Buddhist Art in Its Relation to Buddhist Ideals: With Special Reference to Buddhism in Japan

Buddhist Art in Its Relation to Buddhist Ideals: With Special Reference to Buddhism in Japan by M. Anesaki was published in 1915 by Houghton Mifflin Company for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The volume grew out of four lectures delivered at the Museum and explores the close relationship between Buddhist religious ideas and their artistic expression, with particular emphasis on the development of Buddhist art in Japan. Rather than offering a complete chronological history of Buddhist art, Anesaki seeks to explain the ideas, ideals, legends, and devotional concepts that inspired Buddhist artists. He discusses the life of the Buddha and the beginnings of Buddhist art, the Buddhist ideal of spiritual communion, cosmological symbolism, and the transition from religious to more secular forms of artistic expression. Japanese Buddhism and Japanese visual culture receive special attention, while connections with Indian and Chinese traditions are also acknowledged.