• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.101
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• pp.48-65
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• 2022

Three Japanese Buddhist scuptures of Daehyusa temple in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do province(慶尙北道) are enshrined in the main hall(本堂) of Henjoin temple in Daegu, an annex temple built by the Chisan School(智山派) of Shingi Shingon sect(新義眞言宗) in Daegu around 1910 when the Japanese colonial period began. The following statues are believed to have been made around this time: the Statue of Kobo daishi(弘法大師像), which is the figure of monk Kukai(空海, 774-835), the founder of the Shingon sect(眞言宗) of Japan, and the Statue of Dainichi nyorai(大日如來像) and the Statue of Fudo myo-o(不動明王像), which are notable sculptures representing the thought and belief of the Shingon sect. Most statues identified of Dainichi nyorai, Kobo daishi, and Fudo myo-o from the Japanese colonial period thus far are rock-carved statues or stone statues. The statues of Daehyusa temple are noteworthy in that they are the first discovered Japanese Buddhist sculptures made of wood, known to have been enshrined in Japanese temples. Furthermore, they are valuable sources that can provide clues to the religious atmosphere of the temples of Chisan School of Shingi Shingon sect at the time. Although these statues have formative features that partially reflect modern aesthetics, their iconographic origins date back to the Heian period(平安時代, 794-1185). In other words, the Statue of Dainichi nyorai inherits the religious tradition of the Statue of Dainichi nyorai, which was created by monk Kakuban(覺鑁, 1095-1143), the founder of the Shingi Shingon sect. The Statue of Kobo daishi follows the Shinnyo Shinno(眞如親王) style founded by Monk-Imperial Prince Shinnyo who was a disciple of monk Kukai. The Statue of Fudo myo-o manifests the Genjo(玄祖) style among the statues of Fudo myo-o. Although not much is known about how the statues were enshrined in the Henjoin temple in Daegu during the Japanese colonial period, it is very likely that these statues were created as Shingi Shingon sect's statue of three-wheeled body(三輪身). That is, it is estimated that the Statue of Dainichi nyorai, Statue of Kobo daishi, and Statue of Fudo myo-o have the characteristics of the body of self-nature chakra(自性輪身), the body of great dharma chakra(正法輪身), and the body of order chakra(敎令輪身), respectively. The fact that the statue of three-wheeled body was established in the Shingon sect in Japan by monk Kakuban also lends credence to this possibility. It is thought that people who came to the Henjoin temple in Daegu worshiped the statue of three-wheeled body to understand the teachings of the Dainichi nyorai. Although it is the case of Sildalsa Temple (悉達寺, the successor of Henjoin temple in Daegu) in the first half of the 1950s, the main hall includes features that reinforce the idea that the tradition of Kobo daisi faith(弘法大師信仰) is passed on. To illustrate, the human skeletal remains in the main hall of Sildalsa Temple reflect Koyasan(高野山)'s tradition in laying ashes to rest, which has been popular in conjunction with the Kobo daishi faith in Japan since the 11th century.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.104-135
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• 2016

This paper aims to consider history and value of the Mingshansi Grottoes, a complex of Buddhist rock sculptures in Anyue County, Sichuan Province, China. Mingshansi Shiku, not that far from Baodingshan Grottoes at Dazu District, Chongqing City, is an important art work of Liu Benzun sect. Even though there are not many niches and sculptures in the Mingshansi Shiku, it was designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level due to its large scale and highly valued art works in it. In the Mingshansi Grottoes there is not any information inscribed on the rockface about when the grottoes were established. Because a stone pagoda, which had information about when and by whom they were established, was collapsed, some scholars considered them to be made in North Song or early Southern Song Dynasties based only on the artistic style of sculptures of the grottoes. The School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University recently carried out a survey documenting the Mingshansi Grottoes, and thereby the school gives an important material for studying the grottoes. The grottoes consist of a Dharma-protection Warrior niche, a statue of Guanyin and Dashizhi seated together, a standing Mahavairocana statue, a standing Manjushuri statue, a standing Wenshu and Puxian statue, a Turning Dharma-wheel pagoda (轉法輪塔 Zhuanfalunta) of Zhao Zhifeng, the founder of Liu Benzun sect. These statues are considered to be produced by an overall master plan in the Middle or Late Period of the Southern Song. The Shiku is believed to be a site at which Zhao Zhifeng performed some Buddhist rites such as Water and Land Rituals (水陸法會 Shuilufahui). Income of the ritual was also a major part of the funding for establishing large-scale Baoding Shiku at Dazu District, Chongqing City.