Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods (1185–1392)

Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods (1185–1392)

 

 

Taima mandala, Kamakura period (1185–1333), 12th–14th century
Unidentified artist
Japan
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk 

 

Unlike more abstract mandalas in which myriad Buddhas and other aspects of the cosmos are placed in geometric relationships within a painting, the Taima mandala depicts a paradise made up of buildings and gardens. Amida sits enthroned at the center of a palatial landscape, flanked by attendant bodhisattvas, musicians, dancers, and celestial beings. In the foreground is a pond in which the faithful are reborn in lotus blossoms. Jeweled trees and flowers, forever in bloom, add to the sense of splendor.

Surrounding this glorious scene is a frieze of smaller vignettes from the Kanmuryojukyo Sutra that teach the living how to attain salvation. The left side tells the story of Queen Vaidehi, who achieved rebirth in paradise by performing sixteen meditations as instructed by Amida. The right-hand border enumerates thirteen of the sixteen meditations. In the lower right corner, Amida is shown descending with many bodhisattvas to lead a devotee to his Western Paradise.

Based on Chinese Tang-dynasty compositions, the Taima mandala was introduced to Japan with the first Pure Land teachings during the Nara period. With the enormous popularity of Honen's Pure Land sect four centuries later, during the Kamakura period, this type of mandala was revived and continued to be made throughout the Edo period. A temple in the Nara region, Taima-dera, houses the earliest version of this mandala, a tapestry believed to have been miraculously woven from lotus fiber by a young noblewoman, Chujo-hime, who was considered a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Kannon.

 

 

 Illustrated sutra of The Miracles of Kannon, Kamakura period (1185–1333), dated 1257
Unidentified artist
Japan
Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on paper 

 

This scroll illustrates episodes taken from chapter 25, the "Universal Gate" chapter, of the Lotus Sutra. This popular text describes the manifold mercies of the compassionate bodhisattva Kannon, the most beloved bodhisattva in East Asia.

According to the calligrapher Sugawara-no-Mitsushige's inscription, this scroll was made in the first year of the Shoka era (1257) and was modeled after a Chinese Song-dynasty printed book dated 1208. Although the compositions and the figural and architectural motifs of this version reflect Chinese pictorial traditions, it is clear that the anonymous artist inventively incorporated native Japanese (yamato-e) elements, especially in the manner of representing the landscapes and the fantastic beasts and demons.

 

 

Wakamiya of the Kasuga Shrine, Kamakura period (1185–1333), 13th century
Unidentified artist
Japan
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold leaf on silk  

 

This noble youth is a Shinto deity, the titular god of the Wakamiya (literally, "Young Prince Shrine"), founded about 1135 in Nara within the compound of the Kasuga Shrine, one of the oldest (established 768) Shinto institutions. Although the god is shown in courtly attire, his lotus pedestal and circular mandorla give him the appearance of a Buddhist deity. Poised in midair, the figure radiates an aura of deep mystery.

Depicted as a young man, symbolizing the spirit of renewal, he is also a youthful incarnation of the Buddhist god of wisdom, Manjushri (Japanese: Monju), whose sword "severs" ignorance. He is thus a product of the effort to reconcile Japan's native Shinto beliefs with the imported religion of Buddhism, a conflated image blending Buddhist iconography with the Shinto ideation of its deities.

 

 

 Death of the Historical Buddha (Nehan), Kamakura period (1185–1333), 14th century
Unidentified artist
Kyoto, Japan
Hanging scroll; ink, gold, and color on silk

 

In paintings of the Buddha's nirvana, his passing from earthly life to the ultimate goal of an enlightened being, essential tenets of Buddhism are explicit: release from the bonds of existence through negation of desires that cause intrinsic suffering. The large, golden body of Shaka (Shakyamuni) faces west in a final trance after a long life of teaching. Those witnessing the Buddha's passing from earthly life reveal their own imperfect level of understanding in the extent of their grief. Bodhisattvas, who have achieved the spiritual enlightenment of Buddhahood, show a solemn serenity not shared by the lesser beings. Except for the Bodhisattva Jizo, who appears as a monk holding a jewel near the center of the bier, these deities are depicted in princely raiment, with jeweled crowns, flowing scarves, and necklaces covering their golden bodies. Disciples with shaved heads who wear patched robes like the Buddha's weep bitterly, as do the multilimbed Hindu deities and guardians who have been converted to his teaching. Men and women of every class, joined by about thirty animals, grieve in their imperfect understanding of the Buddhist ideal. Even the blossoms of the sala trees change hue. From the upper right, Queen Maya, mother of the dying prince, descends, weeping.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

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