Kesa 14

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Tiffany Chan
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2020-12-03
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  • Contradictions in Japanese kesa Originally made of old textile patches to symbolize vows of poverty, the patches used in Japan were lavishly made of the most elegant and gorgeous brocade in the land and show superb workmanship. When examining the kesa of Japan, the first thing that impresses us is the beauty of the textiles. These textiles represent the top quality of what could be produced in a certain era. They are expensive and display magnificent designs. At first it might come as a big surprise and even seem a contradiction that such extravagance would be spent on garments worn by Buddhist monks who have made the vow of poverty. The explanation for this lies partly in China and involves the way in which Buddhism was adopted and worshipped there and then trans�ferred to Japan. It was through imperial patronage that Buddhism became powerful and influential in China. The original Mahayana Buddhism which came to China had lost something in the translation of the Indian Buddhist manuscripts and was adapted to and eventually absorbed by Chinese culture. During the Tang dynasty (618-907) Buddhism had its heyday in China and it was actively patronized by the imperial family. Temples were built, restored and enlarged. One temple in particular was extremely important as it contained actual relics of the Buddha. This temple, called Famen Si, was located in the proximity of the Tang Chinese capital, Changan (modern day Xi'an) and served as the principal place of worship for the imperial family. On at least eight different occasions the relics were brought to the palace, displayed there and then returned to the monastery in a lengthy procession accompanied by lavish gifts. The last deposit of relics and gifts was made in 874. Such spectacular devotion to the relics of the Buddha was seen as bringing great merit to those offering gifts. In 1987 the foundation of the Famen Si pagoda was excavated by an archaeological team who found three under�ground chambers filled with ritual objects dedicated in honour of the relics. Among the precious artifacts were objects of gold, silver, porcelain, glass, lacquer and stone, as well as jewelry and coins. Among the excavated textiles was gold brocade or embroidered clothing donated by the imperial family or nobility. An exceptional example is a miniature kasaya embroidered in gold wrapped thread and lined with red silk. The Tang dynasty exerted a great influence on the culture of Japan, largely due to the adoption of the Chinese writing system. Japanese monks went to China to study and returned with knowledge of the Chinese version of Ma�hayana Buddhism and related arts. Hence, Japanese kesa following Chinese examples came to be made of such magnificent and luxurious textiles. Symbolism The finished kesa worn by a monk symbolized a mandala, the mystical con�densed representation of the universe. As was mentioned earlier, the four contrasting panels on the four corners of the robe symbolized the guardians of the points of the compass. The central column became the world axis. The 12
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