectural as well as doctrinal, was interpreted down the centuries. They are like a thousand streams, the character of each stream formed by the geology through which it travels. The great ancestor of them all, the spring from which, in a sense, they all sprang, is...Horyu-ji" (Popham, 1990: 33). The temple is divided into the east and west precinct, which includes two of the most important buildings, the Golden Hall and the Pagoda. (Mizuno, 9: 1974).

It is arranged in a structure called the garan with a covered corridor in the shape of a rectangle and a southern gate. When looking through the gate, the pagoda is to the left and the golden hall is to the right. Behind the building is the place where the monks assembled. The Pagoda is a five story building that comes from the Indian Stupa and it enshrine[s] a holy relic and thereby symbolize[s] the presence of a Buddhist sanctuary" (Suzuki,1980:54).

The temple is believed to be one of the oldest buildings in the world. The center pillar is 32.45 meters high, or 122 feet, and is believed to come from a tree from about 594 A.D. It is set three meters below the surface with a huge stone base on the ground. Below this is a hole for storing religious items (Takada, 195:2007). Even though the pagoda is so high, it is not meant to climb in but to enjoy from the outside because of its beauty.

The most well-known treasure in the Horyu-ji temple is called the Tamamushi Shrine or the Jade Beetle, because "so called because the pierced gilt bronze borders around its base and the edges of its framework are laid over a covering of iridescent beetle wings" (Lee, 1994:167). Its base is seven feet high It was made in during the Aska period, and some scholars even believe that it could be older than the temple. Paintings decorate the outer walls. The paintings are diagrams of Buddhist religion and stories of Buddha's previous lives.

These stories tell about Buddha's adventures. They are so real, it is said that people feel like they are really there with the prince. The art is partially painted with oil and lacquer. It is very old, because oil paint disappeared from Japanese art history after this artwork until present times. The sculptures of the Asuka period also show how Japan considerably adopted and assimilated the Chinese and Korean styles into their artwork. The Horyu-ji treasures are so rare, because they date back to the seventh century.

They are among the world's most precious antiquities. The temple and pagoda allow people today to see a wonderful example of architecture done in the Six Dynasties Chinese style. Because of this temple design, the shrine has been utilized over the centuries as a model for following and making repairs to other buildings that have been damaged by fires, namely the Golden Hall (Lee, 1994:167).

The temple is also very special because it includes a statue of the Bodhisattava Kannon although "the multitude of small embossed Buddha-figures on the doors and walls of the interior.. suggests that the original image was a figure of Shaka" (Mizuno, 2003: 48). The temple's four sides have paintings "Done in lacquer, they represent Bodhisattvas, Pagodas and scenes of devotion such as the sacrifice to a hungry tigress.

There are also narrative scenes taken from the Jakata stories, depicting the virtuous deed accomplished by the Bodhisattvas and how they managed to attain Buddhahood as a result" (Popham 1990:40). In addition to the Tamamushi shrine there are also many other works in Horyu-ji temple like the Shaka Triad. The Shaka Triad is one of the oldest bronze images. It is located in the Golden Hall. It is six feet tall and was designed by the famous sculptor Tori Busshi. Its image displays the Buddha Shakyamuni sitting between two Bodhisattvas (Lee, 1994:168).

The Shaka has his legs crossed. His hands are placed in one of a number of mudras. "He has a protuberance on his head and a third eye that indicate extraordinary knowledge and vision and are among some twenty three bodily signs introduced by the Mahayana Buddhist to indicate [shaka's] superhuman qualities" (Varley, 1984:26). The empress Suiko asked Tori Busshi to make the statue after Shotoku Taishi, the leader of Horyu-ji, died.

The back of the sculpture is inscribed with a dedication to the prince, and the statue's dimensions are the same as the prince (Mizuno, 2003:32). In addition to the bronze statue, there are several wooden sculptures in Horyu-ji that are very important too. The most famous wooden sculptures are Yumedono Kannon, the Kadara Kanon and the Chugu-ji Miroku, which is the Buddha of the future. It is found in the nunnery of that is next to the Horyu-ji temple.

It is one of three statues of Buddha meditating with one foot resting on the opposite knee called the half-lotus position. It.