Sherry D Fowler | University of Kansas (original) (raw)

Books by Sherry D Fowler

University of Hawai'i Press, 2017

When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Bu... more When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Buddhist deity’s magnificent powers are believed to increase to even greater heights. This book examines the development of sculptures, paintings, and prints associated with the cult of the Six Kannon, which began in Japan in the tenth century and remained strong until its transition, beginning in sixteenth century, to the still active Thirty-Three Kannon cult. The complete set of Six Kannon made in 1224 and housed at the Kyoto temple Daihōonji is an exemplar of the cult’s images. With a diachronic approach, beginning in the eleventh century, individual case studies are employed to reinstate a context for the sets of Six Kannon, the majority of which have been lost or scattered, in order to clarify the former vibrancy, magnitude, and distribution of the cult and enhance knowledge of religious image-making in Japan. While Kannon’s role of assisting beings trapped in the six paths of transmi...

Murōji: Rearranging Art and History at a Japanese Buddhist Temple. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻ... more Murōji: Rearranging Art and History at a Japanese Buddhist Temple. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2005.

Papers by Sherry D Fowler

Ars Orientalis

Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bell... more Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bells often have a singular status within their environment, with a strong aural and visual presence prominently positioned in their own structure. While most past studies of Buddhist bells have concentrated on their inscriptions, craftsmanship, technologies, or sound, this article will focus on how approximately 45,000 of them disappeared during the late 1930s and mid-1940s. During the Asia-Pacific War, as metals grew scarce, temple bells became a material resource for munition production. Why were temples and shrines convinced to give up their bells that embodied the hopes and vows of past donors? What was the process of transformation from a religious instrument used to comfort the dead into an object that would destroy life? Four case studies, presented as object biographies of bells that date from the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, will be examined to consider these questions, as ...

Oxford Bibliographies in Art History, 2022

The official history of Japanese Buddhist sculpture purportedly begins when emissaries from the K... more The official history of Japanese Buddhist sculpture purportedly begins when emissaries from the Korean kingdom of Baekje presented Emperor Kinmei with a gilt bronze statue of Śākyamuni Buddha and other precious Buddhist objects in the mid-6th century. Statues of Buddhist deities were first and foremost considered divine and efficacious, enshrined as main icons of worship and ritual practices inside Buddhist temples or other ritualized spaces. As the physical embodiments of Buddhist divinities, we must contend with how the limitations of the modern, art historical term sculpture (J. chōkoku) affect the scope of inquiry. Japanese Buddhist images came to be considered “works of art” and “aesthetic objects” with the modernization and Westernization of Japan in the late 19th century. With the establishment of the Japanese National Treasure and Important Cultural Property system by the Japanese government, Buddhist sculptures were conferred a new status as exemplars of fine art and culturally significant objects and thus were organized into a canonical body of art works. This article is therefore meant to help readers navigate the complex and salient question: “What is
Japanese Buddhist sculpture?” After presenting general overviews and references, the first theme consists of citations organized under Icons, which is an inclusive, broad, and multidisciplinary term that bridges the gap between three-dimensional Buddhist forms and their religious functions. It is now more common to refer to Buddhist sculptures as “Buddhist icons” to acknowledge their fundamental roles in Buddhist devotional practice and ritual. This article also takes a broad perspective on sculpture to include sacred Buddhist objects such as reliquaries, bells, and ritual equipment. The sections that follow, with much overlap, are based upon trends that show how scholars grapple with particular issues. Early citations tend to focus on stylistic development. Closely intertwined is the focus on a particular period (Period-Specific Studies). Iconography and Iconology has also been a mainstay for the study of Buddhist sculpture. Other themes are broken down by religious affiliations, devotional cults of specific deities, Site-Specific Studies, named sculptors, materials, and techniques employed. The theme of Cultural Interactions responds to the fact that Japanese sculpture was not created in isolation from the rest of Asia. This article targets a multidisciplinary English-language readership of researchers who are in the beginning stages of their studies. With a few exceptions, non-English-language sources were excluded and, for brevity, PhD dissertations were generally excluded.

China and Beyond in the Mediaeval Period: Cultural Crossings and Inter-regional Connections, 2014

Fowler, Sherry. “Saved by the Bell: Six Kannon and Bonshō.” In China and Beyond in the Mediaeval... more Fowler, Sherry. “Saved by the Bell: Six Kannon and Bonshō.” In China and Beyond in the Mediaeval Period: Cultural Crossings and Inter-regional Connections, eds. Dorothy Wong and Gustav Heldt. New Delhi and Amherst, New York: Manohar Publishers and Cambria Press, 2014, 329–350.

Ars Orientalis, 2022

Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bell... more Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bells often have a singular status within their environment, with a strong aural and visual presence prominently positioned in their own structure. While most past studies of Buddhist bells have concentrated on their inscriptions, craftsmanship, technologies, or sound, this article will focus on how approximately 45,000 of them disappeared during the late 1930s and mid-1940s. During the Asia-Pacific War, as metals grew scarce, temple bells became a material resource for munition production. Why were temples and shrines convinced to give up their bells that embodied the hopes and vows of past donors? What was the process of transformation from a religious instrument used to comfort the dead into an object that would destroy life? Four case studies, presented as object biographies of bells that date from the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, will be examined to consider these questions, as well as how these bells managed to escape the fate of being melted down and the international, national, and local ramifications of reuniting these survivors with their original temples.

梵鐘は、日本のほとんどの仏教寺院に欠かせないものである。寺院の中でもしばしば特別の重要性を持つ梵鐘は、独立した建物に設置され、強い視覚的、聴覚的な存在感を放つ。これまで梵鐘に関しては、銘文、製作技術や技能、音色などに焦点を当てて研究が行われてきたが、本論文では、1930年代後半から1940年代半ばの間に、約4万5000点が姿を消したという事実に注目する。太平洋戦争中、金属不足が深刻になると、梵鐘は武器弾薬の素材として供出を求められるようになった。過去の寄贈者の願いや誓いが込められた梵鐘の供出要請に、神社仏閣はなぜ応じたのだろうか。死者を供養するための法具から、生命を破壊する武器への転換のプロセスは、どのようなものだったのだろうか。17～18世紀に鋳造され、現在まで残った4つの梵鐘の来し方を振り返るケーススタディを通じて、この問題への答え、およびこれらの梵鐘がどうやって溶解される運命を免れたかを探る。さらにこれらの梵鐘がもともと安置されていた寺院に返還された時に、海外、全国、そして地域レベルでどのように影響があったかを考察する。

Archives of Asian Art, 2021

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a large eleventh-century bronze bell made in Kore... more During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a large eleventh-century bronze bell made in Korea became a grand attraction on the grounds of Onoe Shrine in Kakogawa, Japan. Although such bells are made of expensive material that require significant financial investment and technical skill, most are overlooked as common fixtures inside bell towers at Buddhist temples across Asia. Yet the bell at Onoe Shrine has a particularly complex and fascinating story to tell. Using object biography as an approach to study this unusual monument enables us to see how this bell became the popular subject of legends, travel-diary accounts, gazetteer entries, popular woodblock prints, and souvenirs made in a variety of materials. The bell's legendary life story accorded it the ability to solve human problems and use its voice to demand where it should be located, which fueled people's desire to see it with their own eyes and to make physical contact with it. This examination of the bell&#39...

Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan, 2018

Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], 2020

“Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–3... more “Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–318; 370–379] / “Collective Commemoration: Kannon Print Scrolls from the Saigoku Pilgrimage” [English: 319–379]. In Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], ed. Michimoto Tesshin. Kyoto: Hōzōkan, 2020, 273–379.

Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], 2020

“Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–3... more “Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–318; 370–379] / “Collective Commemoration: Kannon Print Scrolls from the Saigoku Pilgrimage” [English: 319–379]. In Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], ed. Michimoto Tesshin. Kyoto: Hōzōkan, 2020, 273–379.

Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin: Art of the New Tattoo, 2019

“Drawing Embodied: Ed Hardy’s East Asian Art Connections.” Coauthored with Dale Slusser. In Ed Ha... more “Drawing Embodied: Ed Hardy’s East Asian Art Connections.” Coauthored with Dale Slusser. In Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin: Art of the New Tattoo, ed. Karin Breuer. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2019, 24–35.

A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture, 2015

Artibus Asiae, 2014

“Containers of Sacred Text and Image at Twelfth-Century Chōanji in Kyushu.” Artibus Asiae 74, no.... more “Containers of Sacred Text and Image at Twelfth-Century Chōanji in Kyushu.” Artibus Asiae 74, no. 1 (2014): 43–73.

Artibus Asiae, 2014

Artibus Asiae vol. 74 no. 1 is dedicated to Donald F. McCallum (1939–2013).

Ars Orientalis , 2006

The Kyoto temple Daihøonji, better known as Senbon Shakadø, houses a complete set of life-size wo... more The Kyoto temple Daihøonji, better known as Senbon Shakadø, houses a complete set of life-size wooden sculptures of Six Kannon made by the sculptor Jøkei in 1224. Many of the Six Kannon image sets have been scattered or destroyed over time, making this example all the more significant. The cult of the Six Kannon first appeared in Chinese literature in the sixth century, rose to popularity in Japan during the tenth, and flourished through the sixteenth century. Tracking the movements and changing religious functions of the Daihøonji Kannon sculptures provides an opportunity to consider how religious images "live" and how their circumstances change over time. In this investigation, three prominent themes related to the functions of the Six Kannon cult surface in reference to the Daihøonji images: the role of assisting beings in the six paths, associations with women, and relationships to texts.

Artibus Asiae, 2008

L’A. s’interesse a un type particulier d’estampes japonaises se developpant a l’epoque d’Edo : le... more L’A. s’interesse a un type particulier d’estampes japonaises se developpant a l’epoque d’Edo : les vues de temples ou keidazu. Il s’interesse a la genese de ce type d’estampes, aux evolutions techniques (passage de la xylographie a la chalcographie) et aux influences stylistiques (occidentales) qui en sont a l’origine, via la fondation l’ecole Gengendō par Matsumoto Yasuoki, a laquelle est consacree une partie de l’etude. Il etudie egalement les aspects economiques de cette imagerie liee primitivement aux pelerinages, mais qui va rapidement s’ouvrir au marche etranger.

Zurich Studies in the History of Art: Georges Bloch-Jahrbuch, Universität Zürich Kunsthistorisches Institut , 2006

“The Murōji Golden Hall Wall Painting or “Taishakuten Mandara.” Zurich Studies in the History of ... more “The Murōji Golden Hall Wall Painting or “Taishakuten Mandara.” Zurich Studies in the History of Art: Georges Bloch-Jahrbuch, Universität Zürich Kunsthistorisches Institut 13/14 (2006/7): 434–459.

Archives of Asian Art, 2001

As one of the rare structures preserving both architecture and sculpture of the Heian period (794... more As one of the rare structures preserving both architecture and sculpture of the Heian period (794-1185), the Muroji kondo serves as an outstanding example of an environment from which to gain a better understanding of religious establishments of this period in Japan. Although the temple of Muro-ji is located in the remote countryside on Mt. Muro in the Uda district of Nara Prefecture (Fig. 1), the icons of its kondo ("golden hall") are major monuments of Japanese Buddhist sculpture. As individual works, these pieces have been published frequently, and are included in most textbooks on Japanese art history, but with little thought to how they may have functioned as a group. Five large wooden images with painted wooden mandorlas, dating from the ninth to the tenth centuries, are at present lined up across the kondo altar. Their present configuration, however, was not their original one, nor have the identities of the individual images remained unchanged over time. The five sculptures at present on the altar (from proper right to left) in the Muro-ji kondo are designated as Juichimen (Eleven-headed) Kannon Bosatsu

University of Hawai'i Press, 2017

When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Bu... more When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Buddhist deity’s magnificent powers are believed to increase to even greater heights. This book examines the development of sculptures, paintings, and prints associated with the cult of the Six Kannon, which began in Japan in the tenth century and remained strong until its transition, beginning in sixteenth century, to the still active Thirty-Three Kannon cult. The complete set of Six Kannon made in 1224 and housed at the Kyoto temple Daihōonji is an exemplar of the cult’s images. With a diachronic approach, beginning in the eleventh century, individual case studies are employed to reinstate a context for the sets of Six Kannon, the majority of which have been lost or scattered, in order to clarify the former vibrancy, magnitude, and distribution of the cult and enhance knowledge of religious image-making in Japan. While Kannon’s role of assisting beings trapped in the six paths of transmi...

Murōji: Rearranging Art and History at a Japanese Buddhist Temple. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻ... more Murōji: Rearranging Art and History at a Japanese Buddhist Temple. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2005.

Ars Orientalis

Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bell... more Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bells often have a singular status within their environment, with a strong aural and visual presence prominently positioned in their own structure. While most past studies of Buddhist bells have concentrated on their inscriptions, craftsmanship, technologies, or sound, this article will focus on how approximately 45,000 of them disappeared during the late 1930s and mid-1940s. During the Asia-Pacific War, as metals grew scarce, temple bells became a material resource for munition production. Why were temples and shrines convinced to give up their bells that embodied the hopes and vows of past donors? What was the process of transformation from a religious instrument used to comfort the dead into an object that would destroy life? Four case studies, presented as object biographies of bells that date from the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, will be examined to consider these questions, as ...

Oxford Bibliographies in Art History, 2022

The official history of Japanese Buddhist sculpture purportedly begins when emissaries from the K... more The official history of Japanese Buddhist sculpture purportedly begins when emissaries from the Korean kingdom of Baekje presented Emperor Kinmei with a gilt bronze statue of Śākyamuni Buddha and other precious Buddhist objects in the mid-6th century. Statues of Buddhist deities were first and foremost considered divine and efficacious, enshrined as main icons of worship and ritual practices inside Buddhist temples or other ritualized spaces. As the physical embodiments of Buddhist divinities, we must contend with how the limitations of the modern, art historical term sculpture (J. chōkoku) affect the scope of inquiry. Japanese Buddhist images came to be considered “works of art” and “aesthetic objects” with the modernization and Westernization of Japan in the late 19th century. With the establishment of the Japanese National Treasure and Important Cultural Property system by the Japanese government, Buddhist sculptures were conferred a new status as exemplars of fine art and culturally significant objects and thus were organized into a canonical body of art works. This article is therefore meant to help readers navigate the complex and salient question: “What is
Japanese Buddhist sculpture?” After presenting general overviews and references, the first theme consists of citations organized under Icons, which is an inclusive, broad, and multidisciplinary term that bridges the gap between three-dimensional Buddhist forms and their religious functions. It is now more common to refer to Buddhist sculptures as “Buddhist icons” to acknowledge their fundamental roles in Buddhist devotional practice and ritual. This article also takes a broad perspective on sculpture to include sacred Buddhist objects such as reliquaries, bells, and ritual equipment. The sections that follow, with much overlap, are based upon trends that show how scholars grapple with particular issues. Early citations tend to focus on stylistic development. Closely intertwined is the focus on a particular period (Period-Specific Studies). Iconography and Iconology has also been a mainstay for the study of Buddhist sculpture. Other themes are broken down by religious affiliations, devotional cults of specific deities, Site-Specific Studies, named sculptors, materials, and techniques employed. The theme of Cultural Interactions responds to the fact that Japanese sculpture was not created in isolation from the rest of Asia. This article targets a multidisciplinary English-language readership of researchers who are in the beginning stages of their studies. With a few exceptions, non-English-language sources were excluded and, for brevity, PhD dissertations were generally excluded.

China and Beyond in the Mediaeval Period: Cultural Crossings and Inter-regional Connections, 2014

Fowler, Sherry. “Saved by the Bell: Six Kannon and Bonshō.” In China and Beyond in the Mediaeval... more Fowler, Sherry. “Saved by the Bell: Six Kannon and Bonshō.” In China and Beyond in the Mediaeval Period: Cultural Crossings and Inter-regional Connections, eds. Dorothy Wong and Gustav Heldt. New Delhi and Amherst, New York: Manohar Publishers and Cambria Press, 2014, 329–350.

Ars Orientalis, 2022

Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bell... more Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) are a precious feature of almost every Japanese temple. These bells often have a singular status within their environment, with a strong aural and visual presence prominently positioned in their own structure. While most past studies of Buddhist bells have concentrated on their inscriptions, craftsmanship, technologies, or sound, this article will focus on how approximately 45,000 of them disappeared during the late 1930s and mid-1940s. During the Asia-Pacific War, as metals grew scarce, temple bells became a material resource for munition production. Why were temples and shrines convinced to give up their bells that embodied the hopes and vows of past donors? What was the process of transformation from a religious instrument used to comfort the dead into an object that would destroy life? Four case studies, presented as object biographies of bells that date from the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, will be examined to consider these questions, as well as how these bells managed to escape the fate of being melted down and the international, national, and local ramifications of reuniting these survivors with their original temples.

梵鐘は、日本のほとんどの仏教寺院に欠かせないものである。寺院の中でもしばしば特別の重要性を持つ梵鐘は、独立した建物に設置され、強い視覚的、聴覚的な存在感を放つ。これまで梵鐘に関しては、銘文、製作技術や技能、音色などに焦点を当てて研究が行われてきたが、本論文では、1930年代後半から1940年代半ばの間に、約4万5000点が姿を消したという事実に注目する。太平洋戦争中、金属不足が深刻になると、梵鐘は武器弾薬の素材として供出を求められるようになった。過去の寄贈者の願いや誓いが込められた梵鐘の供出要請に、神社仏閣はなぜ応じたのだろうか。死者を供養するための法具から、生命を破壊する武器への転換のプロセスは、どのようなものだったのだろうか。17～18世紀に鋳造され、現在まで残った4つの梵鐘の来し方を振り返るケーススタディを通じて、この問題への答え、およびこれらの梵鐘がどうやって溶解される運命を免れたかを探る。さらにこれらの梵鐘がもともと安置されていた寺院に返還された時に、海外、全国、そして地域レベルでどのように影響があったかを考察する。

Archives of Asian Art, 2021

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a large eleventh-century bronze bell made in Kore... more During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a large eleventh-century bronze bell made in Korea became a grand attraction on the grounds of Onoe Shrine in Kakogawa, Japan. Although such bells are made of expensive material that require significant financial investment and technical skill, most are overlooked as common fixtures inside bell towers at Buddhist temples across Asia. Yet the bell at Onoe Shrine has a particularly complex and fascinating story to tell. Using object biography as an approach to study this unusual monument enables us to see how this bell became the popular subject of legends, travel-diary accounts, gazetteer entries, popular woodblock prints, and souvenirs made in a variety of materials. The bell's legendary life story accorded it the ability to solve human problems and use its voice to demand where it should be located, which fueled people's desire to see it with their own eyes and to make physical contact with it. This examination of the bell&#39...

Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan, 2018

Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], 2020

“Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–3... more “Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–318; 370–379] / “Collective Commemoration: Kannon Print Scrolls from the Saigoku Pilgrimage” [English: 319–379]. In Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], ed. Michimoto Tesshin. Kyoto: Hōzōkan, 2020, 273–379.

Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], 2020

“Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–3... more “Kinen no shūgōtai: Saigoku junrei no Kannon no mokuhan Kannon fuda no kakejiku” [Japanese: 273–318; 370–379] / “Collective Commemoration: Kannon Print Scrolls from the Saigoku Pilgrimage” [English: 319–379]. In Nihon bukkyō no tenkai to sono zōkei [Medieval Japanese Buddhist Practices and Their Visual Art Expressions], ed. Michimoto Tesshin. Kyoto: Hōzōkan, 2020, 273–379.

Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin: Art of the New Tattoo, 2019

“Drawing Embodied: Ed Hardy’s East Asian Art Connections.” Coauthored with Dale Slusser. In Ed Ha... more “Drawing Embodied: Ed Hardy’s East Asian Art Connections.” Coauthored with Dale Slusser. In Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin: Art of the New Tattoo, ed. Karin Breuer. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2019, 24–35.

A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture, 2015

Artibus Asiae, 2014

“Containers of Sacred Text and Image at Twelfth-Century Chōanji in Kyushu.” Artibus Asiae 74, no.... more “Containers of Sacred Text and Image at Twelfth-Century Chōanji in Kyushu.” Artibus Asiae 74, no. 1 (2014): 43–73.

Artibus Asiae, 2014

Artibus Asiae vol. 74 no. 1 is dedicated to Donald F. McCallum (1939–2013).

Ars Orientalis , 2006

The Kyoto temple Daihøonji, better known as Senbon Shakadø, houses a complete set of life-size wo... more The Kyoto temple Daihøonji, better known as Senbon Shakadø, houses a complete set of life-size wooden sculptures of Six Kannon made by the sculptor Jøkei in 1224. Many of the Six Kannon image sets have been scattered or destroyed over time, making this example all the more significant. The cult of the Six Kannon first appeared in Chinese literature in the sixth century, rose to popularity in Japan during the tenth, and flourished through the sixteenth century. Tracking the movements and changing religious functions of the Daihøonji Kannon sculptures provides an opportunity to consider how religious images "live" and how their circumstances change over time. In this investigation, three prominent themes related to the functions of the Six Kannon cult surface in reference to the Daihøonji images: the role of assisting beings in the six paths, associations with women, and relationships to texts.

Artibus Asiae, 2008

L’A. s’interesse a un type particulier d’estampes japonaises se developpant a l’epoque d’Edo : le... more L’A. s’interesse a un type particulier d’estampes japonaises se developpant a l’epoque d’Edo : les vues de temples ou keidazu. Il s’interesse a la genese de ce type d’estampes, aux evolutions techniques (passage de la xylographie a la chalcographie) et aux influences stylistiques (occidentales) qui en sont a l’origine, via la fondation l’ecole Gengendō par Matsumoto Yasuoki, a laquelle est consacree une partie de l’etude. Il etudie egalement les aspects economiques de cette imagerie liee primitivement aux pelerinages, mais qui va rapidement s’ouvrir au marche etranger.

Zurich Studies in the History of Art: Georges Bloch-Jahrbuch, Universität Zürich Kunsthistorisches Institut , 2006

“The Murōji Golden Hall Wall Painting or “Taishakuten Mandara.” Zurich Studies in the History of ... more “The Murōji Golden Hall Wall Painting or “Taishakuten Mandara.” Zurich Studies in the History of Art: Georges Bloch-Jahrbuch, Universität Zürich Kunsthistorisches Institut 13/14 (2006/7): 434–459.

Archives of Asian Art, 2001

As one of the rare structures preserving both architecture and sculpture of the Heian period (794... more As one of the rare structures preserving both architecture and sculpture of the Heian period (794-1185), the Muroji kondo serves as an outstanding example of an environment from which to gain a better understanding of religious establishments of this period in Japan. Although the temple of Muro-ji is located in the remote countryside on Mt. Muro in the Uda district of Nara Prefecture (Fig. 1), the icons of its kondo ("golden hall") are major monuments of Japanese Buddhist sculpture. As individual works, these pieces have been published frequently, and are included in most textbooks on Japanese art history, but with little thought to how they may have functioned as a group. Five large wooden images with painted wooden mandorlas, dating from the ninth to the tenth centuries, are at present lined up across the kondo altar. Their present configuration, however, was not their original one, nor have the identities of the individual images remained unchanged over time. The five sculptures at present on the altar (from proper right to left) in the Muro-ji kondo are designated as Juichimen (Eleven-headed) Kannon Bosatsu

University of Hawai'i Press, 2017

In the tenth century Tendai and Shingon School monks adopted and modified six types of Guanyin fo... more In the tenth century Tendai and Shingon School monks adopted and modified six types of Guanyin found in early Chinese texts, especially Mohe zhiguan, into a cult in Japan. As the monks promoted the constellation of these images as particularly efficacious, sculpture sets were installed at temples in the capital. Many of the main sites that housed Six Kannon images in the Heian period (794–1185) are gone and known only through records, such as the Kyoto temples Hosshōji and Hōjōji. However, rare early vestiges of former sets from this period are found in sculptures from Buzaiin in Ishikawa and Konkaikōmyōji in Kyoto. Evidence for early Japanese images of Six Kannon and their records, such as iconographic manuals, diaries, and chronicles, demonstrate the wide extent of the cult and its images that flourished under elite patronage in the Heian period.

Accounts and Images of Six Kannon in Japan, 2017

Images of Six Kannon appear in paintings of the Six-syllable mandala (Rokujikyōhō mandara) made d... more Images of Six Kannon appear in paintings of the Six-syllable mandala (Rokujikyōhō mandara) made during the thirteenth through the nineteenth century. The mandalas include syllables, which are abbreviated forms of Sanskrit letters, alongside Kannon images in body forms that recall earlier descriptions of Chinese images. As these mandalas served as the central focus of rituals performed to avert calamities, help with safe childbirth, and remove or redirect curses, they also demonstrate how the goals for Six Kannon worship came to emphasize practical, earthly concerns. Even though the Six-syllable sutra rituals were frequently performed, Six-syllable mandalas that depicted Six Kannon images were not the only type of painting used in the ritual. Hence, Six-syllable mandalas that include Six Kannon are scarce. Early surviving examples, such as those from Kyoto National Museum, Daigoji, Yamato Bunkakan, and Museum of Fine Arts Boston, are precious resources that show the development of th...

The Journal of Asian Studies, 2005

Japanese Journal of Religious Studies , 2007

The Visual Cultures of a Zen Monastery is a study of how Daitokuji's visual cultures functioned, ... more The Visual Cultures of a Zen Monastery is a study of how Daitokuji's visual cultures functioned, and continue to function, in practice and in memory. In this monumental book, Levine has made the substantial amount of material manageable by organizing it into a prologue, epilogue, and four parts, each with a short section to introduce the unifying theme followed by two to three chapters. Daitokuji is, of course, well known as one of the most important Buddhist temples in Japan, but Levine deals with the stuff of Daitokuji in new ways. Rather than concentrating only on Daitokuji's major monuments, as had been the custom of past art historical scholarship, he challenges old cannons by addressing topics of broad interest and weaving the monuments, as well as objects with less "art historical" panache, into his study. Daitokuji is an archive, a location of collecting, and a repository where objects not only reside, but it is also a space where people interact with them. In the prologue Levine sets up key issues for the study and frames the site's material by considering the life of Daitokuji's "visual culture(s), " a fluid term, which he explains "is best taken as a placeholder in a dynamic semantic, visual, and social field" (xiviii). Another significant issue that runs through this study is the slippery subject of "Zen art, " which Levine reminds us usually has more to do with notions set up in the modern era. "In short, objects of varied representational technique and form turn out to be far more profuse in Chan/Zen communities, and their meaning and status more flexible and contested, than we have heretofore believed" (p. l). He continues, "Although I do not view this book as a direct response to the problem of "Zen art, " I will speak to certain assumptions and debates" (p. l). Undoubtedly many reviews will be written about this magnificent book; here I will not only praise the virtues of its scholarly contributions, but will also discuss it from the standpoint of a teacher, since I have had the luxury of using it as an assigned reading in an art history seminar. In spring 2007 I taught a graduate-level seminar titled "Japanese Buddhist Temples in Context" at the University of Kansas for students with backgrounds in Chinese, Korean, European, and Japanese art history. In