Japan Art, Poetry, and Death: Buddhism and Acceptance
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Japanese ukiyo-e prints also covered the world of death. This concerns the commemoration of artists, kabuki actors, and musicians. They did this through the medium of art. Accordingly, farewell poems were included along with posthumous names linking the individual with the next world.
The Buddha said, “The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realised the nature of the world.”
Shini-e (death pictures or death portraits) prints began in the eighteenth century. However, this terminology wasn’t used until the late Edo Period.
Hiroshige, one of the most distinguished printmakers to be born in Japan, wrote a delightful death poem.
Hiroshige wrote before dying, “I leave my brush in the East – And set forth on my journey – I shall see the famous places in the Western land.”
The “Western land” for Hiroshige implies Amida Buddha and paradise.
The Buddha said, “The root of suffering is attachment.”
Henjo (816-890) wrote beautifully:
On his way to leave the world, a man
Comes to rest
Beneath the trees
But he finds no shade
For every Autumn leaf has fallen.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/jizo-in-contemplation-buddhism-sawako-utsumi.html Jizo in Contemplation (Buddhism)
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-blossoming-of-life-before-the-shadow-sawako-utsumi.html – The Blossoming of Life before the Shadow by Sawako Utsumi
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/japanese-buddhist-holy-men-in-the-deep-winter-sawako-utsumi.html Japanese Buddhist Holy Men in the Deep Winter
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/buddhist-cleric-nichiren-and-bleak-winter-in-exile-sawako-utsumi.html Buddhist Cleric Nichiren and Bleak Winter in Exile
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/jizo-and-the-buddhist-lantern-of-life-sawako-utsumi.htmlJizo and the Buddhist Lantern of Life
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sawako-utsumi.html – Sawako Utsumi and where you can buy her art, postcards, bags, and other products. Also, individuals can contact her for individual requests.
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