Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art, 1600-2005

401 Pages·2007·13.38 MB·English

by  Graham, Patricia Jane.

japanese art | religions graham
Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art explores the transformation of f
a
Buddhism from the premodern to the contemporary era in Japan and
i
t
the central role its visual culture has played in this transformation. The
h
chapters elucidate the thread of change over time in the practice of Bud-

a
dhism as revealed in sites of devotion and in imagery representing the faith and power
n
religion’s most popular deities and religious practices. It also introduces
d
the work of modern and contemporary artists who are not generally as-
p
sociated with institutional Buddhism but whose faith inspires their art. o in japanese buddhist art
The author makes a persuasive argument that the neglect of these ma- w
terials by scholars results from erroneous presumptions about the aes- e
r
thetic superiority of early Japanese Buddhist artifacts and an asserted 1600 – 2005

decline in the institutional power of the religion after the sixteenth i
n
century. She demonstrates that recent works constitute a significant
j
contribution to the history of Japanese art and architecture, providing a
evidence of Buddhism’s persistent and compelling presence at all levels p
a
of Japanese society.
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The book is divided into two chronological sections. The first explores
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Buddhism in an earlier period of Japanese art (1600–1868), emphasiz- s
e
ing the production of Buddhist temples and imagery within the larger

b
political, social, and economic concerns of the time. The second section
u
addresses Buddhism’s visual culture in modern Japan (1868–2005),
d
specifically the relationship between Buddhist institutions prior to World d
War II and the increasingly militaristic national government that had h
i
initially persecuted them. The author then looks at a concurrent develop-
s
ment: the transformation of sacred imagery from icon into art, which in t

turn stimulated the emergence of a new form of Buddhism dominated a
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by nondenominational practitioners, including secular artists with a per-
t
sonal affinity for Buddhism. The final chapters focus on Buddhist locales
,

Cover art: and imagery after the war, introducing some of the most distinctive re- 1
Maeda Jo¯saku (b. 1926). 6
cent sites of worship and the new makers of Buddhist art.
Meditation on the Silver 0
River (Ginka meiso¯), 0
patricia j. graham, a former professor of Japanese art and culture,
from the series Personal –
Impressions of Mandalas and museum curator, is an independent scholar and Asian art consultant 2
(Kanso¯ mandara shirizu), 0
based in Lawrence, Kansas.
1980–1982. Acrylic paint 0
on canvas, 181.8 ∞ 227.3 5
cm. Toyama Prefectural university of
Museum of Art.
hawai‘i press
Cover design:
April Leidig-Higgins Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu patricia j. graham
Printed in Canada
Faith and Power in
Japanese Buddhist Art,
1600 – 2005
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Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art,
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Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art,
 – 
Patricia J. Graham
University of Hawai‘i Press | Honolulu
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Publication of this book has been assisted by the
Kajima Foundation and Mary Livingston Griggs
and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation
© 2007 Patricia J. Graham
All rights reserved
Printed in Canada
12 11 10 09 08 07 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Graham, Patricia Jane.
Faith and power in Japanese Buddhist art, 1600 – 2005 /
Patricia J. Graham.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8248-3126-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-8248-3191-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Buddhism — Japan — History — 1600 – 1868.
2. Buddhism — Japan — History — 1868 – 1945.
3. Buddhism — Japan — History — 1945 – 4. Arts,
Buddhist — Japan. I. Title.
bq689.g73 2007
700'.4829430952 — dc22 2007023706
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-
free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Council on Library Resources.
Designed by April Leidig-Higgins
Printed by Friesens
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Contents
vii Acknowledgments
ix Note on Translations, References, and Usage of Chinese
and Japanese Names, Dates, and Terms
xi Map of Japan
1 Introduction
Part I
Buddhism in the Arts of Early
Modern Japan, 1600 – 1868
17 One. Institutional Buddhism under Warrior Rule
45 Two. Buddhist Temples for the Elites
73 Three. Temples for Commoners
96 Four. Depictions of Popular Deities and Spiritual Concerns
127 Five. Professional Icon-Makers
150 Six. Expressions of Faith
Part II
Buddhist Imagery and Sacred Sites
in Modern Japan, 1868 – 2005
177 Seven. Buddhist Institutions after an Era of
Persecution, 1868–1945
199 Eight. From Icon to Art, 1868–1945
226 Nine. Buddhist Sites of Worship, 1945–2005
251 Ten. Visualizing Faith, 1945–2005
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275 Conclusion
279 Appendix. Guide to Tokyo-Area Temples
Mentioned in This Book
281 Notes
307 Character Glossary
313 Bibliography
339 Index
Color plates follow pp. 148 and 244
vi | Contents
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Acknowledgments
i am very grateful to the organizations that supported my research and
this book’s production. The Asian Cultural Council of New York funded ini-
tial field research in Japan in 2001. A National Endowment for the Humanities
grant allowed for subsequent short research trips and time to devote to writing
over a two-year period from 2003–2005. Publication of this book has also been
assisted by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation.
Lastly, this book would not have had nearly as many color plates without a major
grant from the Kajima Foundation. I am honored by the faith these organiza-
tions had in this project.
Like my earlier book, Tea of the Sages, this one has substantially benefited
from the magnanimity of Prof. Ōtsuki Mikio, research fellow at the Bunkaden
at Manpukuji and professor at Hanazono University. Sudō Hirotoshi, Patricia
Fister, Ellen Conant, and Joseph Seubert also deserve special acknowledgment
for great help and encouragement. Many other scholars, artists, Buddhist priests,
and museum curators worldwide have also offered advice at various stages of this
project. I thank especially Stephen Addiss, Barbara Ambros, Akiyama Terukazu,
Cynthea Bogel, Gunhild Borggreen, Philip Brown, William Coaldrake, Barbara
Ford, Fukuda Hiroko, Fukushima Keido Roshi, Noelle Giuffrida, Marilyn Grid-
ley, Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Christine Guth, Itō Michiko, Itō Shiori, Iwasa
Mitsuharu, Isozaki Junko, Richard Jaffe, Katsuyama Shigeru, Kōno Motoaki, Ku-
rushima Hiroshi, Elizabeth Lillehoj, Karen Mack, Lawrence Marceau, Andrew
Maske, Matsuda Junko, Matsuda Tsutomu, Nedachi Kensuke, Jonathan Reynolds,
Tom Rimer, Satō Dōshin, Suzuki Yoshihiro, Karin Swanson, Elizabeth de Sabato
Swinton, John Szostak, Takaguchi Yoshiyuki, Taki Kozue, Takishita Yoshihiro,
Willa Tanabe, Reiko Tomii, Tsuchikane Yasuko, William Tsutsui, Tsuji Nobuo,
Norman Waddell, Watanabe Toshio, Andrew Watsky, Duncan Williams, Pa-
mela Winfield, Yasumura Toshinobu, and Yuzurihara Junko. I must also thank
Patricia Crosby of the University of Hawai‘i Press for her insightful criticisms of
preliminary outlines and drafts and for her unwavering belief in this project from
its early stages. The staff of the interlibrary loan department of the University of
Kansas library is also to be commended for their efficiency and ability to obtain
for me some rather obscure materials. Lastly, I need to thank Drs. Mary Vernon
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and Christopher Penn, who helped me to regain my health and complete this
project. I really could not have done this without them.
Because this book covers so much ground, I have indebted myself to myriad
others beyond those listed here, including the two anonymous readers for the
University of Hawai‘i Press who pointed out various mistakes and omissions.
Since I have strayed into many areas of research outside my expertise, I apolo-
gize in advance for any inaccuracies that inevitably still remain. My foremost
intention has been to suggest new directions for research and to stimulate new
ways of thinking about Buddhism and its relation to the visual arts.
Above all, I cannot adequately acknowledge the debt of gratitude I owe my
husband, David Dunfield, for his patient support of this study from beginning
to end. I dedicate this book to him.
Unless otherwise indicated in the captions to the photographs, all photos appear
courtesy of the owner institution or collector.
viii | Acknowledgments
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Note on Translations, References,
and Usage of Chinese and Japanese
Names, Dates, and Terms
all Chinese and Japanese names, except for those of authors writing
in English, appear with surname first. Following customary usage, premodern
Japanese individuals and most of those born through the nineteenth century are
referred to by their given or artist names. Family names are used for reference to
more recent individuals and authors. Exceptions to this rule occasionally occur
when I employ names customarily used for some long-lived modern artists. I
state ages according to Western calculation and have converted the traditional
system of noting dates according to era names into their Western equivalents.
Names for important Buddhist deities and texts are given in Sanskrit (Skt.) and,
when appropriate, in Chinese (Ch.). Names of Chinese residents in Japan are
rendered in both Chinese Pinyin Romanization and Japanese (Jp.) initially and
subsequently only in Japanese. I provide measurements in the metric system.
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