Faces of Tohoku holiness
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001868118
The exhibition “Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculpture from Northern Japan,” which opened last week at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, reflects a renewed focus of attention on the Buddhist statues of the Tohoku region following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Among the statues on display in this exhibition are ones that were damaged in the March 11 earthquake and aftershocks, and ones that people looked to for comfort and strength when taking refuge in temples on high ground in coastal areas after their homes were washed away by tsunami. One even survived two “once-in-a-millenium” Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disasters, the first being the Jogan Earthquake in the year 869.
The exhibition centers around what are known as the “Three Great Yakushi Nyorai of Tohoku,” all of which date from the early Heian period (792-1192). Positioned centrally among these three is the ninth-century “Seated Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) with standing flanking attendants” (Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu) from Shojoji temple in Fukushima Prefecture. Involved in the creation of this Yakushi triad, which is now a National Treasure, was a leading Buddhist priest of the day known as Tokuitsu, whom Kukai called the “Bosatsu of Michinoku,” meaning the Buddhist saint of Tohoku.
The second of the three is the “Seated Yakushi Nyorai” statue of Sorinji temple in Miyagi Prefecture, which was one of the Kokubunji temples established by imperial decree during the Nara period (mid-eighth century). Located in present-day Sendai, this temple became the major base of Buddhism in northeastern Japan. Its Yakushi Nyorai statue is flanked by two standing devas representing Jikokuten (Dhrtarastra) and Zochoten (Virudhaka), all from the ninth century and all designated Important Cultural Properties. In one of the largest of the 2011 aftershocks, on April 7, the Yakushi Nyorai statue was badly damaged when the Jikokuten statue fell against it. Soon afterwards, it was sent to Kyoto to be carefully restored over a period of two years
The disaster has been referred to as the worst in a thousand years, based on the fact that the last earthquake and tsunami disaster to hit Tohoku on this scale was the Jogan Earthquake. Records state that the third of the great Yakushi Nyorai of Tohoku in this exhibition, that of Kokusekiji temple in Iwate Prefecture, was created in 862, seven years before the Jogan Earthquake. The decidedly stern and resolute expression of this statue is speculated to be a reflection of the spiritual strength that new settlers in this region sought in the face of a harsh life and ongoing war against the indigenous people, known as the Emishi, who fought fiercely to defend their native land.
With 26 statues, this is by no means a large exhibition. But it is clear that the works have been carefully chosen to show the diversity of Buddhist sculpture in the Tohoku region. Some are stunning works of sculpture like the four Kamakura period (ca 1185-1333) “Standing Junishinsho (Twelve Heavenly Generals).” Three others are early works by the famed Buddhist statue carver Enku, who began his work in Aomori Prefecture. Each statue has a story to tell.
One of the most poignant stories is that of the “Standing Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu (Ekadasamukha)” of Kyubunhama Kannondo temple in Miyagi Prefecture. Various legends describe how this wooden Kannon statue came to be washed ashore at Kyubunhama in the Heian period — including one that says it was set adrift in a tributary of the Kitakami River to prevent it from being destroyed in the fires of war. In the video created for this exhibition by NHK, we see the testimony of a fisherman from Kyubunhama who was at sea when the tsunami struck and stayed out for two days before he could return to port. There, he found his house gone and his family sheltering along with other survivors of tsunami in the Kyubunhama Kannondo temple that stood on high ground overlooking the harbor. “I felt as if Kannon-sama [the Buddhist goddess of mercy] had guided them to safety,” he said.
Paired with this exhibition in a separate gallery is another small exhibit devoted to progress on restoration of the severely damaged collection of the municipal museum in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate Prefecture, one of the communities hit hardest by the tsunami. For days after the tsunami, the devastated town was a no-entry zone, and when citizens were finally able to get to the museum building later, they found a handwritten sign on a piece of paper at the entrance that read: “Please don’t take away any exhibit pieces from the museum. They are all priceless treasures that will be vital for the restoration of the nature, history and culture of Takata.” On a panel in the gallery is a photo of the paper sign as it stood among the scattered exhibit pieces on the museum floor. It was signed simply “Municipal Board of Education” and the writer’s identity remains a mystery. However, shortly after, a coalition of museums including the Tokyo National Museum started the restoration project.
Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculpture from Northern Japan