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School of Letters Department of Humanities Philosophy Course Aesthetics and History of Fine Arts Major Major (Credit 1) Intended Year: Intended School: |
Topics in Art and Culture(Lecture VI)B
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Numbering Code: LET-HUM2268J Course Code: 2024 SpringTerm intensive Ito Classroom M/J科目 (日本語, 古典漢文) |
| Course Overview |
Buddhist statue is primarily defined as the three-dimensional representation of the Buddha, Bodhisattva, or heavenly being, who is the object of Buddhist worship. In this respect, it is no different from other statues for worship. However, Japanese Buddhist statues have a character that goes beyond that, and this has led to the diverse development of the history of Buddhist statues. The characteristic character of Japanese Buddhist statues, which goes beyond general statues for worship, is that while they represent Buddhas who exist in a different world of time and space, they have their own individual personalities and exert power on people. In Japan, a huge number of ancient Buddhas have been passed down by human hands to the present day, and this seems to be largely due to this characteristic of Buddhist statues. In this class, we will start from the basic question of what a Buddhist statue is, and then look at many examples of how Buddhist statues have been made, worshiped, or used, mainly in Japan, and how they have been passed down over the long years. Specific topics will include materials and techniques used in Buddhist statues, the act of Buddhist statue production as a ritual, the functions of statues within temples, making replicas, shielding statues from pilgrim’s eyes, placing items inside statues, repairs and restorations, etc. In addition, a practical tour will be used to explain how to closely observe the work to confirm various information and create a report, which is an essential task in researching Buddhist statues. |
| Last updated | : 2024/7/16 (11:18) |