Japanese Heian Period Document

This is a picture of an Amida Buddha from the Heian period in Japan. It was carved by Jocho in 1053. This Buddha is 3 meters high measured form the top of it's head to it's knees. The Buddha is made of gilt lacquer over wood. Gilt is a form of gold and lacquer is sometimes a hard durable finish that can produce a high gloss. It is located at Phoenix Hall, a part of a Buddhist Temple in Kyoto Japan. The Amida is installed on a high platform.

This connects to what we're talking about in class for the Heian period because it shows the sinification that was taking place. The Japanese were starting to act more and more like the Chinese, incorporating their religions into their society. Buddhism (mostly Zen or Chan) was common in China, and now it's being shown in Japan as they tried to be like China.

Chinese Poetry/Painting

Poem

The above poem is called 'Question and Answer on the Mountain' by the Chinese poet Li Bai. In this poem I think that Li Bai is saying that just by relaxing a little and calming down, all your problems seem to float away like the peach blossom. The Chinese held mountains in high esteem, the mountain seemed to give Li Bai some answers himself, and when someone asked him why he spent time there, he just smiled to show that he spent time on the glorious mountain because it made him feel at peace and appreciate those simple things around him, making him feel more powerful.

Painting

The above painting is called 'On a Mountain Path in Spring' by the Chinese painter Ma Yuan. In this painting I think that Ma Yuan was showing that it was good to go to a mountain especially in the spring after a winter where you may have been stuck inside for awhile. I clicked in closer on the larger man and I thought that his face looked like he was already thinking. If someone was to go to a mountain for awhile in the spring they would be able to think about things in some fresh air and then they wouldn't be so worried about their problems. The path looked like it was smooth and easy, inviting people to walk up it and forget about their troubles after they had thought them through, then they would be able to enjoy the plants and animals around the path.

Connection

I noticed connections between the painting and the poem. Both were about mountains, mentioning a few other things about nature. In the poem Li Bai talked about the green mountain and a peach blossom. In the painting Ma Yuan had some plants and a bird. It can be concluded from that that the Chinese held mountains and nature in high esteem. They were majestic and powerful, but also a place you could go to find peace. That's another connection. In both the painting and the poem, they seemed to be thinking about things, and in the poem the things floated away for him to be happy. In the painting, the man was still walking the path, still thinking about things it seemed. The poem was short and simple, but I found that it actually had a lot to say. The same with the painting. It didn't have too many details, there was quite a bit of blank space left, but the details that were there still showed a large message.