{"id":751,"date":"2011-07-27T01:14:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T06:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/?p=751"},"modified":"2020-07-23T09:17:12","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T14:17:12","slug":"buddha-statues-japan-july-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/?p=751","title":{"rendered":"Buddha Statues & Japan — July 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Hello Readers,
\nKnowledge Updates for July 2011. This month the newsletter is “abbreviated,” as I’m visiting my hometown in steamy Minnesota.<\/p>\n

A Modern Day Miracle?
\nSix Jiz\u014d and the Killer Tohoku Earthquake.<\/h2>\n

In the wee hours on the morning following the March 11 Tohoku earthquake, aftershocks struck the northern part of Nagano Prefecture, causing an outdoor grouping of Six Jiz\u014d statues in Iiyama City \u98ef\u5c71\u5e02 to shift their position. Originally facing south, the statues turned about 90 degrees to the east, in the direction of nearby Sakae-mura village \u6804\u6751, as\u00a0if to protect the villagers from harm. Indeed, Sakae-mura itself experienced three aftershocks in less than two hours, each about intensity 6.0. Village roads and railways were damaged,\u00a0and over 2000 villagers were evacuated. But there were no causalities!! Not surprisingly, villagers say that Jiz\u014d saved them from bodily harm. The statues are each about 70 cm high, made of stone.\u00a0There are actually seven Jiz\u014d in the grouping, but the first Jiz\u014d (the leader) did not change his position, whereas the other six turned on their bases to face Sakae-mura. Today they are venerated\u00a0as protectors of the village, even though they are located in nearby Iiyama. (Note. Thanks to my longtime friend Gabi Greve<\/a> for bringing this story to my attention. The story appeared originally\u00a0in the Asahi Shimbun<\/a> (June 9, 2011).<\/p>\n

\"Six<\/a>

The first Jiz\u014d (the leader) did not shift; the other six turned to face Sakae-mura.<\/p><\/div>\n

More about Roku Jiz\u014d \u516d\u5730\u8535\u3000(lit. = Six Jiz\u014d)<\/strong><\/div>\n
Six Jiz\u014d and Six States of Existence.<\/a> Jiz\u014d Bosatsu vowed to assist beings in each of the Six Realms of Desire and Karmic Rebirth<\/a>, in particular those in the hell realm, and is thus often shown in groupings of six. In Japan, groupings of six Jiz\u014d statues (one for each of the Six Realms)\u00a0are quite common and often placed at busy intersections or oft-used roads to protect travelers and those in “transitional” states.\u00a0Jiz\u014d also often carries a staff with six rings, which he shakes to awaken us from our delusions.\u00a0The six rings likewise symbolize the six states of desire and karmic rebirth and Jiz\u014d’s promise to assist all beings in those realms.\u00a0Worship of the Six Jiz\u014d can be traced back to the 11th century in Japan, but this grouping has no basis in Mahayana scripture. Its origin is probably linked to a similar grouping of Six Kannon<\/a> (one for each of the six realms)\u00a0that appeared in the early 10th century in Japan\u2019s Tendai \u5929\u53f0 sect.<\/div>\n
Six Realms (from lowest to highest, from worst to best)<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
    \n
  1. Hells (Skt. Naraka, Jp = Jigokud\u014d \u5730\u7344\u9053)<\/li>\n
  2. Hungry Ghosts (Skt. Preta, Jp = Gakid\u014d \u9913\u9b3c\u9053)<\/li>\n
  3. Animals (Skt. Tiryasyoni, Jp = Chikush\u014dd\u014d \u755c\u751f\u9053)<\/li>\n
  4. Bellicose Demons (Skt. Asura, Jp = Ashurad\u014d \u963f\u4fee\u7f85\u9053)<\/li>\n
  5. Humans (Skt. Manusya, Jp = Jind\u014d \u4eba\u9053)<\/li>\n
  6. Heavenly Beings (Skt. Deva, Jp = Tend\u014d \u5929\u9053)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Japanese Ceramics &
    \nRobert Yellin Yakimono Gallery in Kyoto<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
    It gives me great pleasure to introduce the world-class ceramics gallery of longtime friend\u00a0and ceramics connoisseur Robert Yellin. Just a few minutes walk from the Silver Pavilion in Kyoto, this gallery is located in a magical Showa-period\u00a0Sukiya-style house built for a wealthy tea and kendo patron. In later years, it was the residence of Tea Master John McGee, who returned to Canada\u00a0to create a Tea room and center<\/a>. The spirit of Tea and wabi-sabi pervades the house and as such\u00a0is the perfect stage for the many shibui ceramic art works offered by Yellin. In addition, the house (and its garden) act as the perfect\u00a0stage for presenting new works online at Japanesepottery.com<\/a>. If you visit the gallery, please say “Schumacher sent you” to receive\u00a0a special discount on listed prices. Yellin is a longtime Japan resident, pottery journalist, and ceramic specialist who collects and sells\u00a0pieces by some of Japan’s most celebrated artists and up-and-coming potters. Robert also operates an online learning center devoted to Japanese pottery\u00a0at http:\/\/www.e-yakimono.net<\/a><\/div>\n
    \n
    \"Robert<\/a>

    Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery – Photo Tour<\/p><\/div>\n

    Current Exhibitions<\/h2>\n

    \u00bb Tokyo National Museum.\u00a0July 20 through September 25, 2011 .\u00a0Kukai’s World: The Arts of Esoteric Buddhism.<\/a> This exhibition introduces masterpieces of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism,\u00a0with a focus on the period when philosophical elements maintained a\u00a0strong presence in the works. Along with objects brought by Kukai\u00a0from Tang China, works directly related to him are also featured,\u00a0such as his writings and sculptures produced under his instruction.\u00a0If you are in or near Tokyo, don’t miss this exhibition.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00bb Kyoto National Museum. July 16 to August 28, 2011.\u00a0
    \nCreatures’ Paradise: Animals in Art from the Kyoto National Museum.<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u00bb Nara National Museum.\u00a0Special Exhibitions Page.<\/a> On to India! Xuanzang’s 30,000-Kilometer Trek. July 16 through August 28, 2011. Secret Treasures & Sacred Image of Yoki Tenman Jinja: “The Hallowed Yoki Shrine at Hatsuse.” July 16 through August 28.<\/p>\n

    Enjoy the summer.
    \nmark from his hometown in minnesota<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hello Readers, Knowledge Updates for July 2011. This month the newsletter is “abbreviated,” as I’m visiting my hometown in steamy Minnesota. A Modern Day Miracle? Six Jiz\u014d and the Killer Tohoku Earthquake. In the wee hours on the morning following the March 11 Tohoku earthquake, aftershocks struck the northern part of Nagano Prefecture, causing an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jizo","category-buddha-and-buddhist-statues-in-japan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=751"}],"version-history":[{"count":75,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1575,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions\/1575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}