Right part of the "Filial Piety" Tableau (Group No.17), with "viewers", Baoding-shan near Dazu.

Right part of the “Filial Piety” Tableau (Group No.17), with “viewers”, Baoding-shan near Dazu.

Cluster Leader: Christoph Anderl, University of Ghent

This cluster will investigate the development of specific patterns of text-image relations in East Asian Buddhist iconography, with a focus on Chinese sites but if possible also including data from Korea and Japan. We attempt to analyze how textual and visual media interact with (and reference to) each other and how Buddhist themes were programmatically arranged in cliff and cave sites, and how these arrangements were related to ritual uses and accommodated specific religious (and possibly other) needs/purposes in the local environments.

Overview of Group 17. Dates of construction of the site: 1174-1252

Overview of Group 17. Dates of construction of the site: 1174-1252

 

The topic will be also approached from a comparative perspective, in order to study how Buddhist themes (especially Buddhist key narratives) transformed when they spread from India/Central Asia to China, and which specific text-image relations developed in the Chinese context at specific locations. The research cluster will not only focus on collecting and analyzing relevant material during the field trips, but will also investigate how the findings can more generally contribute to our understanding of the interplay between textual and iconographic media. Through this, we hope to engage with current theories on narratology and text/image interaction.

 

The lower center shows the depiction of the Mahāsattva jātaka in the "Filial Piety" Tableau (no.17) of the Baoding-shan site near Dazu

The lower center shows the depiction of the Mahāsattva jātaka in the “Filial Piety” Tableau (no.17) of the Baoding-shan site near Dazu

For the fieldwork, several sites in East Asia will be selected. The specific sites for the field trip will be announced at a later date, but will probably include selected locations in Sichuan, Hebei, and the Dunhuang area. It is important that the activities will also draw on the expertise of local scholars and institutions. In addition, we aim for close collaboration with other clusters dealing with related questions and materials, e.g. “Text and/as Image on East Asian Religious Manuscripts and Xylographs” and “Dunhuang Transformation Tableaux”.

Besides the fieldwork activities, and archiving and analysis of relevant textual and image material, cluster activities will include the organization of a conference in Ghent, in collaboration with Dharma Drum University. Besides presenting results based on the material retrieved during the field trips, we also aim at including panels on narratology theories, as well as on an interdisciplinary/interreligious perspective concerning the role of text-image relations in the spread of religions.

 

Cluster 3.4

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Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻: 29.712820, 105.710160
Baodingshan Dafowan Rock Carvings 寶頂山大佛灣摩崖造像: 29.754370, 105.794078
Kongque Cave 孔雀洞: 29.863544, 105.655326
Wofo yuan 臥佛院: 30.303016, 105.316900
Yuanjue Cave 圓覺洞: 30.090898, 105.344891
Pilu Cave 毗廬洞: 29.929444, 105.630976
Qianfo zhai 千佛寨: 30.104104, 105.311932
Mingshan Temple 茗山寺: 30.061920, 105.568220
Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻: 29.712820, 105.710160
Holy Guanyin Temple 觀音聖廟: 13.740420, 100.506400
Ancient Guanyin Temple 觀音古廟: 13.739641, 100.509704
Niao Shi Temple 鳥石寺: 13.719533, 100.482269
Nanpu Temple 南埔宮: 13.721964, 100.492967
Bang Khun Thian Temple 菩薩壇: 13.632743, 100.407275
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Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2016 - Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻 data collection

Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻, Chongqing, China
marker icon
Baodingshan Dafowan Rock Carvings 寶頂山大佛灣摩崖造像
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2016 - Baodingshan Dafowan Rock Carvings 寶頂山大佛灣摩崖造像 data collection

Baodingshan Dafowan Rock Carvings 寶頂山大佛灣摩崖造像, Chongqing, China
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Kongque Cave 孔雀洞
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Kongque Cave 孔雀洞 data collection

Kongque Cave 孔雀洞, Sichuan, China
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Wofo yuan 臥佛院
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Wofo yuan 臥佛院 data collection

Wofo yuan 臥佛院, Sichuan, China
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Yuanjue Cave 圓覺洞
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Yuanjue Cave 圓覺洞 data collection

Yuanjue Cave 圓覺洞, Sichuan, China
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Pilu Cave 毗廬洞
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Pilu Cave 毗廬洞 data collection

Pilu Cave 毗廬洞, Sichuan, China
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Qianfo zhai 千佛寨
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Qianfo zhai 千佛寨 data collection

Qianfo zhai 千佛寨, Sichuan, China
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Mingshan Temple 茗山寺
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Mingshan Temple 茗山寺 data collection

Mingshan Temple 茗山寺, Sichuan, China
marker icon
Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2019 - Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻 data collection

Beishan Rock Carvings 北山石刻, Chongqing, China
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Holy Guanyin Temple 觀音聖廟
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2023 - Holy Guanyin Temple 觀音聖廟 data collection

Holy Guanyin Temple 觀音聖廟, Bangkok, Thailand
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Ancient Guanyin Temple 觀音古廟
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2023 - Ancient Guanyin Temple 觀音古廟 data collection

Ancient Guanyin Temple 觀音古廟, Bangkok, Thailand
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Niao Shi Temple 鳥石寺
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2023 - Niao Shi Temple 鳥石寺 data collection

Niao Shi Temple 鳥石寺, Bangkok, Thailand
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Nanpu Temple 南埔宮
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2023 - Nanpu Temple 南埔宮 data collection

Nanpu Temple 南埔宮, Bangkok, Thailand
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Bang Khun Thian Temple 菩薩壇
Cluster 3.4 description

Cluster 3.4 2023 - Bang Khun Thian Temple 菩薩壇 data collection

Bang Khun Thian Temple 菩薩壇, Bangkok, Thailand