Sacred Tokyo & Japanese History
-
The Tiny Gold Seal Japan Nearly Died to Fetch
This is a companion to [The Heirloom Seal of the Realm: the empty stone that ruled China for a thousand years]. That article looked at the center — the jade in which the Son of Heaven held the whole Mandate. This one looks at the far rim. What a little island at the outermost ring of that world crossed a deadly sea to fetch was not “the Mandate” at all, but something much smaller: mere *recognition*. And the gap…
-
A Bodhisattva from the Northern Qi Dynasty Visiting the Tokyo National Museum — Oriental Gallery, Room 1
A Bodhisattva from the Northern Qi Dynasty Visiting the Tokyo National Museum — Oriental Gallery, Room 1 I recently visited the Oriental Gallery at the Tokyo National Museum — and it was wonderful! The moment I stepped into Room 1 on the first floor, a single statue caught my eye: a Standing Bodhisattva, created in Shanxi Province, China, in 552 CE during the Northern Qi dynasty. That predates even the beginning of Japan’s Asuka period. It is a piece from…
-
HOW TO READ BUDDHIST STATUES IN JAPAN A Beginner’s Guide for Travelers to Japan
HOW TO READ BUDDHIST STATUES IN JAPAN | Part 1 What Are All These Buddhist Statues Doing? A Beginner’s Guide for Travelers to Japan You may have seen it already — perhaps in a photo before your trip, or on a postcard at the airport: the Great Buddha of Kamakura, sitting serenely in the open air, one hand raised with the palm facing outward. It is one of the most iconic images in Japan. But what is that hand gesture…
