Shaka Triad:

An Investigation of Symbolism and Style

Katherine Harrington

Art History 120

April 29, 2009

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Introduction

Buddhism migrated to Japan around the sixth century C.E. from Koreai, but it was only slowly

accepted, and mainly through the elites.ii The King of the Korean kingdom Paekche, Songmyong, had

sought military assistance from the powerful clans in the Yamato region. In return, Songmyong sent

over Buddhist scripture and a statue to the head of the Yamato region.iii Along with these gifts,

however, came the idea of Buddhism as a means to power and magic and not that of spiritual

discipline.iv The Soga clan was all for this new means to gaining power, but he Mononobe clan wasn't

so keen on the idea, preferring the old system. Thus they fought against one another over the issue,

using both violent and religious means.

One of the main proponents of this new religion after years of conflict between the Soga and

Mononobe clans was a prince by the name Shotoku Taishi (574-622 C.E.).v During his time, several

Buddhist shrines were built, including the now famous Horyuji shrine near Nara. Horyuji, thanks to its

insignificant past after its construction, has survived the haibutsu kishaku (the widespread pillaging of

Buddhist temples during the early years of the Meiji Period).vi Horyuji contains several important

artifacts, not to mention the buildings themselves which are some of the oldest wooden structures to

survive to this day.vii One of the most impressive and beautifully preserved pieces is the Shaka Triad

that was created in dedication to Shotoku Taishi after his death in 622 C.E.(the statue being finished in

623 C.E.) by the now famed artist Tori.viii It stands at almost six feet tallix and is currently housed in the

Golden Hall at Horyuji as one of the two main figures (the other being the Yakushi statue).x

Shaka Triad

The Shaka Triad is a good example of the fact that it wasn't only a belief system that came to

Japan when Buddhism arrived. (Shaka is the Japanese name for Shakyamuni.) Chinese art and

architectural styles also migrated to Japan through Korea. For example, the structures at Horyuji are

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built on raised stone bases, have tile roofs, and are post-and-lintel constructions, all of which are

Chinese characteristics.xi And in these buildings are housed objects that were also created in Chinese

styles.

Many of the styles translated to Japan come from the Six Dynasties Period, which lasted from

approximately 220-589 C.E.xii In the world of sculpture, it was the elongated style of the Northern Wei

that influenced Japanese sculpture, especially that of Buddhist sculpture. The Shaka Triad is a prime

example of such sculpture conducted in the elongated style. Lee even states that “If it were made of

stone it might have come from a Northern Wei cave at Longmen.”xiiiThis piece is preserved nicely and

still has some of the gilding on it (most on the left bodhisattva, see Illustration 2).

Much of its iconography and style come from the mainland, and in turn some from India. In

fact, other than Japanese stylistic differences in portraying certain aspects, the only main deviation

from imported styles is that the two attendants are raising the same hand. Usually groups such as this

triad have a compositional balance to them where each attendant is raising a different hand.xiv

However, here this is not the case, and thus thee piece has lost the symmetry that is usually achieved in

these sculptures.

The Elongated Style of the Triad

The term elongated comes from the fact that figures in this style tend to have long faces in

general, long noses, and long necks. These features are nicely represented in the Shaka Triad. The main

figure, Shaka, has many features that define it as having a non-Japanese appearance and that are

traditions from the mainland. The most prominent features that are non-Japanese are the large,

triangular nose, the thick, firmly closed lips, and the elongation of the face, neck, and nose.xv The

drapery, especially of the Shaka figure, are also in the Wei elongated style (see below).

The attendants also show aspects of this style. Their faces and necks have the same elongation

to them, the narrowness adding to the effect. The length of their faces and necks contrasts somewhat

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with the length of the bodies. The effect is disproportionate with their bodies appearing to be squat and

dwarf-like. They too have the triangular, long nose and their lips are in the same style of the Shaka's

lips.

Iconography

Shaka has many of the traditional Buddhist iconography. Some of the main iconography is

listed here. He has the elongated earlobes symbolizing his royal origins, as he had once worn heavy

earrings. The ushinisha at the top of his head, symboling enlightenment and intelligence, is one of the

most important and most notable of the symbols of the Buddha. His eyes are also half closed in

meditation. The urna protrusion on the forehead (although the actual protrusion has been lost, the spike

that once held it in place still remains) is one of the several attributes on the Buddha's body that

symbolizes his beauty and perfection. The strong, bow-shaped eyebrows is another one of these. His

hair is also in the style of having tight, spiral curls.

All of these harken back to the beginning of Buddhist iconography in India. These ideas about

how to depict the Buddha have traveled with the religion from India to China, Korea, and eventually to

Japan, as is seen here. As these ideas traveled, the styles in which they are portrayed have been altered

according to the dominant styles of the local regions that the religion found itself. Thus, by the time

that Buddhism and its art reached Japan, it had been filtered through the cultures of central Asia, China,

Korea, and other such localities along the way.

The Mandorla

Behind Shaka is an intricate, broad leaf-shaped mandorla. The mandorla's design is straight

from the elongated style of the Wei. It is composed of several layers, or concentric parts. Directly

behind Shaka's head, and thus hidden by it, is a lotus blossom surrounded by a ring of radial groves and

concentric rings.xvi The next ring consists of vines and leaves that are beautifully executed and

continues down to form an arch with the ring (see Illustration 3). However, they are slightly stronger

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and less free than their Chinese counterparts, being precisely carved into place.xvii A mani jewel crowns

this ring of vegetation and is a symbol of the Buddha himself.xviii The outer part of the broad leaf-

shaped mandorla is comprised of flame designs. Close to the center the flames are swirling. They then

extend into undulating flame designs toward the outer portion of the mandorla. These undulating

flames are parallel groves precisely carved. At the transition zone between swirls and rolling flames is

an arch of seven floating miniature Buddhas on lotus flowers. These miniature Buddhas are more child-

like in appearance and have softer expressions than does the main Shaka figure.xix They too have leaf-

shaped mandorlas, though theirs are plain and without decoration.

This is very similar to the mandorla of the Shakyamuni Triad from the Eastern Wei dynasty,

which is almost identical in style to the Northern Wei sculptures found at Longmen (see Illustration

4).xx The mandorla of this piece also begins with the center being a lotus flower behind Shayamuni's

head. It is surrounded by concentric circles and by a ring or arch of vegetation motifs, also crowned by

a mani jewel symbol. The vegetation here is less stiff and more intricate than that of the one found at

the Horyuji Temple. The outer portion is composed of swirling flames that then extend into undulating

flames. These flames are freer and more wild than the highly stylized flames of the Shaka's mandorla.

The division between the swirling and undulating flames does not include miniature Buddhas, unlike

the example at Horyuji. In all, the compositional elements are almost the exact same, but it is the

regional and artists' styles that differ in detail. Thus, although there are great similarities between the

early Japanese and mainland styles, there are some differences as illustrated here.

The two attendants also have mandorlas. However, they are slightly different than the one

behind the Shaka figure. They are the same broad leaf-shape as the main mandorla, but the designs on

them are slightly different. Rather than having the usual lotus blossom at the center, the attendants'

mandorlas have double lotus blossoms, which is highly unusual.xxi The next ring consists of cloud-and-

scroll patterns, yet another deviation from the Shaka's mandorla, though not quite as unusual.xxii

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Beyond this, the remainder of the mandorla is made up of the same flame designs as the main

mandorla, beginning with the rolling flames and moving out to the undulating flames.

Drapery

Another major component of the Shaka Triad is the waterfall cascade of robes of the Shaka

figure. The robes are actually in two parts, one being the central overhang and the other being the

bisected overhang. The centralized overhang has a long history on the main continent and has gone

through various stages, the beginnings of which are in India.xxiii It has ranged in detail from being

clinging cloth without crease lines to highly stylized relief depictions of creases. It is the part of the

drapery that is U-shaped and covers the legs on the seated figure (on standing figures it is the same idea

with the drapery falling down in a U-shape). Here on the Shaka statue, the central overhang is restricted

to covering the legs and above the seating platform.xxiv Its creases are simple U-shaped parallel lines

that are framed the waves of the beginnings of the bisected overhang.

The bisected overhang dominates the drapery. This bisected overhang is first seen frequently in

China during the last part of the fifth century under the Northern Wei.xxv Perhaps one reason that this

style was popular under the Wei dynasties was that is allowed for much more elaboration since it

emphasized the vertical aspect rather than being bound by the horizontal aspect of the central

overhang.xxvi In the Shaka Triad, it cascades over the platform in three fold pleats, referred to as the

concave fold (see Illustration 5 & 6).xxvii The smooth curves and points blend nicely together in this

example. In these folds, there is the end of the sash that comes out between the hem-lines of the robe

and the under-cloth.xxviii It is noticeable because its end angles down to the right and do not have the tri-

fold pleats.

The two attendants’ robes fall in outward flaring lines creating serrated edges on the sides. This

style of drapery for a standing figure conforms to the Northern Wei style, albeit after being filtered

through Liang, China and Korea.xxix On these figures you can clearly see the arm sash(es) that hang

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down. Beneath these at the bottom, there is a single tri-fold pleat that is in the same style as that of the

Shaka figure's robes.

Conclusion

When Buddhism was brought to Japan by monks from the Paekche along with gifts, they

brought with them more than just objects. Along with them came this foreign religion and

interpretations of it as a magical mean to power. The iconography of Buddhism and new art styles also

migrated to Japan at this time. One of the most prominent styles that was brought over was the

elongated style of the Wei dynasties from China. Much of this style can be seen in the Asuka Period

Buddhist artwork. The Shaka Triad at Horyuji Temple is a significant and beautiful example of this. As

we have seen here, this piece has iconography and styles relating back to India as well as the Chinese

styles of portraying such iconography. But this piece also has a bit of Japanese style, as was hopefully

demonstrated in this article. Thus, we can see the connections to the mainland, and to Buddhist

beginnings in India, through this exquisite piece. From the symbolism to the styles, we can see how

Buddhism and its art traveled and transformed through time and space.

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Illustration 1: Horyuji Temple at Nara, Japan.

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Illustration 2: Shaka Triad, housed at Horyuji Temple.

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Illustration 3: Rubbing of Shaka’s mandorla.

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Illustration 4: Shakyamuni Triad from Easter Wei.

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Illustration 5: Tri-pleat fold of Shaka’s robes.

Illustration 6: Concave Fold

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i Lee, Sherman E. A History of Far Eastern Art, 5th Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1994. p.164 ii Smits, Gregory J. Topics in Japanese Cultural History. http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/172/index.htm ch.2

Buddhism sub-heading iii Smits ch.2 Buddhism sub-heading iv Smits ch.2 Buddhism sub-heading v Lee p.164 vi Chow, Kai-wing, Kevin M. Doak, Poshek Fu. Constructing Nationhood in Modern East Asia. Ann Arbor: The

University of Michigan Press, 2001. p.119 vii Lee p.165 viii Mizuno, Seiichi. Asuka Buddhist Art: Horyu-ji. New York: Weatherhill, 1974. p.32 ix Lee p.168 x Mizuno p.30 xi Lee p.166 xii Lee p.163 xiii Lee p.168 xiv Mizuno p.37 xv Mizuno p.35 xvi Mizuno p.35 xvii Mizuno p.35 xviii Mizuno p.36 xix Mizuno p.36 xx Lee p.160 xxi Mizuno p.38 xxii Mizuno p.38 xxiii See Rowan's article xxiv Rowan, Diana P. “The Yakushi Image and Shaka Trinity of the Kondo, Horyuji: A Study of Drapery Problems.”

Artibus Asiae Vol. 31, No. 4 (1969). p.251-252 xxv Rowan p.247-248 xxvi Rowan p.249 xxvii Rowan p.273 xxviii Rowan p.250 xxix Lee p.169