International studio (50.1913)

Modern Tendencies in Japanese Sculpture


“ KASHO, A DISCIPLE OF THE
BUDDHA.” BY YOSHIDA HOMEI

with touching words'of adoration and
love. There is beauty in this tribute
to the great artist; no shrine, no
temple may have been erected for
him, but he is enshrined in the hearts
of multitudes of his people. Such
admiration and love would not, how-
ever, have ended there with our
people, in the olden times. The
history of our drama has been so
peculiarly unfortunate that we could
not have erected a shrine in this
particular instance, but had it been
otherwise we should not have allowed
this image to stand exposed to the
elements, especially to the inclement
weather of London. The non-
existence of parks in Old Japan may
be one of the reasons, but it is to

this feeling of sacredness, this spirit of worship, mingled with
human sympathy, with which we regard statues that the writer
is inclined to attribute in large measure the fact that the
custom of erecting statues in the open air is of recent origin
with us.
The existence of this reverence, charged with human sym-
pathy, for images and statues may still be seen to some
degree. With two exceptions one can find hardly any image
that is not protected in a cave or under a roof. Even in the
case of the stone figures of Jizo, the guardian deity of children,
which invariably stand outside in commemoration of his habit
of walking through the streets doing charity, people clothe
them, or most commonly tie a bib to the neck with a prayer
for the welfare of their babes, or fasten a kasa, a bamboo hat,
an umbrella or other kind of cover from above. Such an act,
of course, is prompted by superstitious faith. But the belief
is based, nevertheless, upon the humane idea that it adds to
the comfort of Jizo to be protected from the sun and rain.
Even the gigantic image at Nara, with a face sixteen feet long
and slightly over nine feet broad, is comfortably housed, and
the immense bronze image at Kamakura representing Amida,
which is about fifty feet high, was originally enclosed in a
building.
This feeling of sacredness for images is still entertained by
the general public. Each object of adoration is sacred, how-
ever trifling it may be. There is a common saying among our
people to the effect that if worshipped in true faith even the
head of a herring will emit a ray of light. A simple wooden
image is often the chief altar-piece of a great temple. Each