Also referred to as zasei 坐勢 (Sk: asana). A seated position for a Buddhist image. Ancient Indian ascetics used…

Lit. "seated appreciation style garden." A modern term designating gardens meant to be seen or "appreciated" from a fixed…

A collector's seal, kanzō-in 鑑蔵印, which was impressed on Song and Yuan dynasties paintings *…

Also Kongō Zaō Bosatsu 金剛蔵王菩薩. The deity of Kinpusen 金峰山 in Nara, one of the most important deities of the Japanese…

Lit. "Eight parlor views"; a parody of eight views *hakkei 八景, in which…

The *zashiki 座敷 is a guest room; its name deriving from that of the mat…

A generic term for a room covered with straw mats *tatami 畳. In the Heian…

A two-story fireproof structure of the storehouse type *dozō 土蔵 that…

Lit. "stone for seated meditation." A large, flat-topped stone which is used for, or thought to be appropriate for…

A Buddhist image which is seated, as opposed to standing *ryūzō 立像. The…

Gourd-shaped shumon 朱文 style seal introduced into Japan from China during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Today there…

Lit. "paintings of Zen 禅 meetings." Paintings that depict a philosophical dialogue between a Zen priest and a layman,…

Lit. "Zen 禅 temple style gardens." A modern term designating the various types of gardens associated with Zen sect temples…

A school of Buddhist sculptors *bussho 仏所, who often used the character 'Zen' 善…

Also called *sōdō 僧堂; sometimes *masodō…

Commonly known as Zendō Daishi 善導大師 (Ch: Shandao Dashi, 613-81) or Great Master Zendō . The third patriarch of Pure…

Type of lantern found in the garden of Zendōji 善導寺, Kyoto. Six semi-spherical swellings surround the base and have been…

Lit. "Zen 禅 (Ch: Chan) painting." A modern and somewhat ambiguous term often used to indicate painting and calligraphy that…

Ch: Chanyueyang Luohan. A type of ink painting of arhats or *rakan 羅漢…

Also abbreviated to zengohagi 前後矧. A method of making a wooden statue where the statue is carved in two separate…

An early type of folding screen *byōbu 屏風, in which panels are individually made…

Lit. "coin shape water basin." A type of round water basins *chōzubachi 手水鉢…

Lit. "meditation mudra." A mudra or hand gesture *in 印, formed by placing the palms…

Lit. "paintings of Zen 禅 (Ch: Chan) occasions." Illustrations of acts (including dialogues) which led to enlightenment. The…

Lit. "early style dry landscape." The Heian period arrangement of stones in areas with neither a pond nor stream. The 11th-…

Images of the *Amida 阿弥陀 trinity made in the style of the Amida trinity at Zenkōji 善光寺 in…

An especially impressive front gate or entry. Examples are *hirakaramon…

Also known as Zenmyō nyoshin 善妙女神. A deity that protects the Kegon 華厳 sect of Buddhism. According to the legend, a…

Lit. "Dragon King Zennyo." The subject of a painting by one of the disciples of *Kūkai 空海…

Old name kizahashi 階 means steps (see *hashi 階). The front steps…

Lit. "full-size paper." Paper having the same size as that produced in the factory. The size varied according to each period…

Sometimes an alternative *Zendō 禅堂.

1　A room for…

The general term used for any art related to the practice of Zen 禅 Buddhism in Japan. Zen flourished in Japan in the…

Lit. "images of patriarchs of Zen 禅 sects." Paintings of Zen patriarchs. Although all schools of Buddhism create images of…

A style of architecture imported from China during the Song dynasty. It includes the architectural elements that came with…

Also called Karayō kōran 唐様高欄. A railing or balustrade *kōran 高欄 with…

Also called Karayō tokyō 唐様斗きょう. A Zen style bracket complex. The bracket arms *…

Lit. "front garden." A general term referring to the garden in front of a building. In contrast to the main garden which is…

Lit. "tongue." A thin ornamental molding *kurigata 繰形, carved on the bottom…

A Noh mask *nōmen 能面, representing a young angel, goddess or enlightened woman.…

Also Tōdaiji Zōbussho 東大寺造仏所. A workshop which made statues for Tōdaiji 東大寺 in Nara. In 748, the government set up a…

Also read zōhana. A beam projection or nosing *kibana 木鼻, molded or…

Government-run workshops making Buddhist statues during the Nara period. Post-9th-century independent and temple-run…

Sk: Virudhaka. A fierce-looking guardian deity *funnusō 忿怒相, believed to…

Inlay. It is also written 象眼 (elephant eye). A decoration technique in which the surface of such materials as metal, pottery…

Also called hōkizuri 掃摺 or zōkindome 雑巾留. A long thin finishing board, similar to a base board, that is…

A portrait of a lay person in formal secular dress. This contrasts with the more numerous portraits of Buddhist priests…

Offertory mask. Cloth or paper masks used in *bugaku 舞楽 in the pieces *…

Also nōnyūhin 納入品, tainai nōnyūhin 胎内納入品, tainai nōnyūbutsu 胎内納入物. Objects found in the…

Also witten 造作.
All non-permanent parts of a Japanese building in contrast to those parts that are permanent and…

A patron. A person who requests the building of a Buddhist temple or work of art.

Also zōzōki daiki 造像題記, zōzōmei 造象銘. A record that keeps track of the completion and repair dates of a…

A rough sketch of a building plan including, floor plans, elevations, the placement of doors and windows, etc.

Middle gates *chūmon 中門 with statues of Zuijin 随神, shrine guards…

A name given to a sandalwood statue of Shaka Nyorai 釈迦如来 (in the same style as the figure in Seiryōji 清涼寺, Kyoto). See *…

Lit. head light. A nimbus or halo that encircles the head of an image of a Buddhist deity. In the case of sculpture it is…

A suffix meaning style or type frequently used in Japanese architectural history.

A yellow pigment *ganryō 顔料, made from the bark of the deciduous…

1　A miniature shrine in which Buddhist images or rolls of sutras kyō 経 are kept. Reliquary…

1　Also written 図子, 途子. A crossroads or intersection of two roads. See *…

Miniature shrine shelf. A cabinet shrine *zushi 厨子, used to store the writing…

Iconographic sketches of Buddhist images done in simple ink drawing (see *hakubyō…

Selected Iconography, a late Heian compendium on Buddhist iconography. Also called Jikkanshō 十巻抄 (…