Rethinking Asuka Sculpture - (East Asian Comparative Literature and Culture) by Hong Wu (Hardcover)

About the Book

With its thorough re-evaluation of Asuka-period sculpture and the radical redating it proposes, this book situates Asuka statuary in a very different historical perspective and opens up new possibilities for revising our perceptions of early Japanese history and cultural exchange in East Asia.

Book Synopsis

In this book, WU Hong deconstructs the prevailing theory of a 100-year Buddhist artistic lag between Asuka Japan and the Chinese mainland. She proposes to radically re-date Asuka statues, such as the famous Hōryūji Kondō Shaka Triad. The new dating opens up possibilities for revising our perceptions of early Japanese history and interchange in East Asia, while also allowing a fresh account of Asuka statuary to emerge.

Proceeding from the revised chronology and emphasizing local processes, this new account brings the growth of Asuka Buddhism into clearer vision and elaborates on heretofore unknown historical details for an enriched understanding of this critical period of East Asian history.