[PDF] Mr Incredible (NHB Modern Plays) by Camilla Whitehill at Arts-Photography

Description

Buddhists around the world celebrate the benefits of worshipping Kannon (Avalokiteśvara); a compassionate savior who is one of the most beloved in the Buddhist pantheon. When Kannon appears in multiple manifestations; the deityrsquo;s powers are believed to increase to even greater heights. This concept generated several cults throughout history: among the most significant is the cult of the Six Kannon; which began in Japan in the tenth century and remained prominent through the sixteenth century. In this ambitious work; Sherry Fowler examines the development of the Japanese Six Kannon cult; its sculptures and paintings; and its transition to the Thirty-three Kannon cult; which remains active to this day.An exemplar of Six Kannon imagery is the complete set of life-size wooden sculptures made in 1224 and housed at the Kyoto temple Daihōonji. This set; along with others; is analyzed to demonstrate how Six Kannon worship impacted Buddhist practice. Employing a diachronic approach; Fowler presents case studies beginning in the eleventh century to reinstate a context for sets of Six Kannon; the majority of which have been lost or scattered; and thus illuminates the vibrancy; magnitude; and distribution of the cult and enhances our knowledge of religious image-making in Japan.Kannonrsquo;s role in assisting beings trapped in the six paths of transmigration is a well-documented catalyst for the selection of the number six; but there are other significant themes at work. Six Kannon worship includes significant foci on worldly concerns such as childbirth and animal husbandry; ties between text and image; and numerous correlations with Shinto kami groups of six. While making groups of Kannon visible; Fowler explores the fluidity of numerical deity categorizations and the attempts to quantify the invisible. Moreover; her investigation reveals Kyushu as an especially active site in the history of the Six Kannon cult. Much as Kannon images once functioned to attract worshippers; their presentation in this book will entice contemporary readers to revisit their assumptions about East Asiarsquo;s most popular Buddhist deity.