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The Face of Jizo: Image and Cult in Medieval Japanese Buddhism, by Hank Glassman
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“Farther on, I find other figures of Jizo, single reliefs, sculptured upon tombs. But one of these is a work of art so charming that I feel a pain at being obliged to pass it by. More sweet, assuredly, than any imaged Christ, this dream in white stone of the playfellow of dead children, like a beautiful young boy, with gracious eyelids half closed, and face made heavenly by such a smile as only Buddhist art could have imagined, the smile of infinite lovingness and supremest gentleness. Indeed, so charming the ideal of Jizo is that in the speech of the people a beautiful face is always likened to his―‘Jizo-kao,’ as the face of Jizo.” ―Lafcadio Hearn, Glimpses of an Unfamiliar Japan (1894)
Stone images of the Buddhist deity Jizo―bedecked in a red cloth bib and presiding over offerings of flowers, coins, candles, and incense―are a familiar sight throughout Japan. Known in China as a savior from hell’s torment, Jizo in Japan came to be utterly transformed through fusion with the local tradition of kami worship and ancient fertility cults. In particular, the Jizo cult became associated with gods of borders or transitions: the stone gods known as dosojin. Although the study of Jizo is often relegated to the folkloric, Hank Glassman, in this highly original and readable book, demonstrates that the bodhisattva’s cult was promoted and embraced at the most elite levels of society.
The Face of Jizo explores the stories behind sculptural and painted images of Jizo to reveal a fascinating cultural history. Employing the methodologies of the early twentieth-century renegade art historian Aby Warburg, Glassman’s focus on the visual culture of medieval Japanese religion is not concerned with the surface form or iconographical lineages of Jizo’s images, but with the social, ritual, and narrative contexts that bring the icons to life. He skillfully weaves together many elements of the Jizo cult―doctrine, ritual, cosmology, iconography―to animate the images he examines. Thus The Face of Jizo is truly a work of iconology in the Warburgian sense. Glassman’s choice to examine the cult of Jizo through the medium of the icon makes for a most engaging and approachable history of this “most Japanese” of Buddhist deities.
- Sales Rank: #1922545 in Books
- Published on: 2012-01-31
- Released on: 2012-01-31
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.10" h x .80" w x 6.00" l, 1.35 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 272 pages
About the Author
Hank Glassman teaches at Haverford College. Primarily interested in the investigation of lived religion, he has published articles on medieval Japanese Buddhist literature and visual culture, as well as studies on rituals of burial and mourning.
Most helpful customer reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
From the author
By Hank Glassman
From the Author (sorry for the five-star rating, needed to choose something!)
Please note that eleven reviews here seem to be from an assigned book review for an undergraduate course at the University of Maryland. As Daniel Leichtling tells us at the top of his review, he has written the review for his "History to 1800" class appearing here as "HIST482 -- C. Lilley Fall 2012" and other students also label the their review with the course number. I appreciate Prof. Lilley's assigning my book in his course and I also value the perceptive and useful insights of the students from the class who reviewed it. I can see that they really took the time to read carefully, which for any author is a great joy.
However, potential readers of these reviews should know that the writers were assigned the book by the professor and did not choose it for themselves. They were not moved to write by an interest in the topic; the review was a college class assignment. I hope that interested readers of the reviews will keep this context in mind. Thanks.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
A Dynamic Portrait of a Bodhisattva in Motion
By Kristina
Hank Glassman's detailed and probing investigation into the context and changing purpose of Jizō iconology in The Face of Jizō (2012) represents an intriguing and informative case study of one image's transformative role in the history of Japanese Buddhism. His focus narrows on the small details of Jizō objects, while simultaneously distancing itself from these details to assess the bigger-picture implications of the worship of the bodhisattva Jizō. In this way, the book works alternately like a magnifying glass--analyzing the minute details in the history of Jizō worship--and a telescope--stepping back to view the whole history. This perspective successfully accomplishes his purpose in analyzing the efficacy of Jizō and his dynamic role in performance. He divides the book into four chapters: the first presents a general overview of the iconology of Jizō and Glassman's purpose for writing the book; the second analyzes Jizō images in the early medieval period associated with Nara religious institutions; the third describes how performing arts further developed the Jizō cult in Kyoto; and the fourth concludes with a description of how Jizō changed to incorporate the protection of children (33). Although he occasionally becomes mired in extraneous details that somewhat obscure his focus, Glassman ultimately succeeds in his purpose to "demonstrate the centrality of images in the promotion and dissemination of the Jizō cult and additionally (if only between the lines) to outline a general theory of images" (6), contributing a worthy addition to Japanese Buddhist discourse.
Glassman's clear statements of purpose in the first chapter outline precisely which aspects of Jizō worship he will assess throughout the rest of the book. He effectively proves that Jizō has, at different times, acted as a guide to the dying (58), as a protector for marginalized groups and people in liminal spaces (75), and as a central figure in religious performance and dance (95). The simple and logical organization of the book, along with the generous amount of beautifully-rendered pictures, contribute to the book's overall clarity and elegance. In particular, the series of gorgeous paintings and sculptures depicted in color plates in the center of the book provide a rich sense of how central and various the image of Jizō is to Japanese religion. Glassman devotes nearly 100 pages at the end of the book to abbreviations, notes, a glossary, a works cited section, and an index in order to provide additional helpful information to interested readers. His heavily-cited narrative proves that his arguments are backed by extensive research, and his meticulous citations ensure that he attributes this research to the rightful parties.
Most of the writing in his works cited section, however, ranges from the 1970s to the 2000s, although he includes a few sources from the late 1800s. Besides the actual images he analyzes, the majority of the works he cites are secondary sources. Throughout the text, however, Glassman weaves evidence from a variety of sources from the time periods he discusses. He cites works like Jizō bosatsu reigenki from the thirteenth century (19), the Kanmon nikki from the fifteenth century (112), and the Koyasu monogatari from the seventeenth century (171), for example. Using a variety of Japanese written works--ranging from poetry and monogatari to noh and kyōden plays--to supplement other scholars' work proves Glassman's point that Jizō's role in worship and performance changes over time to incorporate different features of Japanese society. His discussion of how a belief in sai no kawara, which was present in sixteenth century works like Fuji no hitoana soshi (151), evolved into the "ceremonies for aborted or stillborn fetuses, ceremonies enthusiastically promoted by certain temples since the early 1970s" (144) provides a particularly impressive argument for Jizō's adaptive role in Japan. Since Glassman intends his study to rely mainly on images, the huge amount of diverse images he includes provides the most salient and unique evidence for Glassman's thesis. These images, along with Glassman's dynamic discussion of Jizō's changing role throughout Japanese history, succeed at emphasizing that Jizō artifacts are "images in motion" (24).
Some of the information Glassman provides, however, seems too detailed and extraneous for a book primarily dealing with the efficacy of the Jizō image throughout Japan's religious history. He dedicates over two full pages, for example, to a discussion of the possible sculptors of the "Rockefeller Jizō" (46). The minute history he provides for these possible sculptors does not add to his discussion of Jizō's iconic purpose. At certain points, Glassman seems aware of how extraneous some of this information is, and his explicit mentioning of this fact renders his inclusion of the information in the first place perplexing: "Clearly Horiguchi's speculations here are just that, but let us relate two more for good measure" (48). While he emphasizes that he wants to write about the intention of the sculptor monks' prayers within the Jizō statue--a clearly related topic that deserves attention in this book--he meanders his way to this point by providing too much detail about the possible patrons and sculptors of the image. Glassman's focus on the context of Jizō worship is an intriguing and worthy center of inquiry, but in many cases, he seems to get lost in unrelated context that only makes his analysis confusing.
Glassman's inclusion of unnecessary details also risks alienating his readers. Much of his discussion relies heavily on the fact that his readers should know a great deal about Buddhist history in Japan. As he admits that "there are moments in my narrative where a close knowledge of the time and place will prove essential" (3), his assumption of his readers' previous study of Japanese religion seems to fall in line with most of the complicated content of his book. But when he includes extraneous information that only peripherally relates to Jizō's efficacy--or not at all--Glassman tends to lose his focus in the undeniably difficult task of deciding which information deserves attention and which information can be disregarded. Overall, however, The Face of Jizō represents an impressive effort that succeeds in furthering our understanding of the bodhisattva Jizō and the dynamic religious history of Japan.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent for scholars; confusing for students
By Jack Folz
The Face of Jizo is a collection of in-depth case studies which illuminate the transformation of Jizo, a Buddhist savior of the dead, from a lesser known bodhattsiva to a very popular deity linked to women, children, and traveling. Glassman traces this development through repeated analysis of artifacts and documents which give evidence as to the role of Jizo at their time in history. He calls his study "iconological", a term which he borrows from the teachings of historian Aby Warburg. According to Glassman, Jizo reached four major milestones in his development, and he divides up the chapters of this book accordingly. It is also worth noting that within the text there are many pictures, including 18 center plates, which allow the reader to better understand what Glassman is talking about. Glassman's analysis of these pictures, combined with his detailed descriptions and analyses of Buddhist documents, allow readers to see exactly how the image and idea of Jizo changed from the early Ritsu period to the 16-17th century and even now.
In chapter 1, Jizo's origins are discussed. Glassman explains that Jizo was introduced to Japan around 8th century, but did not rise to prominence until the late Heian period. Jizo's early role was that of a savior from the dead, and based on works of art and documented evidence, Glassman shows readers exactly what Jizo's role was at his introduction to Japan. He explains Jizo's role in relation to Enma, the king of the dead, and how Jizo was seen as the alter ego of Enma (Glassman 18). Thus, because of his close relation to Enma, people saw him as their greatest hope of saving from the judgement of Enma. Drawing from old texts such as the Reingeki, Glassman then relays tales of Jizo saving or helping people after their deaths. Through the presentation and analysis of such stories, Glassman makes the point that this is what the common belief of Jizo was at this point in time. Additionally, it is worth noting that Glassman first explains the appearance of Jizo, and that based on statues and paintings of the time, Jizo was often depicted in groups of six or one-thousand (Glassman 34).
While the first chapter covered the Heian Period, the second chapter bridges the gap between the Heian and Kamakura periods. During this time, according to Glassman, the popularity of Jizo rose at an incredible rate, and in this chapter he traces its movement from Kyoto to Nara and beyond. To begin the chapter, he explains the Fujiwara links to Jizo and how the worship of Jizo at Kofukuji, the temple sponsored by the Fujiwara family, was the birthplace for the Jizo ideals that would eventually make their way across Japan. An important figure in this movement and transformation of Jizo was a man named Jokei, who was a member of the Fujiwara family that studied at Kofukuji (Glassman 52). He was the first major proprietor of Jizo, and because of his writings and the stories about him, Jizo was able to spread first to Nara, then to the Kanto region, and then to the rest of Japan. Even though Jizo was strongly linked to the Fujiwara family, he was also strongly linked to Kasuga shrine, which was revered by all. Due to his link to Kasuga, people were more willing to accept him as a general savior, not one simply identified with the Fujiwara family. Additionally, the Fujiwara paired him with a local Shinto deity, which also helped make his appeal universal (Glassman 65). Since Jizo now had appeal to all, even those who were not part of the Fujiwara family used his image to spread Buddhism all around. In order to back up these statements, Glassman analyzes the iconographical significance of literature, mountain carvings, statues, and paintings.
While the second chapter mainly charts the geographical movement of Jizo during the late Heian and Kamakura periods, the third chapter focuses on the shift in the way that Jizo was worshipped once he became more popular in more places. Nara was the birthplace of theatre, and even though their theatrical performances did not always include Jizo, Glassman proves through examining evidential texts that Jizo was closely linked with the foundations of Noh (Glassman 99). Once theatre became a large part of the blossoming entertainment industry in Kyoto in the 15th-16th centuries, though, Jizo became very heavily involved. Because of his universal appeal, he soon became involved with all sorts of entertainment, and because of the popularity of the entertainment, places of Jizo worship also became more popular. Due to the constant war and struggle of this period, many temples and other religious buildings were being destroyed. Due to the popularity of Jizo, people were very willing to make donations at performances. The money from these performances was used to help support the temples (Glassman 124). Thus, Glassman shows readers that Jizo's transformation into a deity linked with performance occurred because of his universality. People were willing to pay to see performances and spectacles worshipping Jizo, and because of this, the struggling temples performed often.
The fourth chapter documents the largest change in Jizo, as it actually charts his change from a deity linked to the afterlife to one linked to children, fertility, and sexuality. Glassman attributes Jizo's link with these things as a result of the popularity of a story called Koyasu Monogatari and because of the addition to Buddhist doctrine of Sai no Kawara. Koyasu Monogatari is an incredibly sexual story, and due to Jizo's heavy involvement in the story, he became known as a deity that linked with the themes found in the story. Glassman completely dissects this story and analyzes the minute details of it in order to show readers exactly why Jizo became considered to be a sexual deity (Glassman 172). Sai no Kawara was a river that dead children supposedly went to after they died, and whilst at this river, every day they were forced to pile up rocks, only for a demon to come later and knock their pile of stones over. Jizo, though, would come to help the children and ease their suffering during this laborious process. The image of Sai no Kawara would become very prominent in Japanese Buddhism, and Jizo would always be present in these images (Glassman 145). Through the analysis of these images, Glassman gives a comprehensive documentation of Jizo's role as it relates to dead or stillborn children. Because of the stories of Sai no Kawara, Glassman explains, the birth rituals and stone-lined roads in Japan that are common today exist.
In all, The Face of Jizo is a complex and detailed study of a very specific topic. While it contains an incredible amount of information, its writing is often dull, leaving the reader who has no prior knowledge of this topic confused. One cannot blame Glassman, though, for to take the time to explain all of the complex ideas that make up his arguments would be very difficult and would distract readers from what he is trying to say. This book is no doubt a very intelligent study of a topic that has not been covered in this way before. That being said, I would not recommend this book to a reader who does not have a background in Buddhism. He often relies on the reader to understand what he is talking about, and if the reader does not know what he is talking about, he can leave them very lost. Glassman makes many attempts to slow down and simplify things for the inexperienced reader, but due to the complex nature of the subject, this book is still very hard to comprehend unless one has a previous knowledge of Japanese Buddhism.
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