Materializing the Sacred: Buddhas and Kami in Japanese Visual Culture

From the 8th century through the 19th century, Shinto and Buddhist traditions and institutions intermingled in Japan. Buddhism, with its rich pantheon of auspicious divinities, relied on the use of images for spreading its teachings and assimilating with local religions. This practice had a profound impact on the veneration of kami (broadly defined as spirits of nature) in Shinto, which originally did not use such depictions.

Yui Suzuki, an art historian specializing in Japanese religious art, describes the synthesis of kami veneration and Buddhist worship, particularly how notions of the divine were embodied in the visual arts. She shows notable examples of Japanese painting and sculpture from premodern Japan.

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