Mandala in art; Japanese; Mandala (Buddhism); History; Art
摘要
This dissertation examines the historical and artistic circumstances behind the emergence in late medieval Japan of a short-lived genre of painting referred to as sankei mandara (pilgrimage mandalas). The paintings are large-scale topographical depictions of sacred sites and served as promotional material for temples and shrines in need of financial support to encourage pilgrimage, offering travelers worldly and spiritual benefits while inspiring them to donate liberally. Itinerant monks and nuns used the mandara in recitation performances (etoki) to lead audiences on virtual pilgrimages, decoding the pictorial clues and touting the benefits of the site shown. Addressing themselves to the newly risen commoner class following the collapse of the aristocratic order, sankei mandara depict commoners in the role of patron and pilgrim, the first instance of them being portrayed this way, alongside warriors and aristocrats as they make their way to the sites, enjoying the local delights, and worship on the sacred grounds. Together with the novel subject material, a new artistic language was created—schematic, colorful and bold. We begin by locating sankei mandara’s artistic roots and influences and then proceed to investigate the individual mandara devoted to three sacred sites: Mt. Fuji, Kiyomizudera and Ise Shrine (a sacred mountain, temple and shrine, respectively). For each of the sites, we read the histories (political, religious, economic, social) and diaries (of pilgrims, monks and warlords), noting upheavals, power dynamics, and institutional relationships, and how these circumstances and relationships changed over the course of the 16th and early 17th centuries. We then apply this textual history to a formal analysis of each of the mandara devoted to the site, studying how the history of the site and the layout of the shrines and temples and the route to them are expressed in the pictorial language of the mandara, and we try to imagine how these paintings were employed and enlivened in etoki performances. Furthermore, by closely studying similarities and differences in choice and emphasis we show that the mandara, above their call for pilgrimage and donations, also encode the historical conditions at the time they were painted, capturing for example the tensions between religious groups and classes or the changing fortunes of a particular institution over time. This investigation thus aims to show how reading the artistic language of sankei mandara enlarges our understanding of a particular moment in Japan’s social and religious history, making these images valuable primary sources that enhance and supplement research in a wide range of fields.
目次
List of Illustrations iii Acknowledgements xiv Notes to the Reader xviii
1 What is a Sankei mandara? i. Introduction 1 ii. Appearance and Disappearance of Sankei mandara 12 iii. Describing the Genre 15 iv. Etoki in Japanese History 31 v. History of the Term Sankei mandara 35 vi. Salient Characteristics of Sankei mandara 38 vii. History of Sankei mandara Studies 44 2 Prehistory: Sankei mandara’s Origins i. Introduction 51 ii. Historical Background 52 iii. Sankei mandara’s Origins 53 a. Shaji engi-e 54 b. Miya mandara and Suijaku mandara 62 c. Koezu 73 d. Rakuchū rakugai zu 78 e. Kinsei shoki fūzokuga 84 iv. Summary 87 3 Fuji Sankei mandara i. Introduction 89 ii. History of Fuji and Fuji shinkō 92 iii. History of Fuji Painting 107 iv. Fuji sankei mandara 113 a. Hongū A mandara 114 b. Hongū B mandara 128 c. Takeuchi version Fuji sankei mandara 135 d. Koezu-style Shizuoka and Hongū Fuji sankei mandara 144 v. Summary 150 4 Ise sankei mandara i. Introduction 153 ii. History of the Grand Shrine of Ise 155 iii. Ise and Buddhism 160 iv. Description of the Ise sankei mandara 178 v. Kongōshōji sankei mandara and Ise ryogū mandara 184 vi. Detailed analysis of the Ise sankei mandara 192 a. Jingū Chōkokan mandara 195 b. Powers mandara 201 c. Mitsui mandara 206 d. Sugimoto mandara 209 vii. Summary 213 5 Kiyomizudera sankei mandara i. Introduction 215 ii. History of Kiyomizudera 217 iii. History of Painting Kiyomizudera 230 iv. Kiyomizudera sankei mandara 236 v. Detailed Analysis of Kiyomizudera sankei mandara (a) Patronage and Tensions Among Religious Classes a. Idealization of Gojō Bridge 245 b. Tamuradō 249 c. Kiyomizudera engi 251 d. Asakuradō 252 e. Warriors 253 vi. Detailed Analysis of Kiyomizudera sankei mandara (b) Appealing to a Wide Range of Audiences a. A place to pray for a child and for an easy childbirth 255 b. A place to drink, relax and find love 257 c. Teahouses 260 d. For those interested in literature and history 262 e. For those who aspire to help others 265 vii. Summary 270
