Joudokyou bijutsu　浄土教美術

KEY WORD :　art history / general terms

Art of the Pure Land faith. Originating in the Nara period, Pure Land Buddhism is a more personal form of the faith than earlier Esoteric Buddhism mikkyou 密教 and the art pertaining to it reflects this. The most often represented subject is the *raigou-zu 来迎図 in which the *Amida 阿弥陀 accompanied by his retinue comes down to earth in order to receive the soul of a believer and deliver it to the Pure Land. The art of joudo is typically lively and more realistic than earlier Buddhist works. At Zenrinji 禅林寺 in Kyoto there is an early 13c raigou-zu in which the Amida looks out directly at the viewer, identifying him or her as the soul who he has come to accompany, a good example of this realism and engagement with the individual. The Heian and Kamakura periods were most productive for joudo art, and Byoudouin *Hououdou 平等院鳳凰堂 (1053) in Kyoto is a remarkable synthesis of all the art forms (architecture, painting, sculpture and the decorative arts) representented in this style.

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