Todai-ji


Todai-ji. Nara, Japan. Various artists, including sculptors Unkei and Keikei, as well as the Kei School. 743 C.E.; rebuilt c. 1700. Bronze and wood (sculpture); wood with ceramic-tile roo ng (architecture).

  • When completed in the 740s, Todai-ji (or “Great Eastern Temple”) was the largest building project ever on Japanese soil. Its creation reflects the complex intermingling of Buddhism and politics in early Japan
  • The roots of Todai-ji are found in the arrival of Buddhism in Japan in the 6th century. Buddhism made its way from India along the Silk Route through Central Asia, China and Korea. Mahayana Buddhism was officially introduced to the Japanese Imperial court around 552
  • This connection between sacred and secular power would define Japan’s ruling elite for centuries to come. 
  • Buddhism quickly became associated with the Imperial court whose members became the patrons of early Buddhist art and architecture.
  • These early Buddhist projects also reveal the receptivity of Japan to foreign ideas and goods
  • Emperor Shomu’s motives seem to have been a mix of the spiritual and the pragmatic: in his bid to unite various Japanese clans under his centralized rule, Shomu also promoted spiritual unity. 
  • It was architecture to impress—displaying the power, prestige and piety of the imperial house of Japan.
  • The Genpei Civil War (1180-85) saw countless temples destroyed as Buddhist clergy took sides in clan warfare. Was burned by Taira clan in 1180. Sided with Minamoto clan. 
  • The destruction of this revered Temple shocked Japan. At the war’s end, the reconstruction of Todai-ji was one of the first projects undertaken by Minamoto Yoritomo who, as the new ruling Shogun, was eager to present the Minamoto as national saviors.
  • The large scale rebuilding after the Genpei Civil War created a multitude of commissions for builders, carpenters and sculptors. 
  • This concentration of talent led to the emergence of the Kei School of sculpture—considered by many to be the peak of Japanese sculpture. Noted for its austere realism and the dynamic, muscularity of its figures, the Kei School reflects the Buddhism and warrior-centered culture of the Kamakura era
  • The grand Buddhist architectural and sculptural projects of early Japan share a common material—wood–and are thus closely linked to the natural environment and to the long history of wood craftsmanship in Japan.
  • When Korean craftsmen brought Buddhist temple architecture to Japan; The Korean's technology allowed for the support of larger, tile-roof structures that used brackets and sturdy foundation pillars to funnel weight to the ground. This technology ushered in a new, larger scale in Japanese architecture.
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