Word Embodied: The Jeweled Pagoda Mandalas in Japanese Buddhist Art

Halle ONeal's study of Japanese jeweled pagoda mandalas explores the entangled realms of sacred body, beauty, and salvation, highlighting the interplay of text and image. It offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the social, religious, and artistic implications of these paintings, demonstrating how they mirror conceptual indivisibilities in medieval Japan. The study reconsiders the demands of viewing and emphasizes the spectacular visualizations of embodiment in Japanese Buddhist art.

Format: Hardback
Length: 310 pages
Publication date: 06 August 2018
Publisher: Harvard University, Asia Center

In this captivating exploration of Japanese jeweled pagoda mandalas, Halle ONeal unveils the intricate tapestry of sacred body, beauty, and salvation. While much of the previous scholarship on these paintings has focused on their formal analysis and iconographic study, neglecting the profound interplay between text and image at their core, this study offers an alternative approach. Word Embodied delves into interdisciplinary realms, shedding light on the social, religious, and artistic implications of this provocative fusion of word and image.

ONeal skillfully uncovers the revolutionary use of text as a visual element, demonstrating how this visual conflation mirrors essential conceptual indivisibilities in medieval Japan. The textual pagoda mandalas project a complex constellation of relics, reliquaries, scripture, and bodily expressions, encapsulating religious doctrine, practice, and artistic expressions.

Moreover, Word Embodied expands our understanding of the act of viewing, repositioning the audience as active participants in the creation of meaning. It challenges prevailing disciplinary discussions of word and image, which often assume an ontological divide between them. By examining the jeweled pagoda mandalas, this study reclaims crucial dynamics underlying Japanese Buddhist art, including invisibility, performative viewing, and the spectacular visualizations of embodiment.

Through its meticulous analysis and innovative approach, Word Embodied provides a fresh perspective on these captivating mandalas, shedding light on the rich tapestry of Japanese Buddhist art and its profound implications for our understanding of the human experience.

Weight: 964g
Dimension: 261 x 188 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674983861