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Artist Unknown
Kasuga Mandala
13th-14th century
Color and gold on silk
This painting depicts the Kasuga Shrine,
located at the foot of the sacred Mount Mikasa in the hills surrounding
the city of Nara. Borrowed from Buddhist painting, the term mandala
describes works such as this. In the same way that Buddhist mandalas
diagram the relationships among various deities, shrine mandalas
chart the sacred geography of the shrine precincts and the surrounding
areas.
Shrines are associated with Shinto, Japan's
indigenous, pre-Buddhist faith, often referred to as the "Way
of the Gods." Shinto gods, or kami, included nature
spirits of various types and the spirits of the deceased. Shinto
beliefs and practices varied widely from one location to another
and lacked any overarching organization until the arrival of
Buddhism in Japan. During the Heian period (794-1185), Buddhism
and Shinto grew increasingly connected. Shinto kami were
often thought to be manifestations of Buddhist deities. Many
Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples were paired into shrine-temple
complexes as a result of the reconciliation of these two belief
systems. The Kasuga Shrine, for example, is within easy walking
distance of Kôfuku-ji, the Buddhist temple associated with
it.
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