元代佛畫 =Yuan Buddhist paintings; 高麗佛畫=Goryeo Buddhist paintings; 摩尼教繪畫=Manichaeanpaintings; 宋元畫=Song and Yuan paintings; 道佛混交=buddhist syncretism with Daoism; 東福寺=Tōfukuji Temple
In Song and Yuan Buddhist Paintings in Japan (March, 2001), the author detailed the Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings transported to Japan, and conducted several surveys on Yuan Buddhist paintings. In the book, the author examines two works that have long been regarded as Goryeo Buddhist paintings, redefines them as reference works for Yuan Buddhist paintings, and discusses the emergence of the new and old trends in the early 14th century. In the 15 years following the book’s publication, Japanese scholars have successively identified Manichaean paintings that were painted in the Yuan period. These findings indicate potential relationships between the newly confirmed Manichaean paintings and Yuan painting trends, and provide a context for the author to reexamine Buddhist paintings of the time and related topics from an East Asian perspective. Based on the monographic discussion in 2001, this study incorporates the newly confirmed Manichaean paintings into the scholarship of Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings, redefines the scope and content of the field, and identifies problems underlying Yuan Buddhist paintings.