In East Asian Buddhism, Xuanzang was revered as a saintly figure for his contributions: his pilgrimage to India to seek authentic Buddhist texts, his translations of them, and his founding of the Faxiang School of Buddhism. This essay examines four separate traditions in which he was revered: 1) the orthodox literary tradition in China; 2) the founder worship tradition in Japan; 3) the religious icon tradition in China, Japan, and Tibet, and; 4） the folkloric tradition in China. Each honored the man in a different role. Respectively, these were as a great Buddhist teacher and translator, the founder of a Buddhist sect, a pious pilgrim and transmitter of the faith, and as a witness to and recipient of supernatural help. Through a study of the artifacts associated with Xuanzang, the essay explores the processes by which he was transformed into a saintly figure. The manifold images of Xuanzang reflected the interaction and synthesis of Chinese and Indian Buddhist traditions that began during the early medieval period, further transformations when transmitted to other cultures, distinctions between elite and popular worship, and the intertwining of visual and literary forms of art.
