Les premières statues bouddhiques du Japon entrevues à travers les textes anciens - article ; n°1 ; vol.41, pg 104-109

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1986

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François Berthier

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Arts-asiatiques

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1986

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01 janvier 1986

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Arts asiatiques - Année 1986 - Volume 41 - Numéro 1 - Pages 104-109
Ancient Japanese texts inform us that many Korean Buddhist statuettes were introduced into the archipelago in the VIth century. These testimonies are more or less trustworthy, but the works themselves have disappeared. If one can accept the fact that Koreans coming to settle in Japan brought images of the Buddha from their country, or that Japanese brought back such images from the peninsula, it is nonetheless difficult to state precisely what might have been these first productions which illustrated the continental religion officially adopted by Japan in 538.
These imported productions soon aroused echos : some natives of the continent, who were already japanized, grasped in their turn the sculptor's chisel. Here again little is known about these first attempts to model in matter the forms of the new gods .
Deciphering the ancient texts describing these events is both a perilous and a fascinating task. Trying to read between the lines while remaining within the range of truth is practically detective's business. The art historian when he studies Japanese Buddhist sculpture in its beginnings is rather like the author of detective's novels. But he has of course to set bounds to his imagination and constantly refer to the written sources and to any material indication that may help in supporting his theories. He has to avoid slipping from science into fiction.
If one goes carefully through everything that has been written in the course of years on the new art that sprang up in Japan in the VIth century, it is possible to reconstruct, with little risk of error, the beginnings of that artistic period that is one of the glories of Japan.
Information given by the ancient texts cannot be accepted just as it is. One has to understand the sources implicitly, without however falling into excessive extrapolation, to sift the facts through an objective criticism and to compare them strictly with the few certainties in one's possession. Such an approach that involves venturing into the forest of imagination, yet without abandoning reason's paths allows us to catch a glimpse, even through a haze, of the early beginnings of Buddhist sculpture in Japan when that country first opened itself to the continental culture.
6 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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