Beyond Zen: Japanese Buddhism revealed

Abstract

A history of Japanese Buddhist art largely dating from the Edo period (1600-1868) to the present day, through the Newark Museum's collection. The text offers a concise introduction to diverse Japanese Buddhist practices and the central role art plays in them. Showcasing over 130 paintings, textiles, ceramics, and sculptures from the Newark Museum's collection of Japanese Buddhist art, this volume provides access to hitherto unpublished artworks. An essay, by guest author Dr. Ikumi Kaminishi of Tufts University, explores the tradition of illustrated storytelling (etoki) primarily performed by nuns in conjunction with painted narrative scrolls. Kaminishi accomplishes this through a detailed discussion of the Museum's complete four painting set of the hagiography of Tokuhon (1758-1818) while posing a Buddhist reading of ukiyoe the "floating world".