Indian sub-continent was the original cradle of Buddhist art forms. Interaction with the other religions and communities made positive effects on the Buddhist religion and helped it to expand all over Asia. Consequently, Buddhist art became popular and Japan became one of the capitals of Buddhist art and culture.
The art form basically followed the believers of the dharma who were growing in number and spreading around in Asia. From the north through to Central Asia and then into Eastern Asia Buddhism was spreading like wild fire. It stretched all the way to Southeast Asia.
Japanese art had been influenced by a number of movements and cultures before the arrival of Buddhism. In the Yoyoi and Kofun era, the face of the Japanese art changed a lot.
In the 6th century, Buddhism settled in Japan. As it was vanishing from India, Japan was becoming its capital. The Buddhist priests succeeded in attracting the ordinary people with their art works and statues. Eventually, Japan became the largest country of Buddhism in the world.
Several temples and monasteries were constructed in every parts of the country. The five storey pagoda, the Golden Hall of Horyule and the Kofuku-ji temple in the Nara city were the examples for the Buddhist influence on the Japanese architecture.
Buddhist art also flourished in the form of paintings and statues. The government was engaged in sponsoring a host of artists in order to create numerous paintings and sculptures. The art of the time concentrated on realism and had a very graceful appeal. This was the result of Korean, Chinese and Hellenistic influences that had come together to form a unique style.
The period ranging from the 8th century through to the 13th century witnessed Buddhist art flourish to a great extent. The Nara period as well as the Heian and Kamakura period is known for their Buddhist art. The Japanese artists developed rich figurative art that was used in order to depict their deities. Hindu and Shinto influence were also obvious in such works. In general Buddhist art appeared to be extremely varied but at the same time very innovative and bold.
After the 13th century, the traditional Buddhist art took the form of Zen art. This philosophy was introduced in Japan by Dogen and Eisai. In addition to the painting and pottery, the art of flower arrangement named Ikebana and the martial arts found their way to development in this time. These art works express their eagerness to unveil the real meaning of life.
An overwhelming number of Buddhist temples, reaching up to 80,000, can be seen in Japan today. Most of these temples had been modified a lot in order to conserve them.
Traditional Japanese tattoo art is part of a tradition dating back centuries . For more information about Japanese Buddhist art please follow the hyperlinks.
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