How the fortunes of Buddhist sculpting schools and artistic tastes rose and fell with the noble houses and shogunates of Japan
japan
Jocho: The maestro that started Japanese Buddhist Sculpture
“Carving the Divine” charts the art of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, which traces its art and aesthetics to a sculpting titan called Jocho
The Yuji Experience: A Singular Voice for Japanese Buddhist Sculpture
Exploring the heritage, beauty, and intricacy of Japanese Buddhist sculpture with Yujiro Seki
In Review: “The Taming of the Demons,” Charles B. Jones’ “Pure Land”
Here are some books I’m reviewing or have recently reviewed.
Shinzo Abe (1954–2022) – Japanese Buddhist diplomacy is now an open question
The assassination of the former Japanese PM is a blow to Japanese Buddhist diplomacy
The Grace of Gold: Buddhist Exhibit Highlights at The British Library’s “GOLD: 50 spectacular manuscripts from around the world”
In lieu of physically attending a private viewing of The British Library’s “GOLD: 50 spectacular manuscripts from around the world,” I was privileged to enjoy a rich and informative virtual tour of the exhibit in the early hours of the Hong Kong morning with others that could not be in London this month. Gold is grandeur. […]
Octopus Buddhas and Aliens: The Story of Tako Yakushi
One of my favorite films about aliens is Arrival (2016), based on Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life (1998). It portrays otherworldly visitors as enlightened extraterrestrials with a literally timeless grasp of language and causality. Aside from being spacefaring travellers and inhabiting spacecraft that leave no residue, traces, or pollution, the advanced creatures of Arrival perceive time […]
Jon Kolkin’s “Inner Harmony: Living in Balance” – Visual Stories from the Heart of Asia
Dr. Jon Kolkin’s photographic volume Inner Harmony: Living in Balance exudes creative ambition and heart. A cursory look at the time it took for him to compile this collection of images – seventeen extended visits to Asia from 2007 to 2018 – attests to the time, patience, and toil that the distinguished and globe-trotting creator […]
Wall art, to age, abandoned house
The game: you give me a Buddhist-themed noun, an action, and a location, and I create the story. Today, I was given the noun “wall art,” the action “to age,” and a location “abandoned home.” Hope you enjoy the read! Two loud knocks, a pause, followed by another three loud knocks; Hiroshi went through the […]
Frederik L. Schodt’s “My Heart Sutra: A World in 260 Characters”
The pithy Heart Sutra is celebrated as perhaps the most profound Mahayana Buddhist scripture that remains relatively famous and accessible, frequently appearing not just onstage at pop stars’ concerts in China but also referenced in East Asian films and Japanese manga. For forty years, this Buddhist text has hung on the bedroom wall of Frederik […]