Word embodied: the jeweled pagoda mandalas in Japanese Buddhist art

Abstract

"Examines the Japanese Buddhist jeweled pagoda mandala paintings, unpacking their revolutionary use of text as picture to show how this visual conflation mirrors important conceptual indivisibilities in medieval Japan. The textual pagoda projects the complex constellation of relics, reliquaries, scripture, and body in religious doctrine, praxis, and art"--Provided by publisher.

Contents

Performance and iconicity in the mandalas -- Historical and narrative puzzles in the mandalas -- Medieval textual images -- Dharma relics in medieval Japan -- Buddhist reliquaries and somatic profusions -- Conclusion: Creating a salvific matrix of text and body.