Japanese Mandalas

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This volume represents the first comprehensive study of Japanese mandalas in a Western language, interpreting them as sacred realms where the human and the divine connect. The author examines paintings from the eighth to seventeenth centuries across three traditions: Esoteric Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Shinto. While many mandalas are linked to Indian and Himalayan texts and images, a key theme is the influence of pre-Buddhist Chinese concepts, including geographical ideas, on certain Japanese mandalas. Ten Grotenhuis articulates how visual, doctrinal, ritual, and literary elements intertwine in these works, reflecting the broader characteristics of Japanese religious tradition. The beautifully illustrated work spans from the first millennium B.C.E. in China, starting with the Book of Documents, to contemporary Japan at Kumano. Grotenhuis focuses on the Diamond and Womb World mandalas from Esoteric Buddhism, the Taima mandala from Pure Land Buddhism, and those related to kami-worshipping sites like Kasuga and Kumano. She draws connections between specific sacred locations in Japan and their counterparts in India, as well as Buddhist cosmic diagrams. By exploring the visual forms of these mandalas, Grotenhuis reveals a complex interplay of Indian Buddhist, pre-Buddhist Chinese, Chinese Buddhist, and indigenous Japanese elements, illustrating how these works embody the sacred.