A New History of the Earliest Esoteric Buddhist Visual Culture in Japan

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During the two-year start-up period for the grant, as proposed, Iundertook a preliminary survey of the earliest estoeric Buddhist visual culture in Japan and hosted an International Workshop for scholars in the field. I visitedsites in Nara, Shiga, Kyoto, and collections in Tokyo, exploring the roots of esotericism relating to Nara in China and South Asia, study that will continue in a Kaken project for H 26-29. The International Workshop held at Kyushu University drew participants from Japan, Korea, the United States and Europe. Their papers will be published in journals andessay volumes. I presented a paper on the pedestal of the Yakushiji Yakushi main triadat a symposium in Berlin in July, 2013 and at the Association for Asian Studies conference in March, 2014.I will publish this research in Japanese and English. In addition to field work I purchased essential books, met with many colleagues, and created a working database for Nara-period Buddhist icons and temples.