Religious Art in the Kaamkura Period Reflects the Popularity of

Art of Pure Land Buddhism

The art of the Kamakura menstruation reflected the introduction of the Pure Land School of Buddhism, which depicted the Amida Buddha.

Learning Objectives

Compare and dissimilarity the art of the Pure Land, Zen, and Kei schools of the Kamakura menses.

Key Takeaways

Cardinal Points

• The Kamakura menses was a period of crises in which the control of the state moved from the royal aristocracy to the samurai; it was likewise, however, a time when Buddhism profoundly flourished.
• The Kamakura flow saw the introduction of the Amidist Pure State schools of Buddhism, which emphasized conservancy through organized religion in Amitabha .
• The Kamakura period favored more realistic and naturalistic art, a style exemplified by the sculpture of the Kei Schoolhouse.
• Amid sculptors of the Kei school, Unkei is the nigh famous and achieved; while his early works are fairly traditional, many show a flair for realism different from annihilation Japan had seen before. Some of the most popular paintings of the Kamakura menses describe an ascending Amida Buddha.

Central Terms

• busshi: Japanese sculptor specializing in Buddha statues.
• Lotus Sutra: A pop Sanskrit treatise that is the ground of the many forms of Buddhism worldwide.
• Amitabha: The primary Buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East asia.

Groundwork: The Kamakura Menstruation

The Kamakura period in Japanese history (1185–1333 CE) was a period of crises in which control of the country moved from the purple aristocracy to the samurai. The rise of Minamoto Yoritomo to the title of Shogun post-obit the Hōgen and Heiji rebellions and the victory of the Minamoto association over the Taira marked the showtime of the Kamakura period. The era is sometimes called "the age of the warriors"; it is likewise, withal, a fourth dimension when exchanges with China's Song dynasty continued and Buddhism greatly flourished.

Schools of Buddhism

This flow saw the introduction of the two schools that had peradventure the greatest touch on on the country: the Amidist Pure Land schools and the more philosophical Zen schools.  The Amidist Pure Country schools, promulgated by evangelists such as Genshin and articulated by monks such every bit Hōnen, emphasized conservancy through faith in Amitabha and remain the largest Buddhist sect today in Japan (and throughout Asia). The more philosophical Zen schools were promulgated by monks such every bit Eisai and Dogen and emphasized liberation through the insight of meditation. They were adopted equally by the upper classes and had a profound bear upon on Japanese culture .

Pure Land Buddhism and Art

Pure State Buddhism had substantial influence over the art of the Kamakura flow.

The Kei Schoolhouse

The Kamakura period favored more realistic and naturalistic art, a style exemplified by the sculpture of the Kei Schoolhouse. Based in Nara , the Kei School was dominant in Buddhist sculpture in Nihon kickoff effectually 1200 and into the 14th century, remaining influential until the 19th century. The Kei schoolhouse was adult and led by the Buddhist sculptor Jōchō, his successor Kakujō, and Kakujō'due south son Raijō, the leading sculptors of the preceding generations.

Unkei

Amongst sculptors of the Kei schoolhouse, Unkei is the most famous and considered the almost accomplished sculptor of the menses. Unkei'southward early works are fairly traditional, similar in fashion to pieces past his father, Kōkei. However, the sculptures he produced for the Tōdai-ji , a Buddhist temple complex in Nara, testify a flair for realism dissimilar from anything Japan had seen before.

Muchaku at Kōfuku-ji; National Treasure: This sculpture exemplifies the realism of Unkei's work.

Amida Buddha Sculptures

Some of the most popular paintings of the Kamakura menses depict an ascending Amida Buddha. The chief tenet of Pure State Buddhism is that chanting the name of Amida could lead to a reincarnation in the "pure state." Thus, scrolls of Amida were hung in the rooms of people who were dying; it was believed they could be saved by chanting the Amida mantra .

Buddhist Sculpture of Kamakura Menses: Unkei in the guise of a monk, with prayer chaplet; note the powerful hands.

Japanese Painting and Sculpture in the Kamakura Period

The Kamakura Period was marked by a continuation of Heian painting traditions and new innovations in sculpture.

Learning Objectives

Describe the painting, sculpture, and calligraphy of Zen Buddhism during the Kamakura Period.

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• A deepening pessimism resulting from the civil wars of 12th century Japan increased the entreatment of the search for conservancy; every bit a result, various schools of Buddhism grew in popularity.
• Zen Buddhism, which stresses a connectedness to the spiritual rather than the concrete, was very influential in the art of Kamakura Japan.
• Painting from the Kamakura Catamenia largely continued the traditions of the previous Heian Menstruum, including emaki handscrolls , the yamato-e fashion of painting, and painted mandalas .
• Emaki or painted hand scrolls usually encompassed religious, historical, or illustrated novels, accomplished in the mode of the earlier Heian period.
• The Kamakura period is widely regarded as a renaissance era in Japanese sculpture, spearheaded by the sculptors of the Buddhist Kei school.
• Among the sculptors of this era, the sculptor Unkei is the most famous and accomplished; his work exhibited a realism and humanism not seen in previous works.
• The Kei schoolhouse was responsible for the restoration of the temples of Nara and Kyoto, which were destroyed during warfare in 1180-1185.

Key Terms

• Nichiren Sect: A branch of Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra, which teaches that all people take an innate Buddha nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present lifetime.
• Rinzai: A school of Zen buddhism in Japan, based on sudden enlightenment though koans; for that reason, it's as well known as the "sudden school".
• Ji: A branch of Pure Land Buddhism stressing the importance of reciting the name of Amida, nembutsu (念).

Japan suffered a series of civil wars in the tardily 12^th century between several rival families. These wars somewhen led to the rising of the feudalistic Kamakura shogunate . In a time of disunity and violence, deepening pessimism increased the appeal of the search for conservancy. Kamakura was the age of the bang-up popularization of Buddhism, and the reestablishment of cultural ties with China spawned the growth of Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo shū Shinran) as the two major branches of Japanese Buddhism. These 2 new sects dominated the artwork produced during this menses.

The Rise of Buddhism

During this time, a number of monks left the Tendai sect and founded divide Buddhist sects of their own. These included:

• Hōnen, founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism
• Shinran, disciple of Hōnen and founder of the Jōdo Shinshū sect
• Ippen, founder of the Ji sect, which emphasized devotion to Amida Buddha through an ecstatic dance
• Dōgen, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen
• Eisai, founder of the Rinzai schoolhouse of Zen
• Nichiren, founder of the Nichiren Sect , which emphasized devotion to the Lotus Sutra , a transmission of Buddhist aphorisms presented as a soapbox from the Buddha

The older Buddhist sects, such every bit Shingon, Tendai, and the early schools of the Nara menstruation, continued to thrive through the Kamakura flow and even experienced some measure of revival. Nevertheless, the older schools were partially eclipsed as the newer Kamakura schools increased in popularity and found followers among the new Kamakura government and its samurai.

Zen was non introduced as a dissever school until the 12^th century, when Myōan Eisai traveled to China and returned to establish a Linji lineage, which somewhen perished. Decades later, Nanpo Shōmyō (南) (1235–1308) too studied Linji teachings in China before founding the Japanese Otokan lineage, the most influential and only surviving lineage of Rinzai in Japan. In 1215 Dōgen, a younger gimmicky of Eisai's, journeyed to China himself, where he became a disciple of the Caodong main Tiantong Rujing. After his render, Dōgen established the Sōtō school, the Japanese branch of Caodong. The Sōtō schoolhouse was further expanded past Keizan. Sōtō priests say that if Dogen is the begetter of Japanese Sōtō Zen, Keizan Jokin (1268-1325) is its mother. Keizan's Soji-ji temple was a rival to Dogen's Eihei-ji. Others say that Dōgen gave Sōtō Zen "high religious ideals" while Keizan ensured Sōtō'south survival.

Painting in the Kamakura Menses

Painting from the Kamakura Menstruum largely continued the traditions of the previous Heian Period. Every bit most of the paintings in both the Heian and Kamakura periods were religious in nature, the vast majority were by anonymous artists. Painted mandalas were common, and many were created as hanging scrolls and murals on the walls of temples.  The classic yamato-e fashion of Japanese painting, which gained significance in the Heian period, was continued throughout this era. Stylistically, painting included landscape elements such as soft rolling hills that seem to reverberate something of the bodily appearance of the mural of western Japan, and works connected to exist informed past Tang Dynasty Chinese "bluish and light-green way" mural painting traditions.

Paintings were used to decorate sliding doors (fusuma) and folding screens (byōbu). In addition, the emaki format of painting, consisting of long illustrated hand scrolls, remained popularity. The Kamakura Period witnessed the production of a large number of emaki, usually encompassing religious, historical, or illustrated novels accomplished in the fashion of the earlier Heian catamenia.

Kamakura Sculpture

While painting continued to develop throughout the period, sculpture was past far the almost popular art grade. The Kamakura period is widely regarded as a renaissance era in Japanese sculpture, spearheaded by the sculptors of the Buddhist Kei schoolhouse. Based in Nara, the Kei school was the dominant school in Japanese Buddhist sculpture into the 14^th century. Creative person of the Kei school succeeded the technique "yosegi-zukuri" (woodblock construction) and developed a new sculptural style marked by realism, solidity, and representation of motion and emotion. These artists studied early on Nara period masterpieces and Chinese Song dynasty sculptures and paintings to influence their work. Sculptors of the time oftentimes worked for the Kamakura shogunate and other military clans, producing Buddhist sculptures as well as portrait sculptures.

The Kei schoolhouse was responsible for the restoration of the temples of Nara and Kyoto, which had been destroyed during warfare in 1180-1185. Amongst the sculptors of this era, the sculptor Unkei is the about famous and accomplished. His near famous works include a pair of Kongō-rikishi jumbo statues in the Tōdai-ji temple of Nara, along with the elaborate portraiture-like statues of Indian priests in Kōfuku-ji. Unkei had six sons who were also sculptors, and their work, similar his, is imbued with the new kind of realism and humanism. Tankei, the eldest son and a brilliant sculptor, became the head of his father'south studio. Kōshō, the 4th son, produced a remarkable sculpture of the 10th-century Japanese Buddhist teacher Kuya (903-972).

Nio guardian, Todai-ji complex, Nara: Agyō, one of the two Buddhist Niō guardians at the Nandai-mon in front end of the Todai ji in Nara. These are some of the finest wooden sculptures in Japan from the 13th century carved past the Kamakura-era sculptor Unkei in 1203.

Kaikei was some other famous sculptor of the time, a collaborator of Unkei, and a devout adherent of Pure Land sect of Buddhism. He worked closely with the priest Chōgen (1121–1206) on the reconstruction of the Tōdai-ji temple in Nara. Many of his figures are more idealized than those of Unkei and his sons and are characterized by a beautifully finished surface, richly decorated with pigments and gold. Peradventure his most of import work is Amitabha Triad of Ono Jōdo-ji (1195).

Kaikei Buddha: Many of Kaikei's figures are more idealized than that of Unkei and are characterized by a beautifully finished surface, richly busy with pigments and gold.

Japanese Calligraphy in the Kamakura Period

Japanese calligraphy in the Kamakura Period was influenced past the principles of Zen Buddhism.

Learning Objectives

Hash out the purposes of Japanese calligraphy

Central Takeaways

Key Points

• After the invention of Hiragana and Katakana , the unique Japanese syllabaries, a distinctive Japanese writing system developed, and calligraphers produced styles intrinsic to Nippon.
• Japanese calligraphy of the Kamakura Menstruation both influenced and was influenced by Zen thought. With the rise of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism , a less technical style of calligraphy appeared, representative of Zen attitudes.
• Calligraphy of this era was exemplified in the works of Musō Soseki (in the sosho fashion), Shūhō Myōcho (the founder of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto), and Fujiwara no Shunzei and Fujiwara no Teika (in the wayō mode).
• Through Zen, Japanese calligraphy absorbed a distinctive aesthetic often symbolized by the ensō , or circle of enlightenment .

Key Terms

• Katakana: A Japanese syllabary originating from 800 CE and one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin script (known equally romaji).
• Hiragana: A Japanese syllabary originating from 800 CE and i component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and in some cases rōmaji (the Latin-script alphabet).

Japanese calligraphy is a class of creative writing in the Japanese language. For many years, the near esteemed calligrapher in Japan was Wang Xizhi, a Chinese calligrapher dating to the quaternary century; notwithstanding, later the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese unique syllabaries, a distinctive Japanese writing system developed, and calligraphers produced styles intrinsic to Nihon.

Calligraphy in the Kamakura Period

Various cultural and religious influences contributed to the ascent of Japanese calligraphy during the Kamakura period.

Zen Calligraphy of the Kamakura Menstruum: Calligraphy by Musō Soseki (1275–1351, Japanese zen main, poet, and calligrapher. The characters "別" ("no spiritual meaning") are written in a flowing, connected soshō style.

Background: Culture and Politics in the Kamakura Menses

The ascent of Minamoto Yoritomo to the title of Shogun following the Hōgen and Heiji rebellions and the victory of the Minamoto association over the Taira marked the beginning of the Kamakura catamenia (1185–1333 CE). The era is sometimes referred to as "the age of the warriors," with a broad transition of influence from courtroom to the armed forces establishment. Notwithstanding, it was also a fourth dimension when exchanges with Red china of the Vocal dynasty continued and Buddhism flourished.

Zen Calligraphy

Japanese calligraphy of the Kamakura Period both influenced and was influenced past Zen thought. With the ascent of the Rinzai schoolhouse of Zen Buddhism, a less technical style of calligraphy appeared, representative of Zen attitudes. This was exemplified in the works of Musō Soseki, who wrote in a refined sosho style, or Shūhō Myōcho (improve known equally Daito Kokushi), the founder of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto. In terms of wayō (和様) style of calligraphy, the works of Fujiwara no Shunzei and Fujiwara no Teika are considered outstanding examples of the late Heian and early on Kamakura Periods. Zen monks such as Shunjo studied in China, and the copybooks that he brought with him were highly influential for the karayō tradition of calligraphy, expressing a clear kaisho fashion. Other monks were also influential during this era, including Rankei Doryū, who founded the Kenchō-ji temple in Kamakura where many of his works take been preserved.

Technique

In accordance with this school of Buddhist thought, for whatever particular piece of newspaper the calligrapher has but one adventure to create with the brush. The brush strokes cannot exist corrected, and lack of confidence will show up in the piece of work. The calligrapher therefore must concentrate and be fluid in execution. The brush was believed to write a statement about the calligrapher at a sure moment in time.

Through Zen, Japanese calligraphy captivated a distinctive artful often symbolized by the ensō, or circle of enlightenment. Zen calligraphy is adept by Buddhist monks and most shodō practitioners. To write Zen calligraphy with mastery, the heed must exist cleared and the letters allowed to flow naturally. This country of heed was known every bit the mushin (無 "no mind country") by the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro. It is based on the principles of Zen Buddhism, which stress a connection to the spiritual rather than the physical. Earlier Japanese tea ceremonies (which are continued to Zen Buddhism), 1 looks at a piece of work of shodō to clear the listen as an essential preparatory step.

Ensō: Ensō (c. 2000) by Kanjuro Shibata XX. Some artists draw ensō with an opening in the circumvolve, while others close the circle.

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Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-kamakura-period/

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