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ART OF JAPAN'S
ASUKA PERIOD 飛鳥時代
538 to 710 AD
OVER 50 PHOTOS
BUDDHIST SCULPTURE IN ASUKA ERA
BRONZE RULES THE ROOST
GREAT AGE OF GILT BRONZE ART
First Published July 2007
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Korea & China Bring
Buddhism to Japan
INTRO. Buddhism came to Japan during the Asuka Period, with the earliest sculptures and texts imported first from Korea then China. In subsequent decades, as the Japanese made their own sculptures, the resulting pieces looked almost identical to their Korean and Chinese counterparts. Extant statues from this period display a profound artistic influence from both nations, although the Korean influence is subsequently supplanted by the powerful artistic forces flowing out of China's Tang dynasty (Jp. = Tou 唐; 618-907 AD). Small gilt-bronze statues (kondouzou 金銅像) were by far the most popular form of Buddhist art in Japan. Hundreds are still extant.
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BRONZE STATUES
PHOTO TOUR
In the Asuka & Nara periods, gilt bronze statues (kondou 金銅) were imported in great number from Korea and China, and reproduced in Japan's court-sponsored workshops. Bronze 青銅 and copper 銅 were the most popular sculpting materials (as well as dry lacquer 乾漆像 and clay 塑像 by the Nara era). Wood statues too were mostly imported or copied from Korean and Chinese models, but it wasn't until the late 7th century that wood statues exceeded bronze sculptures in popularity. Below we present some of the most widely known bronze pieces:
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Famous Bronze Art of Asuka Period
One of the most treasured and popular pieces of Japanese bronze sculpture from this early period is the famous Shaka Trinity at Houryuuji Temple 法隆寺 in Nara, one of Japan's oldest temples.
Shaka Triad (Shaka Sanzonzou 釈迦三尊像)
Treasure of Houryuuji Temple 法隆寺 (Nara), 632 AD
Historical Buddha (aka Shaka) surrounded by
attendants Monju Bosatsu and Fugen Bosatsu.
Legend says the central statue was made in the image
of Prince Shōtoku Taishi. See below for more on this topic.
Reportedly made by Kuratsukuri no Tori 鞍作止利
a Chinese (or perhaps Korean) emigrant who founded
the Tori Busshi 止利仏師 school of early
Buddhist sculpture in Japan.
Buddhist images of the Asuka Period were made primarily
by artisans from Korea & China who lived in Japan.
The period's mainstream works were the Tori-shiki 止利式
images of the Shaka Triad (shown above, by Kura-tukuri-no-Tori),
the Asuka Daibutsu, the Guze Kannon, and many others.
Tori-shiki sculpture was influenced by the Buddhist art
of China's Northern Wei 魏 kingdom (late 4th to 6th centuries).
<This paragraph courtesy Asuka Historical Museum>
The halo is known as Ikkou Sanzon Kouhai 一光三尊光背,
meaning "single-light triad halo," because all three figures are
enveloped inside one halo. The halo and its pointed top are known as
Funagata Kouhai 舟形光背 or "boat-shaped halo." Source: JAANUS
Closeup of Shaka Trinity Halo (Kouhai 光背)
There are seven figures on the halo, which reportedly
represent the Seven Buddhas of the Past
(Jp. = Kako Shichibutsu 過去七仏)
The altar at Houryuuji, with Shaka Trinity in central position.
SHAKA TRIAD MYSTERY?
Below text by Henry Smith at Columbia University
From "Prince Shōtoku's Temple, The Riddles of Hōryūji"
The inscription on the Shaka triad describes, in essence, a legend that the statue was created as a life-size replica of Prince Shōtoku Taishi himself (the founder of Hōryūji Temple, the great patron of Early Buddhism in Japan). The statue was made, it is said, at the time of his death, as a prayer for his ascent into the Pure Land. Mention is also made of the death about the same time of Prince Shōtoku's mother and his principle wife, whom we can conclude are represented as the two attendants. So we have here Shōtoku deified as Shaka, an association already uncovered in the pagoda grotto. This special symbolism may be the key to unlocking many unsolved riddles about the iconography of this mysterious statue. The left-hand gesture of Shaka, for example, is found in no other Buddhist image. Equally baffling are the nut-like objects held in each hand by the attendants. <end quote>
Professor Smith also makes some very interesting remarks about the famous Guze Kannon (see below), also reportedly made in the image of Prince Shōtoku. Smith suggests that the spirit of the departed Shōtoku was an angry spirit, for Shōtoku's son and heir was forced to commit suicide, thus ending Shōtoku's direct line. This, claims Smith, is reflected in the construction of the Guze statue itself. See Guze Kannon below for details.
Says Bernard Faure
Professor, Religious Studies, Stanford University
In a piece entitled The Buddhist Icon and the Modern Gaze, Faure says: "Aesthetic considerations have steered us away, for instance, from exploring all the implications of the well-known (and often mentioned) fact that the Guze Kannon icon and the Sakyamuni Triad icon at Hōryūji were made the size of the ruler Shōtoku Taishi (+ 572-621). The Guze Kannon is even believed to be an image of Shōtoku Taishi, made while he was alive."
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BRONZE STATUES
Click any image for larger photo & textual details
Japan's earliest sculpture was greatly influenced by the artistic nuances of China's Wei 魏 kingdom (late 4th to 6th centuries), which featured a marked frontality, crescent-shaped lips turned upward, almond-shaped eyes, and symmetrically arranged folds in the robes. They were also influenced by the artistic styles of Korea's Paekche 百済 and Silla kingdoms 新羅, especially the Korean preference for stock poses, most notably of Miroku Bosatsu.
Hundreds of bronze pieces, mostly gilt bronze, are still extant. Many are small, around 30 cm in height, and coated with a thin layer of gold (tokin 鍍金) or gold leaf (hakuoshi 箔押). See Techniques Page for details on casting and gilding methods. Viewing many of them in one glance gives us a good idea of the artistic styles then prevailing among the first wave of Korean and Chinese imports into Japan in the 6th & 7th centuries. These pieces allow us to surmise how Japan developed its own distinctive style. One of the most famous groupings of extant gilt-bronze images, from China, is the Shijuhatai Butsu 四十八体仏, the so-called Forty-Eight Buddhist Images, now kept at the Tokyo National Museum. Of these, the most frequently occurring are images of Kannon Bodhisattva (22 are identifiable as Kannon). Some pieces from this group are included in the below slide show. Click any photo to begin. Each photo is accompanied by deity name, material, size, and temple location.
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Korean Influence & Miroku Bosatsu
  Prince Shōtoku Taishi, Japan's first great patron of Buddhism, learned about Buddhism, it is said, mainly from two Korean monks. One hailed from the Korean Kingdom of Koguryo 高句麗 (Goguryeo), and was named Eji 慧慈 (えじ). The other hailed from the Korean Kingdom of Kudara 百済 (Paekche), and was named Esou 慧聡 （Esō えそう). Shōtoku also maintained strong relations with many immigrants from mainland Asia. Among these was Hatano Kawakatsu (秦河勝), the leader of the Hata 秦 clan, a group of immigrants from central Asia (as far west as Assyria) who traveled along the silk road, and finally made their way to Japan via Korea and China in the 4th century, bringing their Christian faith as well. (Editor's Note: To people traveling east along the silk roads, Japan's Naniwa and Nara areas were the eastern | | | | |
