Ritual and Iconography in the Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Tradition: The Nineteen Visualizations of Fudō Myōō

Abstract

<p>Japanese Esoteric Buddhism is characterized as a tradition with extensive use of complex rituals including elaborate rites of incantations, physical hand gestures, and sophisticated meditation techniques. Central to the performance of Esoteric rites is the invocation of a particular deity (or group of deities) accomplished in part through the use in ritual of an iconographic representation of the diety. One such ritual that epitomizes the Esoteric dynamic of art and ritual is the jūkyūkan, the "Nineteen Visualizations," part of ancient meditation rites performed in order to invoke and manipulate the powers of Fudō Myōō and accomplish the goals of the Esoteric practitioner.</p> <p>Fudō Myōō is one of the most important deities in the Esoteric pantheon whose presence permeated the religious culture of ancient and medieval Japan. In the ancient Heian and medieval Kamakura Periods (794-1185, 1185-1333), Fudō imagery saw great changes. These changes, pointing to a source beyond artistic or local variance, were not only modifications of existing features, but also included additional elements never seen before.</p> <p>The purpose of this thesis is to examine in detail the Nineteen Visualizations as they relate to both the art and ritual of Fudō. The objectives of this study are two: first, this study seeks to illustrate that the changes in Fudō's iconography were a direct result of the emergence of the Nineteen Visualizations in the Heian Period (the thesis of Part One); and second, it attempts to determine how, as a ritual performance, the Nineteen Visualizations provided the basis for these changes in the iconography that persist even today (the thesis of Part Two).</p> <p>This thesis will not only highlight the strong relationship between art and ritual in Esoteric Buddhism, but will also redress the Western treatment of Fudō as primarily an artistic icon. Studies of Fudō in the West have been predominately art historical, largely ignoring Fudo's vast scriptural and ritual dimensions, without which the iconography can never be fully understood.</p>