BackNo. 42
JUNE 1935
STUDY ON THE IMAGES OF BODHISATTVA ON THE CLOUDS
BY KISAKU TANAKA
Hoodo, an old temple by the River Uji, is situated at Uji, a place in the southern part of kyoto, noted for its scenic beauty. In the early days, the place where Hoodo Temple is standing at present is said to have been owned by Genyu; later it fell into Fujiwara MIchinaga's hands, and in the seventh year of Eisho (1052) into the hands of Michinaga's son, Yorimichi, who built a temple on this place, and called it Byodoin Monastery. Many buildings were added to the monastery later during the Fujiwara period. In and after the Kamakura period those temple buildings were almost destroyed through many wars and battles. At present only one remains intact, namely, Hoodo Temple - an amitabha temple built in the first year of Tenki (1053).
Architectural importance of the building of Hoodo Temple is itself very great. As we enter the temple, just inside there extends before us a magnificent synthesis of architecture, sculpture, painting, and industrial arts, in the form of the image of Amitabha Tathagata, with its extreme magnificence, unchanged since the beginning of Tenki, the fresco on the doors and wainscots on all sides of the room representing Bodhisattva coming down to welcome people to the paradise, and the fifty-two images of Bodhisattva on the floating clouds hung on above the entablatures, some playing instruments and flying about and others with their hands clasped worshipping the image of Amitabha Tathagata. Each of those works of art holds an important position in the history of art in Japan.
In the winter of 1933 our institute made a detailed survey of the fifty-two images of Bodhisattva on the clouds, and took minute pictures of them. The present treatise by Mr. Tanaka, the Chief Surveyer, brings to us the process and result of the survey.
The problems of how the Hoodo Temple has come into existence and how it has been maintained were also studied by Mr. Tanaka and given in another section under the title of "Historical Data of Byodoin Monastery." The present paper, which is to be concluded in the next issue, tells mainly about the images of the fifty-two Bodhisattva on the clouds, referring here and there to the study on Hoodo Temple.
The most important question about the fifty-two images of Bodhisattva is whether they have remained intact or not. The answer to the question is given in the result of the detailed survey.
The fifty-two images are between 90 cm. and 44 cm. high and between 104 cm. and 33 cm. wide, and are made entirely of Japan cypress. All of them are standing figures; some stand facing front and others in different directions; there is even one facing backwards, only slightly turning its face to one side. All of them are placed on the clouds, some seated on the petals of lotus. Various modes of sculpture are used to carve the images; some are cut out in ordinary round shapes, and others have their backs cut flat; there are also those which are flat boards; yet, as for the greatest number of them, the upper half of the body is cut out round and the back of the lower half flat, each fixing one foot against the wall and raising the other in order to look heavenwards. Concave style is used to cut out most of the images, though it is varied according to the mode of sculpture of each image.
Each image is hung on a hooked nail on the wall: the equipment is so firmly constructed that it has been beyond doubt left untouched.
Though the paint has been mostly washed away, slight traces of lacquer and gold-leaf are still found on many of the images; so that we may safely conclude that those images were mostly painted with lacquer and gold-leaf. On some of the images we can also find designs in gold-leaf on the lacquer ground (Pl.XI, left), or some ancient-looking patterns without the lacquer ground (Pl.XI, right). On the backs of some images are found some characters, such as Kegon(p.10, cut 8), Kongosatsu, or Mangetu, written in Chinese ink.
One of the images was added later. There are traces of repairs that have been made on the other fifty-one images; almost all of the hands of the images and the tail part of the clouds have been supplied later; the garments, though left unchanged here and there, have been for the most part made anew; not only this, more than two or three heads of the images have been repaired later, and as for the instruments in the hands of the images, they are without doubt the production of modern ages.
STUDY ON SEKIHO
BY JIRO UMEZU
the Nanga school, one of the greatest schools of painting in the Edo (or Tokugawa) period, was brought to completion by Taiga, Buson and so forth. We must not forget, however, that there existed several forerunners who strove to establish the school. Among them was sekiho. All of those forerunners are apt to have been forgotten, and this tendency was especially strong with Sekiho. But, when we inquire into the works of the painters in the flourishing days of the Nanga school, we are convinced of the fact that Sekiho was the object of their respect, and Taiga himself looked up to him as a great master. The writer intends to arouse in the readers' minds renewed apprecation for Sekiho by laying before them the result of the study of the paintings of Sekiho and his historical materials.
the real name of Sekiho was Toru; he had other pseudonyms besides Sekiho, namely - Taiwa Shujin, Unshin, and so forth. His native place was Ise. There are different opinions about the exact place of his birth; yet it may be most proper to conclude that he was born at Hisai. His calling is not identified, for some say that he was a doctor and others that he was a learned man who kept a private school.
According to the "Heian Jinbutsu-shi or Record of Famous People in the Heian Period," it is known that Sekiho lived in Kyoto in the fifth year of Meiwa (1763) and had gained by that time a considerable reputation as a painter. Studying his existing paintings in the light of the above record, it is assumed that almost all of his important works were produced during the period of Horeki and Meiwa; and that he was in his fifties in the fifth years of Meiwa. Since no record about Sekiho is found in the "Heian Jimbutsu-shi" published later in 1775, we may conclude that he died before that time.
A record tells us that Sekiho had been working hard at painting in his native place, Ise, before he came up to Kyoto. Nothing definite is known about his painting masters. Yet, it is clear that he acquired much from the books of painting imported from China and that he himself published books on tha method of painting and picture albums, which were used to spread the influence of Chinese painting. Besides it is known that in and after his lifetime many painters of the Nanga school lived or came to live at Ise, including Ho Hyakusen, a pioneer of the school.
Sekiho's achievement as a painter is illustrated by more than ten of his masterpieces. Let us study some of those paintings. The third painting on p. 15 was produced in his earliest stage as a painter, in the first year of Kan-en (1748). The landscape painting owned by Mr. Takeuchi (Pl. XII) was produced in the third year of Horeki (1753) and "the Autumn Scenery" owned by Mr. Komanosuke Murayama (Pl. VII) in the fourth year of Horeki (1754), the latter being considered to be one of the largest in size of Sekiho's paintings. "The Spring Scenery" in the possession of Mr. Tomijiro Miyano (Pl. XIII) and "the Summer Scenery" in the possession of Mr. Jirobei Hasegawa (Pl. XIII) were done not long after the above two paintings; the latter especially must have been painted at approximately the same time as the n of Mr. Jinjuro Matsuda (the fourth and fifth paintings on p.16 & 17) are works painted in the ninth year of Horeki (1759). Those four paintings finished as a pair of two-fold screens are rather important among the remaining works by Sekiho. Lastly, by a close study of its style, "Parting" in the pssession of Mr. Rikichiro Fukui (illustrated on p. 23 of the fourth number of our magazine) is considered to have been produced later than the above-mentioned works.
It is clear that Sekiho closely imitated Chinese painting as most of the early Nanga painters did; accordingly his style of painting was modelled after that of various Chinese painters. However, since all of his existing paintings are landscapes, and besides almost all of them are fo small size, it may be properly assumed that he was one of the founders of that graceful style of the Nanga school.
Judging from the remaining works, Sekiho was no great master of painting. Still, he is remarkable in the history of the Nanga school, since he had already acquired his style of art when Taiga and Buson were both yet in their green age of thities. Thus Sekiho claims our highest admiration by carving a way for the later Nanga painters.
The first illustration on p. 12 is a copy from Sekiho's letters, and both the second illustration on p. 14 and Pl. XIV are seals of full size collected from his remaining paintings.
HISTORICAL DATA OF BYODOIN MONASTERY
BY KISAKU TANAKA
This is the compilation of historical materials for Byodoin Monastery, as introduced in the paper on Hoodo Temple written by Mr. Tanaka. The data is chronologically arranged and divided into two parts: I. Direct material II. Reference material for byodoin Monastery since it was established.
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES
Pls. I&II Detail of "Star Mandala."
Colour on silk. Kakemono.
Length: 118.2 cm.; width: 83.3 cm.
Collection of Horyuji Temple, Nara.
"Star Mandala" (or "Mandala with the Plough") are paintings of Shakakinrin, a kind of Ekaksara-usnisacakra, surrounded by symbolized heavenly bodies. They are shaped either round or square , and are used as objects of worship at the time when people petition for their relief from disasters or for longevity.
The present painting produced in the Fujiwara era is the greatest of the remaining paintings of "Star Mandala." As the colour plate at the beginning of this issue shows you, the present painting is full of rich colours, as if intended to represent the glory of the celestial world. The design in gold-leaf is especially elaborate.
Pl. XVI is another example of "Star Mandala," which, though sqare in shape, is similar in plan in the one owned by Horyuji Temple, except for the thirty-six laymen of various types which are painted in the outermost circle. It is very rare to paint laymen in Mandala; besides, we have no basis for it in Buddhistic teaching. This picture, produced as it was in the latter part of the Kamakura era, may be assumed to stand for Buddhistic painting of those days.
Pls. III-VI & IX-XI "Bodhisattva on the Clouds."
Coloured wooden statues.
Collection of Byodoin Monastery, Kyoto.
(See the article by K. Tanaka.)
Pl. VII "Landscape," by Okano Sekiho.
Slight colour on paper. Kakemono.
Length: 54.5 cm.; width: 42.9 cm.
Collection of Mr. K. Murayama, Tokyo.
(See the article by J. Umezu.)
Pl. VIII "Landscape," by Okano Sekiho.
Slight colour on paper. Kakemono.
Length: 28.4 cm.; width: 65.5 cm.
Collection of Mr. T. Miyano, Tokyo.
(See the article by J. Umezu.)
Pl. XII "Landscape," by Okano Sekiho.
Slight colour on paper. Kakemono.
Length: 84 cm.; width: 28.8 cm.
Collection of Mr. B. Takeuchi, Mie.
(See the article by J. Umezu.)
Pl. XIII "Landscape," by Okano Sekiho.
Slight colour on paper. Kakemono.
Length: 56.7 cm.; width: 29 cm.
Collection of Mr. J Hasegawa, Mie.
(See the article by J. Umezu.)
Pl. XIV Seals used by Okano Sekiho.
Pl. XV "Star Mandala."
Colour on silk. Kakemono.
Length: 118.2 cm.; width: 83.3 cm.
Collection of Horyuji Temple, Nara.
Pl. XVI "Star Mandala."
Colour on silk. Kakemono.
Length: 63.5 cm.; width: 33.6 cm.
Collection of Hojuin Monastery, Mie.
RECORD OF CERTIFICATES OF AUTHENTICITY GIVEN BY KANO YASUNOBU.
RECORD OF CERTIFICATES OF AUTHENTICITY GIVEN BY KANO TAKANOBU.
Both are notices to record the certificates of authenticity published by kano Yasunobu (1613-1685) and Takanobu (1739-1794), for those who came to the Kano's at Nakabashi to ask for judgement on the paintings in their possession.
In the formaer notice is recorded by Yasunobu about the paintings brought from January to September of 1685, and also about thirty more paintings brought at some unknown date. In the latter is recorded the certificates of authenticity given by Takanobu from March of 1764 to September of 1790; the certificates recorded in this, being few in number, may have been chosen out of all the certificates given during those twenty-seven years.
Both records have been reprinted from the original MSS. belonging to the Tokyo Imperial Art School.