Sculpture, Buddhist -- Japan; Sculpture, Japanese -- To 794; Shingon (Sect) -- Rituals; Tantric Buddhism -- Japan
摘要
In this dissertation I investigate Japanese esoteric Buddhist sculpture and its reception during the eighth century. Esoteric art and practices popularized during this period are today contrasted to those of systematized Esoteric Buddhism, i.e., the Shingon school. The significance of my study will be to call into question the history of esotericism and of its art as constructed by Shingon Buddhism, by identifying how and when specific aspects of eighth-century statuary were perceived as esoteric by audiences of the day. This study will shed new light on the historical process of Shingon Buddhism's consolidation and redefinition of certain earlier traditions. Because I consider ritual to be one of the most significant factors in the reception of Buddhist art, this study highlights the nature of ritual and its relationship to esoteric representation. Drawing on historical and doctrinal material, I propose a history of early esoteric statuary that accounts for multiple audiences informed in various degrees by ritual. I offer hypotheses as to the various ways in which esoteric statues were perceived and defined during the eighth century based on available documentation and a critical reading of both the sources and the secondary literature. The terminology and historiography of the fields of Buddhist art and religion are reviewed. Next, the religious and historical sources for Japanese esotericism are considered, with an emphasis on the factors which constitute the perception of imagery and art in eighth-century Japan. The theoretical structure for the thesis is presented in tandem with a critical summary of ritual and reception literature. This is followed by an outline of the cultural and political priorities of eighth-century Japan, and an analysis of the ways in which these requirements are mutually constituted by ritual and representation. The last part of the thesis consists of a study of the eighth-century esoteric monastic context, including an examination of statue production, temple activities and leaders, imported texts and their impact, statue types, deity types, and the character of esoteric imagery.
