From the time of their inception in Mathura and Gandhara, images of the Buddha were shown wearing the same garments as those of actual monks. These simple robes consisted of a kāṣāya (袈裟 J. kesa), a broad sewn cloth which was draped around the body and a nivāsana (涅槃僧 J. nehanzō) which was wrapped tightly around the lower torso. In some instances monks wore a second undergarment known as a saṃkakşikā (僧祇支 J. sōgishi). When Buddhist images were introduced to China, their garments continued to follow these conventions, however, distinctive Sinicized treatments appeared as well. this essay is an investigation of the treatment of the robes of Buddhist images during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (4th -6th centuries), when these transformations were the most conspicuous, throught an examination of actual works. This essay explores three main points: 1) The way in which kāṣāya were depicted (on Buddhist images). 2) the treatment of the undergarments (known in Japanese as naie 内衣) and the knotted cord often shown at the base of the chest. 3) The form and treatment of draped pedestals (the cascade of folds of the kāṣāya and nivāsana on seated images known in Japanese as mokakeza 裳懸座). It is possible to isolate two characteristics in the changes of these three elements over time. The first is that the changes in the treatment of the kāsāya resulted in a treatment that reveals less of the underlying body. The second is that Chinese style robes were adopted for the undergarments. The essay then examines the sources and the background of these changes. The reasons for the decrease in the volume of the underlying body can most likely be attributed to the fact that there existed no taradition of the nude in the Chinese cultural sphere. The sense of form in India and the West that reveals the human body was not readily accepted in China. Rather, it can be thought that the Chinese found greater artistry in a clear delineation of the detailed folds of a garment or in a more painterly treatment of carved lines. Moreover, the Chinese style garments adopted for the undergarments and the nivāsana were similar to those worn by emperors and scholar officials. Thus, the adoption of this style of garment can be thought to have made the image of Buddha more approachable for lay believers of high status. During this period the Buddhist faith prospered under the Northern Wei, and the emperor and his subjects converted to Buddhism. In particular, the belief distinctive to the Northern Wei that the emperor was the equivalent of the Buddha can be thought to have been a major reason for the increasing similarity in the treatment of images of the Buddha and portraits of the emperor. The seated image of Buddha at the Binyangzhongdong cave at Lungmen commissioned by Emperor Xiaowen is a typical Chinese-style image that must have been carved in this context.
