000			01839nam a22001817a 4500
003			OSt
005			20210727102247.0
008			210727b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9780824831912
082			_a700.48 GRA
100			_aGraham, Patricia Janeary .
245			_aFaith and power : _bin Japanese Buddhist art, 1600-2005.
260			_aCanada : _bUniversity of Hawai'i Press, _c2007.
300			_axi, 353 p. : _bill. ; _c27 cm.
504			_aIncludes index
520			_aFaith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art explores the transformation of Buddhism from the premodern to the contemporary era in Japan and the central role its visual culture has played in this transformation. Although Buddhism is generally regarded as peripheral to modern Japanese society, this book demonstrates otherwise. Its chapters elucidate the thread of change over time in the practice of Buddhism as revealed in temple worship halls and other sites of devotion and in imagery representing the religion’s most popular deities and religious practices. It also introduces the work of modern and contemporary artists who are not generally associated with institutional Buddhism and its canonical visual requirements but whose faith inspires their art. The author makes a persuasive argument that the neglect of these materials by scholars results from erroneous presumptions about the aesthetic superiority of early Japanese Buddhist artifacts and an asserted decline in the institutional power of the religion after the sixteenth century. She demonstrates that recent works constitute a significant contribution to the history of Japanese art and architecture, providing evidence of Buddhism’s compelling presence at all levels of Japanese society and its evolution in response to the needs of new generations of supporters.
942			_2ddc _cGL
999			_c7144 _d7144