Muroji : : Rearranging Art and History at a Japanese Buddhist Temple / / Sherry D. Fowler.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Asian Studies Backlist (2000-2014) eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Fowler, Sherry D.,
• Place / Publishing House: Honolulu : : University of Hawaii Press, , [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (312 p.) :; color & b/w illus.

Murōji, a magnificent temple founded in the eighth century, is known both for its dramatic location and the exceptional quality of its ritual objects and art dating from the ninth and tenth centuries of the Heian period. Sherry Fowler makes extensive use of primary sources to explore the circumstances surrounding the creation and function of the temple’s main images and considers why major works of early Heian sculpture were housed in such a remote mountain setting. Employing a multifaceted approach that looks at Murōji’s art and architecture in socio-political context, she explores the establishment of the temple, its role in the religious life and power structure of the region, and the ways in which the temple reconfigured its early history to suit its later circumstances. Emerging from Fowler’s study are pervasive themes relating to worship and practice at Murōji that highlight plurality of practice (of different schools of Buddhism as well as Shinto); flexibility of practice and its impact on sculptural icons; the relationship of Murōji to other temple/shrine complexes; and the association of the temple with women’s worship.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter one. Below the Surface of Mt. Murō -- Chapter two. Religious Affiliations and Contested Histories -- Chapter three. The Building and Rebuilding of Murōji -- Chapter four. Outside and Inside the Golden Hall -- Chapter five. Shifting Identities and Trading Places in the Golden Hall -- Conclusion: Manifestation of Multiplicity -- Appendix -- Notes -- Glossary of Japanese and Chinese characters -- Bibliography -- Index