page_title: Buddhist art in Japan
section_title: Heian period (794–1184)
hierarchical_section_title: Buddhist art in Japan / Heian period (794–1184)
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 平等院鳳凰堂壁画　上品中生　南扉 　宇治　京都, ACE1053　 English: Wall Painting on South door of BYODOIN, Detail, ACE1053, UJI, KYOTO, Japan
context_page_description: Buddhism played an important role in the development of Japanese art between the 6th and the 16th centuries. Buddhist art and Buddhist religious thought came to Japan from China through Korea. Buddhist art was encouraged by Crown Prince Shōtoku in the Suiko period in the sixth century, and by Emperor Shōmu in the Nara period in the eighth century. In the early Heian period, Buddhist art and architecture greatly influenced the traditional Shinto arts, and Buddhist painting became fashionable among wealthy Japanese. The Kamakura period saw a flowering of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, whose origins are in the works of Heian period sculptor Jōchō.
  The Amida sect of Buddhism provided the basis for many popular artworks. Buddhist art became popular among the masses via scroll paintings, paintings used in worship and paintings of Buddhas, saint's lives, hells and other religious themes. Under the Zen sect of Buddhism, portraiture of priests such as Bodhidharma became popular as well as scroll calligraphy and sumi-e brush painting.
context_section_description: The dates for the Heian period are believed to be 794- 1184 AD. In 784 the Emperor Kanmu, threatened by the growing secular power of the Buddhist institutions in Nara, moved the capital to Heian-kyō (Kyōto). This remained the imperial capital for the next 1,000 years. The term Heian period refers to the years between 794 and 1185, when the Kamakura shogunate was established at the end of the Genpei War. The period is further divided into the early Heian and the late Heian, or Fujiwara era, the pivotal date being 894. In 894, the imperial embassies to China were officially discontinued. In addition, this period is marked by the deviation from Chinese artistic models and the development of art specific to Japanese concerns. This art was highly supported by noble commissions. However, there were great social and political changes occurring during the Heian period, and it is necessary to look at Buddhist art in this context.
  Buddhism underwent changes as a new form of Buddhism rose in popularity: Amidism. This branch held that nirvana and entry to the Pure Land could be earned through a recitation before death and merit. There was also a new found emphasis on creating an adequate worship space. It was thought that the creation of these spaces and commissions would result in strong karma. A commonly commissioned work was the mandala, a roadmap of sorts to the cosmos. Mandalas came in twos, one rendering the phenomenal world while the other rendered the womb world. It was a common practice to meditate before the mandalas and to use them as a religious tool.
  Sculpture further developed from techniques of the late Nara period. Hyperrealism became a popular style in renderings of Buddha, deities, and priests; which is marked by an exaggeration of naturalistic features. Painting also evolved during this period with depictions of hell and the Pure Land. Depictions of hell came into being as Japan entered the period of mappo - a time of mass chaos and disturbance. Conversely, images of the Amida Buddha descending from heaven to collect the souls of those with good karma, known as Raigozu (来迎図), became a popular theme throughout the Heian period.
  In terms of temple structures, the temples erected Mt. Kōya were built in the Kii mountains, far away from the Court and the laity in the capital. The irregular topography of these sites forced Japanese architects to rethink the problems of temple construction, and in so doing to choose more indigenous elements of design. Cypress-bark roofs replaced those of ceramic tile, wood planks were used instead of earthen floors, and a separate worship area for the laity was added in front of the main sanctuary. The temple that best reflects the spirit of early Heian Shingon temples is the Murō-ji (early 9th century), set deep in a stand of cypress trees on a mountain southeast of Nara.
  Key works include: To Temple Mandala and Yakushi figures.
caption: Wall Painting on South door of Byōdō-in
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