Portraits of Chōgen
Subtitle: the transformation of Buddhist art in early medieval Japan
By: by John M. Rosenfield
Series: Japanese visual culture -- v. 1
Publisher: Brill
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Leiden; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 296
ISBN-13: 9789004168640
Subjects: Buddhist art; Japanese Art; Art
Description: This volume vividly describes the efforts of the Japanese monk Shunjōbō Chōgen (1121-1206) to restore major buildings and works of art lost in the brutal civil conflicts of the 1180s. Chōgen is best known for his role in recasting the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) at Tōdaiji in Nara, reconstructing the South Great Gate (Nandaimon), and making the famous guardian statues there. This study concentrates on these and other works of art and architecture associated with Chōgen, situating them in the turbulent political and social climate of Japan and in the larger spiritual contexts of East Asian Buddhism.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 270-282) and index.