Art of Japan Terms

Question 1

Dotaku

Answer 1

Ritual bronze bells from the late Yayoi period

Question 2

Magatama

Answer 2

Auspicious cashew shaped carved stones symbolizing rank and power; one of the Three Sacred Treasures

Question 3

Three Sacred Treasures

Answer 3

Imperial regalia consisting of a sword, a bronze mirror, and magatama

Question 4

Emperor Nintoku

Answer 4

Powerful 4th century Kofun emperor of the Yamato state

Question 5

Chokkomon

Answer 5

Pattern of straight lines and arcs

Question 6

Amaterasu

Answer 6

Japanese Shinto sun goddess

Question 7

Haniwa

Answer 7

Clay sculptures placed on Kofun tomb mounds to serve the deceased

Question 8

Miko

Answer 8

Female Shinto shaman

Question 9

Shinto

Answer 9

The way of the gods; the indigenous Japanese religion

Question 10

Kami

Answer 10

Shinto divine spirits and deities

Question 11

Heart Pillar

Answer 11

Wooden post marking the place where a kami resides

Question 12

Torii

Answer 12

A ceremonial wooden gate that indicates a sacred Shinto site

Question 13

Iwakura

Answer 13

Site where kami has taken up residence

Question 14

Principle of Interchangeability

Answer 14

Japanese practice of adapting one physical site to stand in for another

Question 15

Honden

Answer 15

Main hall of a Shinto shrine–enclosed sacred spot where the kami resides

Question 16

Okuninushi no Mikoto

Answer 16

“Grand Land Master,” ruler of unseen world of spirits, and kami of nation-building, farming, medicine, and marriage

Question 17

Prince Shotoku

Answer 17

Japanese ruler who officially declared Buddhism the state religion in 592 CE

Question 18

Kondo

Answer 18

Buddhist image hall used for worship

Question 19

Pagoda

Answer 19

Free-standing tower that is a symbol of Buddha’s teachings and parinirvana

Question 20

Tori Busshi

Answer 20

Principal sculptor working for Prince Shotoku in the early 7th century

Question 21

Tori Style

Answer 21

Sculpture style from the Asuka period closely associated with Prince Shotoku and his family

Question 22

Kannon

Answer 22

Bodhisattva of compassion who serves the Amida Buddha

Question 23

Guze Kannon

Answer 23

Kannon who saves the world

Question 24

Hibitsu

Answer 24

Image too sacred for ordinary viewing

Question 25

Jataka Tales

Answer 25

Stories of Shaka Buddha’s previous lives

Question 26

Miroku

Answer 26

Buddha of the Future

Question 27

Amida

Answer 27

Buddha of the Western Paradise

Question 28

Yakushi

Answer 28

the Healing Buddha, or the Medicine Buddha

Question 29

Nikko

Answer 29

Bodhisattva of Sunlight

Question 30

Gakko

Answer 30

Bodhisattva of Moonlight

Question 31

Bodhisattva (Bosatsu)

Answer 31

Buddha-to-be who has postponed its own nirvana to save all suffering beings

Question 32

Mokoshi

Answer 32

“skirt storey,” or purely decorative sloping roof that surrounds a building below the true roof

Question 33

Emperor Shomu

Answer 33

Nara emperor who centralized Buddhism as a state religion with Todaiji as its head temple

Question 34

Daibutsu

Answer 34

“Great Buddha”–any gigantic statue of Buddha

Question 35

Birushana

Answer 35

Cosmic or Universal Buddha—all other Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities are merely aspects of him

Question 36

Shitenno

Answer 36

Buddhist heavenly kings who guard the cardinal points

Question 37

Empress Komyo

Answer 37

Emperor Shomu’s wife, who after his death dedicated his personal possessions to Todaiji’s Cosmic Buddha as a sign of piety.