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I. M. CASANOWICZ
AttiitaDt Curator, Divisioa of Old World Archeology
United Statet National MuMum
No. 2371. — From the Proceedings of the United States National Museum,
Vol. 59, pages 291-347, with Plates 44-92
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http://www.archive.org/details/descriptivecatalOOcasa
DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION
OF BUDDHIST ART IN THE UNITED
STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
BY
1. M. CASANOWICZ
Assi..an. Cura.or. Division of Old World Archeolog,
United States National Museum
NO. 2371.-Fron. the Proceeding, of the United States National M.seu..
Vol. 59. pages 291-347. with Plates 44-92
Washington
Government Printing Office
1921
/V ^'^^
DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION OF
BUDDHIST ART IN THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL
MUSEUM.
By I. M. Casanowicz,
Assista7it Curator, Division of Old World Archeoloijy, United Slates iVatioial Museum.
INTRODUCTION.
The collection described in this catalogue includes material from
Further India and the Far East. That from the former region con-
sists chiefly in a collection of about 200 specimens coming from the
Laos, a di^'ision of the widespread Thai or Shan race and ethno-
graphicaUy related to the Siamese, in Indo-China. The contribu-
tions from the Far East are divided between China, Japan, and Tibet.
The greater part of the specimens from the last-named country has
been described by the late William WoodviUe RockhiU in Notes On
The Ethnology of Tibet.^ They are included in the present cata-
logue for the sake of completeness.
A special collection of objects of Buddhism from Burma, a deposit
of Mr. S. S. Howland, was described under the title of The S. S. How-
land Collection Of Buddhist Religious Art in the National Museum,
by I. M. Casanowicz.'
INTRODUCTION.
THE FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM.
Buddhism arose at the end of the sixth or beginning of the fifth
century B. C. as a schism or reformation of Brahmanism in India.
Its founder, known by the names of Gautama, Sakyamuni, and
Buddha, was Siddhartha, son of Suddhodanna of the family Gautama,
rajah, or chieftain, of the Sakya clan, who were settled in the Ganges
Valley, along the southern border of Nepal and the northeast part
of Oude (Oudh), about a hundred miles north-northeast of Benares,
with Kapilavastu as capital. Gautama, then, is the family name
which the Sakyas assumed after one of the Vedic seers (Rishis),
Sakya-Muni, means sage of the Sakyas, while Buddha is not a proper
or personal name, but a title.
Later tradition has woven around the person and career of the
founder a mass of myths and legends. So, for instance, that before
> Report of the U. S. National Maseum lor 18S3, pp. 730, etc.
• Report of the U. S. National Museum for 1904, pp. 73.5-744, with 17 plates.
Proceedinqs U. S. National Museum, Vol. 59— No. 2371.
291
292 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MV8EUM. vol.59.
his last life on earth he had gone through hundreds of rebirths in all
forms of existence; or that for ages he had Uved in Tushita, the heaven
of the happy gods, and in the fullness of time was born in a super-
natural way, having entered the body of his mother Maya in the
guise of a white six- tusked elephant; that he was prompted to re-
nounce the world and his career of a prince through the sight of sick-
ness, old age, and death; that he was tempted by the fiend Mara who
tried to divert him from his mission of a savior, and other similar
myths. The simple facts of his career, so far as they can be freed from
the later legondarj^ accretions, may be said to be about as follows:
Siddhartha, who was of a reflectiA-e and contemplative turn of mind
and deeplj^ impressed with the vanity and miseiy of life, retired from
the world at the age of 29, after 10 years of manied Ufe and the
birth of a son. This is called the "groat renunciation." For six
years he led the life of a wandering ascetic sage {muni), devoting
himself to the study of the various systems of philosophy and the-
ology of the times, and to severe ascetic practices, without finding in
either a solution of the riddle of existence. In his thirty-fifth year
he passed through a second mental crisis. While sitting in medita-
tion under the famous Bo-tree (a species of Ficus religiosa, pipala)
at Bodhi Gaya, south of the present Patna, he attained to the state
of a Buddha — that is, of an " enlightened one," or " awakened one" —
having found the cause of the evils of existence and the way of do-
Uverance from them.
For 45 years Buddha went about from place to place in the valley
of the Ganges, proclaiming his good tidings and gathering around
him a small band of faithful foUowere, the earliest members of his
afterwards famous order, and finally died at the age of 80, in the
midst of his disciples, at Kusinagara, the modern Kasia, in the
district of Gorakhi:)ur, his body being cremated, and the rehcs dis-
tributed among the clans of the adjoining districts.
BUDDHA'S DOCTRINES (THE DHARMA).
The substance of the teaching of Buddha is expressed in the "four
excellent truths": (1) Existence is inseparable from sorrow. Birth
is soiTOw, age is sonow, sickness is sorrow, death is sorrow, clinging
to earthly things is sorrow. (2) The causes of sorrow are our j)as-
sions and desii es which result in new birth with its consequent old
age, sickness, death, and other miseries. For the present Ufe of the
individual is not the first one. Innumerable births have preceded
it in previous ages. The attachment to life and its pleasures pro-
duces a new being, and the moral character of the thoughts and
actions of the former existences fixes tho condition of the new being.
This is caUed the law of cause and effect, or Karma. The term
properly means "doing," or "action," and comprises the doctrine
of the everlasting effect of an act. It is tlie aggregate result of all
I
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CASANOWICZ 293
previous acts in unbroken succession fi'om tlie beginning of existence,
which in the Buddhist conception of man, constitutes his character,
his real self, his ego, as it were. This alone endures when an indi-
vidual existence has come to an end, and if the thirst of living and
the fire of passions are not entirely extinguished, it gathere around
itself, as a kind of transmigration of character, new elements and
results in a new sentient l)eing, whose nature, condition, and fortune
it determines. Individuals are merely the present and temporary
links in a long chain of cause and effect. Each link is the summarized
result of the various activities of all that have gone before,
and is, in its turn, part and parcel of all that wiU follow. By the
theory of Karma, Buddhism explains the mystery of fate in the
apparent unequal distribution here of happiness and woe, entiiely
independent of moral quahties. What a man reaps, Buddhism
teaches, that he must himself have sown, as whatsoever a man sows
that shall he also reap. (3) The cessation of sorrow through the
extinction of the passions, of evil desires and the attachment to
material objects, which destroys the power of the senses so that they
no longer give birth to new beings. (4) The way to cessation by
following the eight-fold path: (1) Right views (that is, freedom from
superstition or delusion), (2) right resolve (high and worthy of the
intelligent earnest man), (3) right speech (kindly, open, truthful),
(4) right conduct (peaceful, honest, pure), (5) right way of earning a
hvehhood (causing hurt to no living being), (6) right endeavor (in
self-training and in self-control), (7) right mindfubiess (the active
and watchful mind), (8) right contemplation (earnest thought on the
mysteries of Ufe). Each of these terras is a summary of the manifold
energies of thought, feeling, and will in various combinations and
applications, and the whole may be characterized — to use a modern
designation — as a system of "ethical culture." The general philo-
sophical presuppositions of Gautama's system are: The inevitable
connection of desire and suffering; the nonreality of any abiding
ego-principle or self, and the impermanence of all individual exist-
ence. The ethical teachings of Buddha are founded on ji definite
method of self-culture and self-discipline which would lead to the
extinction of the " three-fold fire" of self-deception, desire, and malev-
olence and to a release at once from suflering and becoming — Nirvana.
The term nirvana, which Uterally means "going out" (hke the flame
of a candle), is used with three distinct significations: (1) Eternal
blissful repose, the peace which puts an end to all striving (something
like the "beatific vision" conceived l)y Christians); (2) extinction
and absolute amiiliilation ; (3) to Buddha it seemingly meant the
dying down or going out of the fires of lust, hatred, anger, and delusion
or duUness, the cardinal sins of Buddhism, and a consequent passion-
less calm beyond reach of temptation. By thus uprooting all desire.
294 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
and by perfect detachment from life and its attractions, cessation
of the renewal of existence will bo attained. " Whence comes peace ?"
(Buddha is made to say) "When the fire of desire is extinguished,
when the fire of hate is extinguished, when the fire of illusion is
extinguished, when aU sins and all soitows are extinguished, then
comes peace." So that one may "enter Nirvana" while still on
earth. What might be the after-death state of such a released being
Gautama refused to discuss. Buddhism thus proclaimed a mode of
salvation in which every man may be his own savior, without refer-
ence to God or gods, to priest or ritual. It is the first imiversal
rehgion addressing itself to all men and to every nation; the fii'st
rehgion which had the ambition to embrace aU men, to gather the
whole of mankind into a great unity. "Go into all lands and preach
this gospel; tell them that the poor and lowl}', the rich and high, are
all one, and that all castes unite in this rehgion as unite the rivers
in the sea."
THE BUDDfflST COMMtJNITY (THE SANGHA).
The Buddhist community in the strict sense consists of an order of
monks and nuns {Bhikshus and Bhikshunis) who, as a rule, live in
monasteries and are vowed to ceUbacy, povert}^ and obedience.
The folloM'ing ten commandments were given to members of the
order: (1) Not to kill or even mjure any sentient beings (2) not to
steal, (3) not to commit adultery, (4) not to lie or use any maimer of
improper speech, (5) not to use intoxicating drinks, (6) not to take
repasts at improper times (that is, after midday), (7) not to attend
dances, plays, and public spectacles, (8) not to wear costly raiment
and garlands, or use perfumes, (9) not to use high seats and beds,
and (10) not to receive gold or silver. But already in Buddha's Hfe-
time it was impracticable for all his adherents to retire from the
world and join the order. On these lay-believers (Upasalcas) only
the first five of the ten injunctions are obligatory. Among the virtues
recommended to the masses are reverence to parents and teachers,
care for wife and children; submission to authority, control over self,
patience, forbearance, humility and contentment, alms giving,
respect for the life of sentient creatures, and care for the welfare of
all living things.
Buddha, his doctrine, and the comnmnity form the triad (the
"three jewels," triratria) of Buddhism, and the formula of confessing
fellowship with Buddhism is : I take my refuge in the Buddha, in the
Dharma, and ui tlio Sangha.
DIVISIONS or BUDDHISM.
Buddhism is divided into two great schools, which are themselves
subdivided into man}^ sects and subsects. The first, the Hinayana,
or lesser ^'ehicle (comparing the religion of Buddha to a vessel which
carries men across the agitated and restless ocean of existence, sawsara,
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CA8AN0WICZ 295
to the haven of Nirrana), which pretends to have preserved the
original teachings of Buddha in greater purity and simphcity, pre-
vails in Ceylon, Burma, and Siam, although even there Buddhism is
overlaid and intenvoven with animistic notions and practices; the
second, the Mahay ana, or "greater vehicle," which arose in the
second or first century B. C. in India and spread northward to Nepal.
Tihet, Chma, Mongolia, and Japan, adopted many popular elements
of mysticism and magic and is permeated with metaphysical specu-
lations. After the regions in which the Hinayana and Mahayana
are dominant, they are also termed the southern and northern
school, respectively. Some of the distinctive doctrmes between the
Huiayana school and that of the Mahayana are: (1) As regards the
endeavor of the believer, the aim in the former is mdividual salva-
tion by becoming an ArMt, or a perfected samt. Through contempla-
tion on the four excellent truths and by followmg the eight-fold path
he is freed from lust and desire and thus from midergomg rebirth ; in
the latter the believer strives to emulate Buddha to save others by
becommg j^ Budhisattva, an aspirant to Buddahood. For accord-
mg to the Buddhist doctrine, Gautama Sakyammii, the historical
founder of Buddhism, was only one of man}' Buddhas who appear in
the world at intervals of many ages (Kalpas), when there is special
cause for their presence, and they dej^art agam when they have ful-
filled the purpose for which they came, have set in motion the wheel
of the law which they proclaim, and have foimded an order destmed
to last for some period of tune. With each there is a period m which
the doctruie flourishes, then a gradual dccluie, when it is overthro\m
till a new teaclier appears and once more establishes the lost truths.
(2) In the Mahayana vehicle the founder was transformed from a
man who could be born and die into a supermundane self-existent
and everlasting being, surrounded by vast multitudes of Bodhisattvas,
numerous as "the sands of Ganges," who occupy various heavens as
their habitations. This is developed in the doctrine of the Adi-
Buddha, that is, the first, or primary Buddha, the Buddlia miorigi-
nated, the pruiciple and ultimate j)ostulate of existence. B}' five
acts of contemplation (dhfaiii) he })roduced the five Buddhas of
contemplation (Dhyani-Buddhas), the celestial protot}'])es or comiter-
parts of the five human Buddhas {Manushi Buddhas), of whom
Gautama was the fourth, and the fifth, Matreya, the Buddha of love,
is still to appear (at the end of the present age). By the twofold
power of knowledge ajid contemplation they give bu'th to Bod-
hisattvas of contemplation (Dhyani-Bodliisattvas). These celestial
Bodhisattvas are charged v. ith the providence of the world and with
carrymg on the m ork of an earthly (Manushi) Buddha after his demise
until the arrival of a successor. The most kno\\ n and most \\ orshiped
Dhyani-Buddha is Amitabha — endless light— the celestial comiter-
296 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 59.
part of Sakya Muni, and president of the Sukhavati heaven, the
Paradise of the West, and therefore plays a great part in the belief
and ritual of Tibet, China, and Japan as funeral divinity. His
Dhyani-Bodhisattva is Avalokitesvara or Padmapani, ruler of the
present period and protector and patron of Tibet. In China and
Japan he was transformed mto, or identified ^vith, Kuan-yin and
Kuanon, respectively, the goddess of compassion and mercy.^
Human Buddhas.
Dhyanl Buddhas.
Dhyani Bodhisattvas.
I
Krakuchanda
VfkirivViftTia
Sammantabhadra.
?
Kanakftmnni ,
Akshobva
VajrapanL
RatnapanL
Avalokitesvara or Padmapani.
Visvapanl.
3
Kasyapi
T{atna>yiTnbhftvft
4
Gautama
A mitahha
5
Maitreya
Amogasiddha
The opinion of the Mahayana adherents that every leader in their
reUgious circles, every teacher distinguished for sanctity of life, was a
Bodhisattva, besides introducing a crowd of deities from Hinduism
and a multitude of attendant spirits and demons, opened the door to
a flood of superstitious fancies, to a whole pantheon of gods, angels,
saints, which appealed more strongly to the half-civilized races
among which the Mahayana doctrine was propagated.
HISTORY OF THE SPREAD OF BUDDmSM.
.\lready at the death of Buddha the number of Buddhists seems
to have been considerable. About the middle of the third century
B. C, King Asoka, also called Piyadasi, grandson of Chandragupta,
the Sandrokottos of the Greek historians, adopted Buddhism, and
from the third century B. C. to the fourth century A. D. it was the
dominant religion of India. But then its decline set in, and towards
the end of the eleventh century A. D. it was entirely suppressed in
India itself, the land of its origin. But meanwhile it spread, through
the zeal of its missionaries, south and north. It was adopted by the
kings of Ceylon in the third century B. C, a son of iVsoka being the
first missionary, and it is here that Buddhism is found almost in its
pristine purity. From thence it was carried in the fifth century
A. D. to Burma and in the seventh to Siam. Buddhism entered
China in the first century A. D., but not until the fourth century
did it obtain there any strong footing. It is found there in two
sects — Foism, which was introduced from India; and Lamaism,
which came from Tibet — side by side with Taoism and Confucianism.
The preponderant r61e in Chinese Buddhism belongs to the celestial
(Dhyani) Buddha Amitabha (Chinese, Omitofoh), the inspirer {spiri-
tus rector) of Sakyamuni; and the Bodhisattva, Avaltokitesvara,
» Following is a synopsis of the five human or Manushi Buddhas of the present period of the world's
existence (Kalpa) and their corresponding mystic or celestial counterparts {Dh]/ani-Buddh(u), and their
mystic successors (Dhyani-Bodhisatlvas):
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OP BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 297
who is here transformed into the female goddess of pity, Kuan-yin;
and Manjusri (Chinese, Uenchu), the incarnation of science. But
there also figure many Hindu deities under Chinese names in the
Buddhist pantheon of China, besides numerous indigenous spirits
and demons.
The same characteristics can be predicated of the Buddhism of
Japan, where it penetrated from Korea in the sixth century A. D.
It adopted also there many elements of Shintoism, the native religion
of Japan, into its system, transforming the principal deities (Kami)
of the Shintos into manifestations of Buddha and Buddhist saints.
Buddhism is supposed to have first entered Tibet from Nepal in
the fourth century A. D. But it was only in the seventh century
under the patronage of King Srongtsan-Gambo that it took root in
the country and became its established religion. It was already on
its arrival in Tibet penetrated with many beliefs and rites of Hindu-
ism and was still more corrupted by assimilating many elements of
the native religion, called Bon, which probably was some kind of
demonism and Shamanism. In the fifteenth century the monk
Tsong-khapa undertook a reform of the Buddhism of Tibet to free it
from its superstitions and abuses; but his efforts seem to have had
little success or duration. The Tibetan Buddhism is a mixture of
Hindu polytheism and mysticism and native demonolatry and sor-
cery. The genuine Buddhist doctrines as taught by Gautama
Buddha play a little part in it. It has worked out an elaborate ritual
with tonsured priests, processions, masses, holy water, incense, rosa-
ries, confession, exorcism, and so forth, and by means of its powerful
hierarchy it contrived to gain also political supremacy of the country,
[t developed into a hierarchical monarchy under the suzerainty of
China. At the head of this church-state stands the Dalai Lama as
abbot of the monastery of Gedun Dubpa near Lhasa, the capital and
holy city ("God's place") of Tibet. Next to him in dignity is the
Panchen Lama, head of the monastery of Tashi Lhunpo, which is
situated about 70 miles west of Lhasa, to the right of the river Brah-
maputra.^ These dignitaries, the first of whom has always held the
highest rank in the Tibetan hierarchy, are believed to be incarnations
of the Dhyani-Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Cenresi), the special
patron and protector of Tibet, and of the Dhyani-Buddha .Vmitabha
(Odpadmed or Ts'e-pa-med), respectively. On the death of the
temporary incarnation of the Bodhisattva, that is, of the Dalai Lama,
the spirit of the latter passes over to a child, the identity of whom
< The title dalai, meaning "vast," literally, "ocean," was given to the grand lama of Lhasa by the
Mongol prince Oufri Khan of Koko-Nor, who in 1640 A. D. conquered Tibet and made a present of it to
the grand lama. The Tibetans call the Lhasa grand lama Gyalwa Rinpoche, "the gem of majesty" or
"victory." The Tashi Lhunpo grand laraas are entitled Panchen Rinpoche, "the precious great doctor,"
or "great gem of learning," or Gyalgon Rinpoche, "the precious lordly victor." See L. A. Waddell
the Buddhism in Tibet, London, 1895, pp. 227 and 235.
298 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. S'J.
being decided by divination. But also the abbots of the greater
monasteries (chutuktus) are looked upon as incarnations of Bodhisatt-
vas. Besides these quasi deified mystical persons, there are in the
Tibetan church other hierarchical ranks and degrees. "The word
'lama/ written hla-ma and meaning 'the superior one/ is that given
by Chinese and foreigners generally to the members of the Buddhist
monastic order in Tibet. In Tibet, however, this word is reserved
for those monks who have not onl)" taken the highest theological
degrees, but who have also led a saintly life and become famed for
their knowledge. The word draha is used by Tibetans as a generic
term for all persons connected with the order, monks as well as lay
brethren."^
Buddhism wherever it went was modified by the national char-
acteristics and inherited beliefs of its converts, so that fundamental
doctrines were often overshadowed, sometimes destroyed, and it
developed into strangely inconsistent and even antagonistic behefs
and practices. In accommodating itself to the genius and the
habits of widely diversed peoples it was obliged to submit to various
far-reaching compromises. It took on the color of any local condi-
tion and absorbed the native cults. In its development and expan-
sion it gathered up into itself, like a snowball, all that it found in its
way and changed even its essentials. But for all that, the impress
of Gautama's lofty teachings has not been blotted out. They became
a vehicle of a superior civilization, and their influence in the realms
of art, pliilosophy and religion has been profound. In the field of
art, in particular, it may be said that Buddhism was creator and
originator. It gave the keynote to painting, sculpture, and archi-
tecture of the East for many centiu-ies much like Christianity did for
the art of the West.
THE COLLECTION.
For the purpose of the descriptive catalogue the collection may be
divided into :
I. The Buddhist Pantheon: (1) Images of Buddha; (2) images of
Bodhisattvas and other divine beings.
II. The Buddhist Scriptures (Dharma).
III. The Buddhist Congregation (Sangha): (1) Saints and priests
and their appurtenances; (2) religious edifices and their parapher-
nalia.
IV. Miscellanous : Magic, divination, etc.
» W. W. Rockhill, Notes on the Ethnology of Tibet, p. 730. The political authority of the Dalai Lama
is confined to Tibet itself, but he is the acknowledged spiritual head of the Lamaist Buddhists throughout
Mongolia and China, as also by the Buriats and Kalmuks in Russia.
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0WICZ 299
I. THE BUDDHIST PANTHEON.
1. IMAGES OF BUDDHA.
In the early period of Buddhism no image of Buddha appears.
It seems that the Buddhist artists deliberately abstained from at-
tempting to model or depict the human foim of the divine founder of
their religion. His presence was indicated by certain signs of his
activity, or symbols wliich referred to the main events or crises of
his life, as the footprints which he left beliind liim; the sacred tiee
beneath wliich he obtained enlightenment; the wheel, which was
adopted by liis disciples as the symbol of his doctrine. It was about
the beginning of the Cliristian era — fom* or five centuries after Bud-
dha's decease — that his effigy was brought into common use, and
soon became the leading feature of Buddhist decoration.^
After the Buddha image was once created, it was considered a
meritorious and salutary act to represent as many Buddha figures as
possible. Rows of Buddha figures were employed in the decoration
of temple facades; whole rocks were turned into teiTace-reliefs
adorned \vith Buddhas, and caves were filled with thousands of
Buddha statues of all sizes, and millions of Buddliists carry an image
of him about tlieu- persons.
The most general orthodox type of Buddha images, which is prob-
ably the result of a long course of experiment,' is that of a Hindu
Yogi ascetic, sitting cross-legged in meditation, clad in a mendicant's
garb, without any ornaments. The face, usually of Aryan cast of
features, and unbearded, wears a placid and benign expression of
passionless repose and serene dignity.^ The head is bare and roughly
tonsured, the ragged contour of his cropped hair being ascribed to
Ids having on his gi-eat renunciation cut off his tresses with his sword.
His short locks are represented by Indian artists in the shape of sea-
shells, perhaps following the tradition that once snails came out to
shelter Buddha's head from the rays of the sun. In China and Japan
the short locks sometimes take the form of round beads or sharp
spikes. Among the 32 superior marks of beauty {maha'purusha-
lakshanas) and the 80 smaller marks (annuvijanjana-Iakslianas)
ascril)ed to Buddha, as the most perfect form of man, are a protu-
berance (ushnisTia) on the crown or vertex of the head, being the
" hump of perfect wisdom;" a bead or little ball (urna) between the
• The same conditions appear in early Christian art. For three centuries there were no pictures of Christ,
but only symbols, as the fish, the lamb, the dove The catacombs of St. Calllstus contained the first picture
of Christ, the date being 31.^ A. D. Rabulas in 586 first depicted the crucifixion in a Syriac Gospel. Images
come in vogue with the development of cult and ritual. The spirit of adoration necessitates a visual icon;
purely abstract symbols can uot long content an adoring worshiper
' The type of Christ was long a Quctuating one until that of Byzantium became universal.
• " There is no image so familiar in the East as his (Buddha's); he sits everywhere, in monastery, pagoda,
and sacred place, cross-legged, meditative, impassive, resigned, the ideal of quenched desire, without any
line of care or thought to disturb the ineffable calm or mar the sweetness of his unsmiling, yet gracious
face." A. M. Fairbaim, Philosophy of the Christian religion, p. 270.
300 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
eyebrows; long ear lobs, sometimes reaching to the shoulder; long
arms, which in the East is a mark of noble birth (recall Longimanus,
epithet of Artaxerxes I). The robe is usually thrown over the left
shoulder, leaving the right bare, except when he is represented
preaching or walking abroad in public. The throne upon which he
sits or stands is formed of a lotus flower (padmasana) , which is some-
times supported by lions, elephants, or other animals, as a sort of
heraldic shield. Behind his head is often displayed a nimbus or
halo, frequently in form of a fig leaf, in remembrance of the tree
(Ficus religiosa) under which he attained to Buddahood.
A prominent part in Buddhist iconography is played J)y the posi-
tion of the hands (mudra), illustrating different mcidents or favorite
scenes in Buddha's life. They are in the mam:
1. The attitude of meditation {dhyana-mudra) , which occurs
only in seated images. The legs are firmly locked and the soles
directed fully upwards, while the hands are placed in the lap, one
over the other.
2. The witness or earth touching postiu-e (bhumisparssa-mudra) .
It marks the moment when Gautama sitting upon the diamond
throne (vajrasana, so-called on accoimt of its stability and inde-
structibility) mider the bodhi-tree, was assailed by Mara, the Satan
of Buddhist theolog}^, challenghig him to prove his qualification for
Buddhahood, Gautama laid his hand upon the earth, calling upon
the earth goddess (Prithivi) to boar testimony to his pious acts in
his previous existences. Instantly the Earth goddess appeared and
addressed the saint, saying: I am your witness. This posture is
therefore used to indicate the hodJii, or enlightenment which imnie-
diately followed the "temptation," as Mara's assault is conmionly
called. The Buddha is invariably seated with the right-hand pendant
over the throne, pointmg to the earth. It is the most common
form of all seated statues, almost the only one in vogue with Southern
Buddhism (Burma, Ceylon, and Siam).
3. The attitude of preachuig, or "turning the wheel of the law"
(dharmachakra-mudra) . The two hands are held in front of the
breast, the thumb and forefinger of the right hand bemg joined and
touching the middle finger of the left hand, or the right index fuiger
tiuning down the fingers of the left hand. This posture of the
hands is likewise confined to sedent statues.
4. Grantbig protection {ahhaya-mudra) . The right hand is raised
at the level of the right shoulder, with palm of hand turned out-
wards. The left hand usually clasps the end of the upper robe,
which is turned romid the left arm so as to form a sleeve. This
mudra is found both m standing and seated images.
5. The gift-bestowmg attitude (varada-mudra) . The right arm
is stretched out downwards with the open })alm of the hand turned
to the front. This posture is associated only with standing figures.
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CA8AN0WICZ 301
The features of the Buddha images described in the preceding are
in greater part also extended to those of most of the Bodhisattvas
or mythical Buddhas. It is therefore not always possible to deter-
mine whether an image represents Buddha or a Bodhisattva. For
on the one hand individual Bodhisattvas are often given the rank
of Buddhas, though not yet attained by them, and depicted in the
Buddha type. On the other hand, the yomig prhicely figures ele-
gantly draped and decked with ornaments instead of the plain monk's
robe, which are the characteristics of Bodhisattvas, may as well
represent Sakyamuni as Bodhisattva, before his attaining Buddha-
hood.
1. Buddha. — Made of bronze. Seated in meditation. The hands
resting m the lap are disposed in such a way that the thumbs of
both hands touch one another. The meditative repose is emphasized
by the nearly closed eyes and the dreamy look of the coimtenance.
The protuberance of the head is nearly hemispherical. There is a
bead (uma) both on the head above the forehead, and below between
the eyebrows. The ears are long and pierced. Behind the head is
a circular halo of wood. The robe covers both shoulders, but leaves
the breast bare, waves from the left round the lower part of the
body and falls in ample folds over the feet. On the back of the
figure is engraved a Japanese mscription in 13 Imes which has been
rendered as follows: ,: ,
This bronze image of "The Buddha of Five WiBdoms," was made by Saburobiyoye
Katsutane, son of the great caster, Yoshitane Tsuji of the Fujiwara clan, whose title
was Tajima no Kami, Anson, who lived at the Port of Yasuno in the Province of
Seishiii (Ise).
He respectfully cast it for Shichirouyemon Tadanori Takamine, who lives in the
town of Matsuzaka in the district of Jidaka, Seishiu (Ise), whose religious name and
the religious name of his wife are given, and "Who desire the blessings of future life
for (the souls of) their Fathers, Mothers, and of six unnamed relatives, and for them-
selves."
It was respectfully offered by them to the temple of Joshozan Soan in Yamada.
Seishiu (Ise), on the loth day 9th month of the 1st (rat) year of the Period of Keian —
October 30th, 1G48, when it was reverently consecrated by Shonin (Rev'd) Kwan-
seikudatsu, of the Society of Benren (Distinguished pure Lotus), twenty-first Priest
of the temple of Sanyenzan Zojo, in the district of Shiba, Yedo, Province of Bushiu
(Musashi).
Height, 38f niches. Cast in Ise, Japan, 1648 A. D. (Plate 44, Cat.
No. 12965, U.S.N.M.) »
2. Buddha. — Made of teak wood, black lacquered and gilt. Stand-
ing on a lotus pedestal, the right hand raised to the bosom, the left
hand clasping the upper garment, the pose of grantmg protection.
The robe covers the left shoulder, leavhig the right shoulder and
• A brief sketch ol Japanese bronze work in connection with a description of this figure is found in the
Report of the U. 3. National .Museum, 1888-1889, pp. 729-73.5, under the title " On a bronze Uuddha in the
U. 8. National Museum." 15y Charles de K^y.
302 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MVHEVM. vol.59.
arm bare. Around the forehead is a sort of diadem studded with
colored stones. The latter also decorate the upper seam of the robe
and the girdle round the waist, which terminates in a sash reaching
to the ankles.
The lotus {Nelumbium speciosum) is the queen of Indiaii flowers,
to v.'hich a special sanctity is attached in the eyes of Buddhists and
Hindus alike, and both Hindu and Buddhist divinities are usually
represented standing or seated upon a lotus pedestal. With the
Buddhist in particular it is a favorite object owing to its resemblance,
when full blov/n, to the wheel, the symbol of the Buddhist doctrine
{dharma). See also below under No. 300.
Height, 6 feet 3 inches. Burma. (Plate 45, Cat. No. 129902,
U.S.N.M.)
3. Bnddha. — Made of wood. Sitting in meditation. Body and
robe are painted yellow, the locks of small cones are black, the lips
and insides of the nostrils and of the piercings of the ears are red.
The eyes wide open, the mouth with full lips wears a faint smile, the
face is round and rather short. The mendicant's robe is thrown over
the left shoulder and comes down in ringed folds over the left arm
and the legs. In place of a halo, five-forked flames issue from the
crown of the head. This is common to Buddha statues of Ceylon and
Siam and vary in the number of the flames from three to five and seven.
On the palm of the right hand are painted m red, blue, and green
colors (not seen on the plate) an open and closed lotus and concl
shells, while the sole of the right foot is adorned, in the same colors,
with wheels, lotuses, and the figures of an elephant and lion. The
general signification of the lotus in Buddhist symbolism has been
touched upon in the preceding No. 2. The wheel with "a thousand
spokes" under the soles of the feet is one of the marks {laJcshanas) of
a Buddha. The symbolism of the wheel in India meant universal
dominion, the great circle of power and rule. The "thousand-rayed
wheel" on the soles of the feet of a cliild when born indicated that he
will either be a chalcravarti, that is, a universal monarch, whose wheel
chakra, that is, chariot, rolls unresisted over all the world, or a perfect
Buddha. The wheel then marks Buddha as a spiritual chakravarti.
Legend has it that Buddha as soon as he entered this world M'alked
seven steps to each of the cardinal points, taking, as it were, spiritual
possession of the universe. In the picturesque language of the ancient
Buddhist writmgs 'turning of the wheel-of-the-law ' ' stands for
preaching the doctrine destined to travei-se the world like the chariot
wheels of a conquering monarch, and the whe^^l {dliarma-chal-ra) has
been adopted as a symbol of Buddha's doctrine and is often repre-
sented on the throne of statues, sometimes between two deer, in
memory of the first sermon delivered by him, after he attained
enlightenment, in the Deer Park at Sarnath, near Benares, when he
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CASANOWJCZ 303
"set roiling the royal chariot wheel of a universal empire of truth
and righteousness."
The elephant is the symbol of sovereignty and one of the "seven
jewels" which the chakravarti possesses, while the lion was the
emblem of the Sakya clan from which Buddha sprung. Buddha him-
self bears the epithet Sakyasimha, "the lion of the Sakya race."
Height to the summit of the flames, 7 feet 2 inches; to the crown of
the head, 6 feet 7 inches. Ceylon. (Plate 4G, Cat. No. 154977,
U.S.N.M.)
4. Bvxldha. — Wood, lacquered and gUt. Represented standing on
an hourglass-shaped base of a double lotus. The arms hanging flat
by the sides. From the protuberance of the head (uslmisTm) proceed
five rays of flames, over which rises a metal umbrella. The figure is
marked by stiffness and anatomical awkwardness. Height, 27
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 517560, U.S.N.M.)
5. Buddlia. — Bronze, lacquered and gUt. Represented in the gift
bestowing attitude walking, the right foot advancing, the raised left
foot resting on the toes. The lotus throne is set on a triple octagonal
base. From the head rise the five flames. The base is rather rudely
cast, while the figure shows better work. Height, 26 inches, Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217506, U.S.N.M.)
6. Buddha. — -Alabaster, red lacquered and gOt. Rudely executed.
The ushnisTuL is covered \\dth a headdress resembling a stupa which
is characteristic of many Siamese and Burmese figm'es. The right
hand points to the earth — the witness pose. The throne is supported
by three elephants. Height, 17i inches. Laos, Further India.
(Plate 47, Cat. No. 217613, U.S.N.M.)
7. Buddha. — Old bronze. Represented in the witness pose.
Round the throne is a frieze in relief of thirteen elephant heads, the
middle one facing front while the six on either side of him face one
another. Height, 12 inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217503, U.S.N.M.)
8. Buddha. — Old bronze, lacquered and gilt. Represented in the
witness position on a triple base, with the five rays issuing from the
ushnisha. Fine work, but the head is broken off. Height, 21
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217505, U.S.N.M.)
9. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in meditation on
a high throne of a triple lotus which is inlaid with pieces of colored
glass. The base of the five-forked flame on the head is studded with
colored stones. Height, 2H inches. Laos, Fiu*ther India. (Cat.
No. 217567, U.S.N.M.)
10. Buddha. — Bronze. Standing in the gift-bestowing attitude.
The head is slightly bent forward, with an intent gaze of the wide
open eyes downward. Around the brow is a circle of colored stones.
The right hand is l)roken off. Height, 20 inches. India. (Cat.
No. 158323, U.S.N.M.)
304 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 59.
11. Buddha. — Bronze. Standing with the hands crossed, right
over the left, in front; a rare position. Height, 17 inches, Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217524, U.S.N.M.)
12. Buddlm. — Bronze. Standing in the attitude of granting pro-
tection. The locks of the head are arranged in spirals. On the fore-
head between the eyebrows is the precious jewel (urna). The robe is
fitted round the neck, covering both shoulders, and coming down in
waved folds. The cast of the countenance as well as the arrangement
of the drapery show influence of Greek art, which left an indelible
impress on the religious art of Asia from Gandhara in northwest
India to Japan, Height, 29 inches, Japan. (Plate 48, Cat. No,
95037, U,S,N.M.)
13. Buddha. — Bronze. Similar to the preceding No. 12, only
smaller in size. Height, 12 inches. Japan. (Cat. No, 158320,
U.S.N.M.)
14. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in witness posi-
tion on lotus. Well-executed workmanship. Height, 15^ inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217565, U.S.N.M.)
15. Buddha. — Bronze. Standing in the gift-bestowing attitude, on
crown of the head five rays. Height, 15 inches. Laos, Further India,
(Cat, No. 217523, U.S.N.M.)
16. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gUt. Advancing figure on a
double base, with arms hanging flat on the sides. Height, 13 inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217602, U.S.N.M.)
17. 18. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in witness
position. The bases are adorned with conventional floral designs in
gold on a black lacquered ground. Height, 10^ and 10 inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. Nos. 217583-217584, U.S.N.M.)
19. Buddha. — ^Wood, gilded. Represented standing on a lotus
which rests on an hourglass-shaped base, the left hand holding up the
robe, the right hanging down flat. The base is inlaid with small roimd
pieces of colored glass. Height, 11^ inches, India, (Cat. No.
158325, U.S.N.M.)
20. Buddha. — Bronze. Standing in the gift-bestowing attitude.
An excellent grade of bronze combined with superior workmanship.
The right hand is missing. Height, 13^ inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217521, U.S.N.M.)
21. Buddha. — Bronze, gilt. Standing in the attitude of gi-anting
protection, with the usual five rays on the head. Height, 13 inches
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217522, U.S.N.M.)
22. Buddha. — Old bronze. Seated in witness position. The thi-one
is raised on tliree legs. Height, 11 inches, Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217508, U.S.N.M.)
23. Buddha. — Old bronze. Similar to the preceding No. 22. The
base is adorned with lotus buds in open work. Height, 12 inches.
Laos, Further India, (Cat, No, 217528, U. S. N. M.)
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CASANOWICZ 305
24. Buddha. — Old bronze. Similar to No. 22. Height, 11 inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217502, U.S.N.M.)
25. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Standing with left hand
on bosom, the right hanging down. Height, 14| inches. Laos, Fur-
ther India. (Cat. No. 217593, U.S.N.M.)
26. Buddlia. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated on a double base
in witness position. On back of the base is an inscription in Pali.
Height, llj inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217605,
U.S.N.M.)
27. Buddha. — Wood, gilt. Standing with his right hand resting on
a begging bowl (patra), the left hand holding some indeterminate ob-
ject. The legend relates that the first food offered to Buddha after
the attainment of supreme knowledge was by two merchants and con-
sisted of honey and wheat. But Buddha reflecting that he must have
an almsbowl, the fom- kings of the four quartere of the world (lokapa-
las) brought each one of gold, which he refused; then they brought
silver, emerald, and ruby dishes, which were also refused; lastly, each
brought an earthenware bowl, and Buddha causing them to unite in
one, lest there should be jealousy, accepted the one from all. This
bowl is now said to be kept in a palace at the bottom of the sea, but
on the advent of Maitreya, the next Buddha of the present world age,
it will divide into the original four, each of which is to be guarded by
one of the four regents, as it is the palladium of Buddhism. Height,
9i inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217606, U.S.N.M.)
28. Buddha. — Bronze. Similar to No. 22. Good workmanship.
Height, 10 i inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217509,
U.S.N.M.)
29. Buddha. — Old bronze. Seated in witness position. With in-
scribed base. Height, lOi- inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217510, U.S.N.M.)
30. Buddha. — Bronze. Seated m the witness position. With
seven rays issuing from the crown of the head. Height, 9 inches,
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217514, U.S.N.M.)
31. Buddha.— V>YOu.zQ. Similar to preceding No. 30. Height, 10. ^
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217525, U.S.N.M.)
32. Buddha. — Bronze, richly gilded and chased. Seated in wit-
ness position on an ornamental triple throne. The robe, which is
thrown over the left shoulder, is adorned in chased work with lotuses
and other designs and studded viath colored stones. On the front
of the throne is a sort of shield, or perhaps intended to represent a
cover hanging down. Height, 7 inches. Laos, Farther India.
(Plate 49, fig. 1, Cat. No. 217536, U.S.N.M.)
33. Buddlia or Bodhisattva. — Bronze, richly gilded and chased.
Standing on a triple base. The hands are raised in the attitude of
27177— 21— Proc.N.M. vol.59 20
306 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
veneration. The dress is decorated in chased work. From the
wrLsts are suspended some ornaments in open and filigree work. On
the shoulders, close to the neck, are similar ornaments. The ushnisfia
is surmounted by a spire. Height, 9 inches. Siam. (Plate 49,
fig. 2, Cat. No. 168501, U.S.N.M.) Collected by Gen. John A.
Halderman.
34. Buddha or Bodhisattva. — Bronze, richly gilded and chased.
Seated on a rock, western fashion; that is, both legs pendant (the
"Maitreya pose"), with the hands resting in the lap. The dress
is adorned as in No. 33. On the left of the seat a baby elephant is
holding up a vessel with water for Buddha to drink, on the right a
bear cub is presenting a honey comb. Fine specimen of bronze
work. Height, 8i inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 49, fig. 3,
Cat. No. 217535, U.S.N.M.)
35. Buddha. — Old bronze. Seated in meditation. Heavy and
careless casting. Height, lOJ inches. Laos, Further India. Cat-
No. 217507, U.S.N.M.)
36. Buddha. — "Wood, red lacquered and gilt. Standing on the lotus,
with the arms hanging fiat on the sides. Rude work. Height, 9f
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217579, U.N.S.M.)
37. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Similar to the pre-
ceding No. 36. On the base is an inscription. Height, 9| inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217581, U.S.N.M.)
38. Buddha. — Carved, of ivory and gilt. Standing with the pos-
ture of the arms the same as in No. 36. Height, 6 inches. Laos
Further India. (Cat. No. 217629, U.S.N.M.)
39. Buddha and the earth goddess. — In two parts. On the upper
portion Buddha seated in meditation. Tlie top of his head is
covered with a head dress resembling a stupa. Beneath, ou the
btise, is represented, in high relief, the goddess of the earth wringing
her hair. In the contest of Mara A\'ith Buddha, when the latter in-
voked the earth goddess as witness for his merits (see p. 300), the
goddess, squeezing her hair, caused a huge river to issue therefrom,
which swept awaj' Mara and his hordes. Wood, lacquered and
gilt. Height, 9 inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 50, fig. 1,
Cat. No. 217559, U.S.N.M.)
40. Buddha and the nagas. — Bronze relief, representing Buddha
seated in a shrine in the witness attitude. Tliis is set in a lacquered
and gilt wooden plaque which is framed by eight intertwined nagas.
The nagas })elong to the category of demigods in the syncretistic
system of later Buddhism. They are serpents having the power to
assume human form, fabled to reside under the Trikuta rocks sup-
porting Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Buddhist cos-
mology, and also in rivers, lakes, etc., watching over trejisuras,
causing rain and certain maladies, and becoming dangerous when in
anger. They have been converted bv Buddha and showed great
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIS7 IRT—CASANOWICZ 307
veneration and zeal for him and his doctrine. Nagas are repre-
sented on sculptures as giving the infant Gautama his first bath,
immediately after his birth. Muchilinda, the King of the Nagas,
protected Buddha from the rain after his enlightenment. In Budd-
hist art they are represented either in their animal form, as on this
shrine, or, more ususal, in human form ■uath a serpent placed over
the head, or rather springing from behind the neck, as an ornament.
Sometimes both forms are combined, the upper part being human
%vith the heads crowned with serpents' hoods, while the lower part
of the body, from the hips do'WTiward, is purely animal. Height, 11
inches: width, 6f inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 50, fig. 2,
Cat. No. 217595, U.S.N.M.)
41. Buddha 'onth disciples. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Buddha
seated in meditation, as in No. 39. Around the base are, in high
relief, eight disciples kneeling, with hands joined, in the attitude of
adoration. Height, 6^ inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 50,
fig. 3, Cat. No. 217594, U.S.N.M.)
42. The earth goddess. — Octagonal plaque, red lacquered, repre-
senting, in high relief, the earth goddess wringing her hair. See
above, under No. 39. Height, 10^ inches; width, S^ inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217564,'u.S.N.M.)
43. Buddha and nagas. — Carved of horn, lacquered and gilt.
Buddha, in the witness posture, is sheltered by three nagas in the
shape of cobras rising above his head, their coils forming his throne.
See above under No. 40. Height, 5\ inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217630, U.S.N.M.)
44. Buddha and disciples. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Buddha in
the witness attitude, the throne set on an octagonal hourglass-shaped
base. Upon the base are, crudely carv^ed in the round, eight dis-
ciples loieeling with uplifted hands in adoration, surrounding the
throne. Compare No. 41. Height, 8:| inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217604, U.S.N.M.)
45. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in the witness
position. The head covering is in form of an open lotus, from which
proceed seven rays. The figure with its base is socketed into a
throne formed of a crouching demoniac figure wound with the coils
of two serpents, the tails of which he holds in his mouth. Perhaps
intended for the Garuda, the mythical bird of India, who, like the
Nagas (serpents), has the faculty of assuming human form, but is
their deadly enemy, killing and injuring them whenever he can.
Height, 15 inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 51, Cat. No. 217566,
U.S.N.M.)
46. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in the witness
attitude, with inscription on front of the base. Height, 7\ inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217570, U.S.N.M.)
308 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.69.
47. Buddha. — Bronze. Seated in the witness posture on lotus
throne, which rests on a base. Height, 9 inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217517, U.S.N.M.)
48. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in witness posi-
tion on a double lotus. The robe in form of a folded shawl covers
his left shoulder. Height, 8| inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat.
No. 217561, U.S.N.M.)
49. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Standing. The head is
surmounted by seven rays. Fine work, but both arms are broken
off. Height, 8 inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217580,
U.S.N.M.)
50. Buddha. — Bronze. Seated in witness position. The robe is
folded over the left shoulder, falling over the knees. Height, 5i
inches. India. (Cat. No. 158324, U.S.N.M.)
51. Buddha. — Bronze, gilt. Similar to No. 47. Height, 10
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217534, U.S.N.M.)
52. Buddha or Bodhisattva. — Bronze. Seated. The head is bent
forward and is covered with a high-peaked crown. The arms are
adorned with armlets and bracelets. The hands, with fingers bent,
are held one over the other. Height, 6i inches. Japan. (Plate 52,
fig. 1, Cat. No. 220138, U.S.N.M.) Lent by Miss Eliza R. Scidmore.
53. Buddha. — Bronze. Seated in meditation on an ebony chair
carved with lotus in openwork. The protuberance {ushnish<i) on
the head is gathered to a knot or tuft and is surrounded with a sort
of diadem in openwork. The robe is fitted around the neck, cover-
ing both shoulders, incasing the arms in wide sleeves and falling
down in ample folds over the knees. Height, 9^ inches. China.
(Plate 52, fig. 2, Cat. No. 281273, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Mrs. Belle
Bushnell.
54. Buddha. — Bronze chased. Seated on an ornamental throne,
with something like a shield in front, similar to No. 32. The right
hand is holding a rice ball, while the left rests on the knees. It is
the custom of the temple service in Laos to place a vessel of steamed
rice and a vessel of water before the image of Buddha. Height, 5^
inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 52, fig. 3, Cat. No. 217515,
U.S.N.M.)
55. Buddha or Bodhi^aitva. — Bronze, originally gilded, but the
gilding has largely disappeared. Seated in meditation. The form
of the protuberance, the arrangement of the rol)e, and the mural
crown or diadem are the same as in No. 53. Tliis figure is, in addi-
tion, adorned with necklaces and pendants and holds in the hands
a mace or scepter. Height, 7^^ inches. China. (Cat. No. 236805,
U.S.N.M.) Lent l)y August Wall.
56. Buddha.— Soii stone. Seated, with the hands resting squarely
on the knees. The head is covered with a low, flat cap. The robo
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OP BUDDHIST ART—CASANOWICZ 309
covers both shoulders and falls in folds over the knees. Height, 13^
inches. Torai, Korea. (Cat. No. 151600, U.S.N.M.)
57. Buddlia. — Bronze. Seated in witness position. The throne
is raised on three legs. Height, 6|^ inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217518, U.S.N.M.)
58-59. BitddJia. — Wood lacquered and gilt. Seated in witness
position on an hourglass-shaped base. Height, 7f inches. Laos.
Further India. (Cat. No. 217568-9, U.S.N.M.)
60. Buddlia. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated with hands
folded in the robe in lacquered and gilt shrine. Height, 5f inches.
Japan. (Cat. No. 311798, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth
S. Stevens.
61. Buddlia. — Wood, gilt. Standing in the gift-bestowing atti-
tude. The left hand is broken off. Height, 4| inches. Japan.
(Cat. No. 154271, U.S.N.M.)
62. Buddlia. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Standing in the gift-
bestowing attitude. Height, 6 inches. Kobe, Japan. (Cat. No.
154822, U.S.N.M.)
63. Buddlia. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in the witness
posture. Height, 5^^- inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217587, U.S.N.M.)
64. Buddlia. — Bronze. Seated in witness position. Height, 7^
nches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217519, U.S.N.M.)
65. Buddlia. — Bronze, gilt. From the top of the head issue three
rays. The base on which the lotus throne rests is adorned with a
frieze of openwork in which are set five figurines in pointed arches.
Perhaps intended for the five Buddhas of the present world-age
(Kalpa), of whom Gautama was the fourth, and the fifth is still to
appear as Maitreya, the Buddha of love. Height, 6^ inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217520, U.S.N.M.)
66. Buddlia. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Standing in the atti-
tude of gift bestowing. Height, 4f inches. Japan. (Cat. No.
127274, U.S.N.M.)
67. Buddha. — Marble. Seated in the witness position. The
robe, in form of a folded shawl, is thrown over the left shoulder.
Height, 6 inches. Burma. (Plate 53, fig. 1, Cat. No. 151432,
U.S.N.M.)
68. Buddha. — Gray alabaster. Seated in the witness position.
The head is surmounted by a stupa-like crown, with a sort of halo
behind it, while the arms are adorned with armlets. Height, 7{
inches. Burma. (Plate 53, fig. 2, Cat. No. 129543, U.S.N.M.)
69. Buddha. — Gray alabaster. Seated in the witness position.
Height, 8 inches. Burma. (Plate 53, fig. 3, Cat. No. 175192,
U.S.N.M.)
310 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
70. BuddM. — Gray alabaster. Seated in the witness position.
Height, 4| inches. Burma. (Cat. No. 311813, U.S.N.M.) Bequest
of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
71, 72. Buddha. — White limestone. Seated in the witness posi-
tion. Height, 8i inches each. Burma. (Cat. Nos. 175191, 175192
U.S.N.M.)
73. BuddJia. — White alabaster, red lacquered and gilt. Seated in
the witness position, the lotus resting on a high base which is in-
scribed on the back. The garment is folded on the left shoulder. On
the head is the high-peaked crown and round the neck three bands.
Height, 17f inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217612,
U.S.N.M.)
74-84. Buddha. — White alabaster. Similar to No. 73. These
alabaster figures are rather crudely carved. The eyes and mouth are
indicated by mere lines, the dress is represented by a gilded band or
sash on the left shoulder. But they are highly valued by the Loas
Buddhists on accomit of their being white, which is beheved to be
due to a Deva (semidivine being) guarding the figures and keeping
them white and pure. During a drought they are carried in pro-
cession to cause a rainfall. Height, 4 to 8^ inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. Nos. 217614-217624, U.S.N.M.)
85. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Standing on a double
lotus, which is surrounded by an hexagonal railing, resting on a
richly carved and gilt triple base. There is a double uma (precious
bead) over the forehead and between the eyebrows, as in No. 1. The
robe covers both shoulders and comes down in graceful folds to the
feet. The cast of the face and the arrangement of the drapery exhibit
strong Greek influence. The halo, in form of a fig leaf, rises from
the lotus base and terminates in a sharp point overarching the head.
The arms, which probably were in the posture of affording protection
are missing. Height, of the figure, 12 inches; of the base, 6 inches.
Japan. (Cat. No. 154271, U.S.N.M.)
86. Buddha. — Wood, black lacquered and gilt. Seated in the
witness position. Height, 5^ inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat.
No. 217591, U.S.N.M.)
87. Buddha. — Bronze, gilt. Seated in the witness position.
Height, 5i inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217608,
U.S.N.M.)
88. Buddha or Bodhwattva. — Bronze, richly gilt with various
adornments. Much oxidized. Height, 3 inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217529, U.S.N.M.)
89. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Witness position, with
the posture of the hands reversed; that is, the left hand is pointing to
the earth, instead of the right. Rudely carved. Height, 3^ inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217586, U.S.N.M.)
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0WICZ 311
90. Buddha. — Old bronze relief. Buddha walking, stepping out
with, the left foot. The head is facing front, while the body is shghtly
turned to the left. The left arm is raised to the breast, while the
right hangs fiat on the side. Shows Greek influence. Height, 4f
inches. Loas, Further India. (Cat. No. 217530, U.S.N.M.)
91. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in meditation.
Rude carving, and there is no throne or base. Height, 2^ inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217588, U.S.N.M.)
92. Buddha. — Made of a gummy substance, lacquered and gilt.
Seated in meditation. Height, 3| inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217590, U.S.N.M.)
93. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in witness posi-
tion. Height, 2f inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217589,
U.S.N.M.)
94. Buddha. — Bronze, lacquered and gilt. Seated in witness posi-
tion. Height, 2| inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217531,
U.S.N.M.)
95. Buddha. — Bronze, gilt. Seated in meditation. Crude work.
Height, 3i inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217532, U.S.N.M.)
96. Buddha. — Bronze, lacquered and gilt. Seated in the witness
position. Height, 2\ inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217533, U.S.N.M.)
97. Buddha. — Seatedin the witness position. The head is of silver;
the body and base of a gummy substance which has been overlaid
with a casing of silver foil, most of which has disappeared. The base
is traced with a net pattern and checkers. Height, 6 inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217609, U.S.N.M.)
98. Buddha. — Similar to the preceding No. 97. On the base are
tracings of a net pattern and floral designs. Height, 5 inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217610, U.S.N.M.)
99-104. Buddha. — Seated in the witness position. Made of a
gummy substance, overlaid with silver foil. The bases are decorated
with a tracing of geometrical designs. Height, 2 to 2^ inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. Nos. 217553-217558, U.S.N.M.)
105. Buddha. — Brass. Seated in meditation in lacquered and gilt
shrine. Height, 3| inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 77125, U.S.N.M.)
106. Buddha. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in the witness
position. Height, 4^ inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217592, U.S.N.M.)
107. 108. Buddha. — Bronze relief, gilt. Seated in the witness
position on a double lotu? throne within an arch which rests on
columns. Height, 4 inches; width, IJ inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. Nos. 217641 and 217643, U.S.N.M.)
109. Buddha. — Carved flat shrine or niche, black and red lacquered,
set with beads of colored glass. In the recess of the niche is a bronze
312 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
relief representing Buddha seated under a canopy in the witness
posture. In the background is seen the sacred Bo tree under which
Gautama attained to Buddhahood. Height, 8^ inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217576, U.S.N.M.)
110. Buddlia in a niche or shrine. — Similar to he preceding (No.
109) , only that in this the attitude is of meditation. The head of the
Buddha figure is broken off. Height, 8 inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217577, U.S.N.M.)
111. Buddha. — Bronze relief, representing Buddha seated in the
witness posture on a double throne with a halo in shape of a fig leaf.
Height, 3^ inches; -vvddth, 1^- inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat.
No. 217692, U.S.N.M.)
112. Buddha. — ^Antique ivory carving, in form of a pointed cone,
gilt and mounted. Obverse, two seated Buddhas, one above the other,
the upper in meditation, the lower in the witness attitude; reverse,
the sacred Bo tree. Height, 9J inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217627, U.S.N.M.)
113. Buddha. — ^Antique ivory carving, in form of a pointed cone,
gilt and mounted. On both sides, Buddha in the witness position
under the Bo tree. Height, 6^ inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat.
No. 217628, U.S.N.M.)
114. Buddha. — Terra-cotta relief. Buddha, in the attitude of
gift bestowing, standing on a lotus which rests on an elaborately
carved base. The dress, which covers the whole body, is adorned
with horizontal bands modeled of floral designs in relief. On the
arms are bracelets. On either side of the figures are richly carved
columns which closed on to an arch which has broken away. The
relief is of ancient Cambodian workmanship and was apparently
removed from the wall decorations of a temple. Height, 7f inches;
width, 3 i inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217638, U.S.N.M.)
115. Buddha. — -Terra-cotta relief (fragment), showing Buddha
seated in meditation. Over his head is an umbrella, and on the sides
lotus buds (?). Height, 5 inches; width, 3^ inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217632, U.S.N.M.)
116-119. Buddha.— Old terra-cotta reliefs, representing Buddha
in the witness position. Height, 2^ to 2^ inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. Nos. 217634-217637, U.S.N.M.)
120. Buddha. — Clay plaque, rounded at the top, with a raised
rim all around. Inside is a miniature figurine of Buddha in the center,
surrounded by some 50 still smaller figurines of disciples. Height,
4i inches; width, 3f inches. India (?). (Cat. No. 276834, U. S.N.M.)
121. Plaster cast of the face of Buddha. — From an ancient statue
in Korea. Height, 91 inches. Korea. (Cat. No. 129594, U.S.N.M.)
122. Buddha. — Bust, made of a gummy substance, lacquered and
gilt. Height, 5 inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217611,
U.S.N.M.)
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 313
123. Bronze head of Buddha. — From a statue found in the ruins of
the Wat-Pra-Shan-Tan temple, near Lakawu Lampang. The face
shows a noble tranquil expression. From the crown of the head
issue five rays. Traces of gilding are discernible. Height, 6 inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217511, U.S.N.M.)
124. Terra-cotta head of Buddha. — From a statue found in the
ruins of Wat-Yaphra-Khaw, ' ' the temple of the women of the white
cloth." Fine work. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217639,
IT.S.N.M.)
125. Buddha Hgurines iji dum shell. — These images on a shell are
made by the natives of China by taking a large kind of clam {Alas-
modonta) and gently attaching leaden images of Buddha under the
fish, after which it is thrown back into the water. Nacre is deposited
over the lead, and after a few months the shells are retaken, cleaned,
and sent abroad as proofs of the power and presence of Buddha.
6i by 4f inches. Ningpo, China. (Plate 54, Cat. No. 127111,
U.S.N.M.)
126. Parinirvana. — Buddha dying, or, as the Buddhist ritual
expresses it, entering nirvana. Alabaster. Length, 34 inches.
India. (Plate 55, Cat. No. 158322, U.S.N.M.)
127. Parinirvana. — Buddha entering nirvana. Wooden canopy,
red and gold lacquered. It consists of a square base around the
edges of which are set uprights and at one end is a panel carved in
open work, while the roof has extended eaves. On the platform is a
figure of Buddha lying on the right side, the head resting on some low
support, suiTounded by eight disciples. Of these one holds a vase
(with medicine, or the ambrosia of nirvana), another is weeping,
and the hands of the rest are in the posture of adoration. One of the
disciples is missing. Height, 21 inches; length, 13 inches; width,
9 inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 56, Cat. No. 217668,
U.S.N.M.)
128-131. Parinirvana. — Buddha entering nirvana. Antique bron-
zes, representing Buddha lying on his right side, his head resting on
a round pillow. Height, 4 inches: length, 7 to 8^- inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. Nos. 217512, 217516, 217526, 217527,
U.S.N.M.)
132. Parinirvana. — Buddha entering nirvana. Terra-cotta relief,
gilt. Length, 4| inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217633^
r.S.N.M.)
133. Horns of Buddlia. — Bronze, lacquered and gilt. According
to the tradition preserved in the Jatakas, which form a part of the
Buddhist sacred literature, Gautama had passed through 550 exis-
tences in all created forms — as God, as man, as animal — till in his
last incarnation, as the son of Suddhodanna, he appeared as the
savior of mankind. These horns are believed by the Laos to be the
314 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. .V,».
actual horns of Buddha from a former incarnation as a bull. They
were found at a relic shrine (stupa) claimed to have been erected on
the spot where this bull is said to have died. The shrine and the lake
near b}" still bear the name of this bull and are regarded as a sacred
spot. On the front of the horns is carved in archaic style Buddha in
the vritness position; on the back, standing with the arms hanging
flat on the sides. Height, 7^ inches; length of the base, 8-2 inches.
Laos, Further India. (Plate 57, Cat. No. 217G25, U.S.N.M.)
134. Bnddla's footprint {Duddliapada) . — Cast from the original at
Buddhagaya, Magadha, India. Supposed footprints of Buddha are
found in various Buddhist countries, to which devout Buddhists
make pilgrimages and present offerings. Most celebrated are the
footprints on the gateways of the tope of Sanchi, in Bhopal (central
India), on which are marked beside the wheel 108 compartments,
each occupied by some sacred object (as a trident, a flower, a candle,
a ])Ook, angels, the planets, etc.).*** Length, 2.5^ inches. India.
(Plate 58, Cat. No. 70219, U.S.N.M.)
2. IMAGES OF BODmSATTVAS AND OTHER DIVINE BEINGS.
135. Aimtablia (?). — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in the
"easy pose" (lalita saim), the left leg hanging down with inclination
slightly inwards, the right drawn up and loosely bent. The ushnisha
is gathered to a knot or tuft. The forehead was adorned with a metal
ornament resembling a diadem, which has fallen off. The dress is
elaborate and ornate. The right hand holds a wand or scepter, the
object wliich was in the left hand is missing. Behind the head is
a circular halo and another one behind the body, both mth a beaded
border and set in a fig leaf-shaped aureole carved with scrolls in open
work. The seat represents a rock round which is coiled a dragon, the
emblematic mythical animal of China and Japan. Amitabha, or as
the Japanese name him, Amida, is one of the five celestial meditation
(dhyani) Buddhas, who rules over the Sukhavati heaven of the west.
He is the celestial reflex or counterpart of Gautama Buddha. He is
the "Buddha of infinite light," and is in the entire northern Buddhism
the most popular divinity and his image the most wideh'^ spread.
The identification of this figure as that of Amitabha is, however,
tentative. Height of the figure, 25 inches; of the base, 19 inches;
length of the base, 20 inches; width, 16 inches. Japan. (Plate 59,
Cat. No. 154964, U.S.N.M.)
"> N[ost famous is the footprint on Adam's Peak in Ceylon, which Buddha is said to have left on the
occasion of his mythical visit to Ceylon. The cavity of about 5 feet long on the summit of the peak has been
claimed by the Buddhists for Buddha, by the Sivaites for Siva, by the Christians for St. Thomas, who,
according to tradition, had carried Christianity to India, and by the Mohammedans for Adam, who alighted
on it when he was expelled from Paradise. The name Adam's Peak was given to the mountain by the
Portuguese, who called it Ptco de Adam. — The Portuguese authorities were divided between the conflicting
claims for the footprint of St. Thomas and the eunuch of Queen Candace, mentioned in Acts vlii, 27.
The footprint of Buddhagaya is now worshipped as that of Vishnu.
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0WICZ 315
136. AmitabJia (f). — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in medi-
tation on a full-blo"WTi lotus throne "which is supported by a lion cou-
chant on a rock which rests on a plinth, in a wooden shrine. The head
wears an elaborate crown, in a filigree work. On the ears are simi-
larly worked ornaments from which a necklace or chain hangs doAvn
over the breast. Height of the figure, 12^ inches; of the shrine, 24
inches. Shei Sheiva, Japan. (Cat. No. 154293, U.S.N.M.)
137. Tse-pa-med (Sarifihrit Amitayus). — Bronze, chased and gilt.
Amitayus with the Tibetan Buddists is the active spiritual reflex of
Amitabha and is worshipped as the Buddha of long life (while Ami-
tabha is the Buddha of "boundless light")- The Chinese confuse
him with Amitabha. He is represented seated on a double lotus,
holding before him in his right hand a bowl (often a skull) filled \vith
water of life, which is one of the eight luck-compelling symbols of
ancient India, the left hand rests vriih upturned palm in his lap under
the right. The head is painted in blue." Height, 8 inches. Dolon
Nor, Tibet. (Cat. No. 130400, U.S.N.M.)
138. Kuan-Yin. — Porcelain, seated on a lotus around which is
coiled a dragon; the right hand holds a child, the left rests on her knee,
and on the sides are a male and female suppliant. Kuan-Yin, in
Japan, Kuannon, her full name being Kuan-Shai-Yin, signifying,
" a being who hears or perceives the cnes of man," is in both countries
the goddess of mercy and the female transformation of Avalokitesvara
("the one who looks down from above," namelj'^, upon suffering hu-
manity with compassion), the emanation or contemplation (dhyani)
Bodhisattva of Amitabha, of whom Gautama Buddha was the
earthly embodiment. Avalokitesvara lias, therefore, charge of the
world until Gautama's successor, the next Buddha in the person of
Maitreya appears. Kuan- Yin is bodily healer as well as conveyor of
the souls to the Paradise of Amitabha in the "bark of salvation."
Seven cases of distress are generally specified in which she is ready to
extend her hand of mercy: Dangers caused by the sword; fetters or
chains; fire; water: demons: goblins; and an enemy. Sometimes
danger by storm is added, to make four couples complete. As child
bestowing, she is represented carrying a male infant in her arms and is
invoked by women desiring offspring. Her worship is most widely
extended in China and Japan. Height, 8^ inches. Foochow, China.
(Plate 60, Cat. No. 216026, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Gen. G. W. Bailey.
139. Kuannon. —'Wood painted and decorated. Standing on a blue
base, holding an infant in the left hand. Face, hands, bosom, and
" "Copper is found both native and in the form of pyrites in Tibet, where it is wrought with uncommon
perfection. Several localities are well known for their famous founderios, which supply the whole of the
Buddhist east with statuettes of divinities. Lhasa ha.s a special reputation for small figures in gilt copper,
which are esteemed the more the smaller they are. The statuettes made by the monks and craft-smen of
Tashiliunppo are equally esteemed. Most of the bronM statuettes come from the workshops of the Tsang
and Khams Provinces. The bronzes from the region last named are famous for the perfection of their exe-
cution in details and their wonderful patina." — Wincent A. Smith, A History of Fine Arts in India and
Ceylon, Oxford, 1911, p. 198.
31G I'ROCEEDJNGS OF THE NATIONAL MUHEUM. vol. 59.
infant are painted white, the lower dress, brownish green with broad
gold border; the upper, blue. Height, 6 inches. Kobe, Japan.
(Plate 61, Cat. No. 154824, U.S.N.M.)
140. Kuanrum. — Lead, bronzed, standing in a shrine of plain wood
on a gi'een lotus, holding in her right hand a sort of scepter {ju^), in
the left, the precious })all {rnani). Height, 7^ inches. Shigisan,
Jamato, Japan. (Cat. No. 150581, U.S.N.M.)
141. Kuan-Yin. — Wood, painted. Holding infant. Faces, hands,
and feet are painted white; the dress, brown. Height, 6 inches.
Foochow, China. (Cat. No. 216027, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Gen. G. W-
Bailey.
142. Kuan-Yin {?). — Pewter, red lacquered and gilt. Seated in
meditation. Height, 9^ inches. China. (Cat. No. 3 1 1805, U.S.N.M.)
Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
143. Kuan-Yin. — Copper, silvered. Statuette without base. The
hands are wrapped in the voluminous folds of the dress, which, how-
ever, do not conceal the necklace with three pendants. The veil is
drawn over the head and hangs down behind. Height, 4^ inches.
China. (Cat. No. 311808, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S.
Stevens.
144. Tsheii-ju-Kuannon (thousand-handed Kuannon). — Relief of in-
durated clay, representing the goddess with many arms standing on a
lotus. The distinctive attribute of the goddess, namely, mercy, is
illustrated in this realistic manner by an image with many hands that
are ever ready to help the needy. Height, 3 inches. Kobe, Japan.
(Plate 62, fig. 1, Cat. No. 116220, U.S.N.M.)
145. Kuannon. — ^Wooden statuette painted and gilt, with six arms
seated in lacquered shrine. Height, 4 inches. Japan. (Plate 62,
fig. 3, Cat. No. 154272, U.S.N.M.)
146. Kuanti, Chinese god of war. — Sandal wood, carved. Stand-
ing on a mythical animal with two attendants, Kuanti, one of the
deities of Taoism, was admitted into the temples of pacificistic
Buddhism because as god of war he was considered as a valuable
champion to enlist on the side of the true religion, and also because
he was the tutelary deity of Manchu dynasty. Height. 5 inches.
China. (Plate 62, iig. 2, Cat. No. 1.58284, U.S.N.M.)
147. Kuanti, Chinese god of war. — Wood, carved, painted, and
gilded. Height, 28 inches. China. (Cat. No. 158312, U.S.N.M.)
148. Kuanti. — Kelief carved of basaltic lava, with an inscription
in intaglio. Height, 15 inches; width, 9 inches. Yokohama, Japan-
(Cat. No. 75060, U.S.N.M.)
149. Tien-How. — Indurated clay. Woman seated, holding in her
right arm an infant, in the left hand a lotus. Originally a Taoist
divinit)-, the "i|uccn of heaven," Tien How is worshiped in China as
the mother of Buddha, whom she had miraculously conceived. She
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 317
aid lier cloak upon an island when she bathed in the sacred Ganges.
On returning she found a lotus bud in the garment and, having eaten
it, she conceived Buddha. Perhaps it was this divinity which gave
rise of the coordination of Avalokitesvara with Kuan-Yin. Height,
4f inches. China. (Cat. No. 130S15, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Mrs. J. G.
Bruff.
150. Maitreya. — Wood lacquered and silvered. Seated in medi-
tation. Maitreya is the Bodhisattva of Gautama Buddha and the
next and last Buddha to appear on earth during the present world-
age (Icalpa). He is the only Bodhisattva known to southern Bud-
dhism (Burma, Cejdon, Siam). He is sometimes represented seated
in European fashion, that is, with the legs let down, with the attri-
butes of a vase (of ambrosia) and a wheel and lotus. Height, 9|
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217582, U.S.N.M.)
151. Maitreya (?). — Wood. Seated figure on a throne, wearing
a crown, with the feet resting on a footstool. The right hand is
resting on the knee, the left on the breast, and beneath it is a carved
mask of a monster. Height, 10 inches. China. (Cat. No. 216029,
U.S.N.M.) Gift of Gen. G. W. Bailey.
152. Jat/thyang (Sansh'it, Manjusri). — Bronze, gilt and polished.
The name Manjusri means something like ' 'having a lovely brilliance."
He is the Bodhisattva of the celestial Buddha Akshobhya, and is the
representative of transcedental wisdom. He is represented seated,
holding in his right hand the sword of knowledge with which he
cleaves the clouds of mental darkness. His other attribute is a book
which rests upon a lotus rising behind his left arm. The high dia-
dem is painted blue. His principal temple is at Wu-tai-shan in the
Chinese Province of Shanhsi. Height, 8 inches. Lhasa, Tibet.
(Cat. No. 130396, U.S.N.M.)
153. Bodhisattva (?). — Wood, carved, gilt and encrusted with
pieces of colored glass. Standing on a base, holding a long stalk
extending from the feet to above the head and probably terminated
in a lotus bud, which is broken away. The robe, richly carved with
bands of floral designs and beaded lines, reaches down to the feet,
ending in a train behind. Over this is a short, closely fitted coat,
descending to the hips, while from the arms hang folded scarfs.
The head is covered with a diademed cap, from which rises a conical
crown. The rather small ears have red stones attached to the lobes
and are set in a triangular ornament. On the bosom is an ornament,
formed of four lozenge-shaped pieces of glass with a boss in the cen-
ter. Height, 19| inches. Burma or Siam. (Plate 63, fig. 1, Cat.
No. 311804, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
154. Bodhisattva (?). — Bronze, cast and chased, gilt and polished.
Standing on a base. The robe, descending to the feet, with a sort
of waist held by a belt, is finely chased with floral designs. The
318 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
hands, with the fingers bent and placed the right over the left, would
indicate that had held something like a wand or scepter, which is
missing. Height, 9^ inches. China or Mongolia. (Plate 63, fig. 2,
Cat. No. 311807, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
155. Drolma {Sanskrit, Tara). — Bronze, gilt and polished; Tara,
the name meaning "savioress," is the female energy or counterpart
{scikti) of the compassionate Avalokitesvara and like him she shows
her gracious disposition towards mankind by her right hand being
stretched out in the gift-bestowing gesture, while the left holds a
lotus stalk. An ornamental fillet with a crest in the middle adorn
the forehead. The other ornaments are large circular earrings, a
double necklace, a long string of beads fastened between the breasts,
richly studded armlets, bracelets, and anklets, and an elaborate
girdle. The headgear is painted dark-gieen. Behind the left arm
rises a lotus. Height, 6^ inches. Chamdo, Eastern Tibet. (Cat.
No. 130395, U.S.N.M.)
156. Drolma {Sanskrit, Tara). — Brass. Similar to preceding No.
155. With a fig leaf -shaped halo. Crude workmanship. Height,
5f inches. Thibet. (Cat. No. 311792, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss
Elizabeth S. Stevens.
157. Fudo. — Wood, carved and gilt. Seated in the easy position
{hlita Sana) on a rock, holding a sword in the right hand and a snare
in the left, with a flame-shaped halo in open work, in a lacquered,
gilt shrine. Fudo (the name meaning, ' 'without movement") is con-
sidered as the Bodhisattva of Vairochana, the celestial reflex or
meditation Buddha of Krakuchanda, the assumed first earthly
{manusJti) Buddha of the present world period. Fudo's function is
to combat evil in the world, and his attributes are a sword and a
snare to catch and bind the wicked and smite the guilty. In the
funeral ritual of the Shiugon sect of Japanese Buddhism a Fudo
sword is placed in front of the celebrant in the belief that he takes
charge of the soul after death. Fudo is also patron of soldiers.
Height, 6^ inches. Japan. (Plate 64, Cat. No. 311,812, U.S.N.M.)
Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
158. Tarrulrin, or Tamdin {Sanskrit, Hayagriva). — Bronze, gilt
and polished, Hayagriva-Tamdrin is one of the eight dreadful gods,
united b}' the Tibetans in the group of Drags hed ("terrible slayer").
They are Hindu or local Tibetan gods brought into the Buddliist
system as protectors of the true faith against the demons of their
several spheres. They are represented as beings of ferocious aspect,
with broad and hideous heads, protruding tongues, and huge teeth.
Their limbs are enormously strong, but short, and their bodies are
misproportioned ; the}'- are surrounded with flames or smoke, and
on their forehead they bear a third eye (the 'eye of wisdom)." In
the present figure Hayagriva-Tamdrin is represented kneeling on
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OP BUDDHIST ART—CA8A2fOWICZ 319
his left knee, with three faces of hideous expression, and on his head
a crown of flames (painted red). Around his waist is a girdle of
leaves, and a large rosary hangs around his neck. He has six amis.
In his upper right hand he holds a snare to catch the demons, and in
the lower an arrow; in his upper left hand is a three-leaved flower
(?) and in his lower left a bow. The middle right hand which he
holds before him has in it the vajra (Tibetan dorje), the thunderbolt of
Indra, the Hindu god of the atmosphere; the middle left hand is
empty, the thumb toucliing the second and third fingers, the index
and little finger held extended. He is horse-necked and frightens
the demons by Iiis neighing. For this reason the Mongolians con-
sider him protector of horses. Height, 8 inches. Lhasa, Tibet.
(Cat. No. 130398, U.S.N.M.)
159. God of riclies (Jarnbala or Kuhera, Tibetari, Gunlcar Yizhi,
Norbu). — Bronze, gilt and polished. The god of riches is one of the
Dragsheds (for wliich see No. 158). He also appears as one of the
four world guardians (Ld'apalas), who dwell around Mount Meru,
the reputed center of the Buddhist world. He is three-faced, with a
crown of flames (painted red), standing on two elephants. He has
six arms adorned with anklets and bracelets. The middle hands are
held before him with offerings in them. The upper right hand holds
a vajra (dorje, the thujiderbolt of Indra), the upper left a tliree-
forked club, perhaps intended to represent the trisula, or trident,
the scepter of the Hindu god Siva. The lower right a small hand
drum (damaru), and the lower left a snare. Height, 4^ inches.
Lhasa, Tibet. (Cat. No. 130399, U.S.N.M.)
160. GamJhaiTa. — ^Wood, red lacquered and gilt. Human kneeling
figure in the attitude of adoration, set on wings. The Gandharvas
belong to the Devas, secondary deities or attendants. In the Hindu
system, whence they were introduced into Buddhism, they are the
musicians of Indra. who with their master serve and worship Buddha.
They are sometimes represented with a human bust on the body of a
bird, playing a musical instrument. Height, 6 inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217607, U.S.N.M.)
161. Maha Upakut. — Wooden figure, lacquered and gilt. Repre-
sented with the hands pressed on the prominent abdomen, wearing a
flat T0{\ cap in form of an open lotus and red garment thrown on the
left shoulder. The Laos describe tlic Maha Upakut as a son of
Buddha, who was born in the water of the river god. His skin is
rough in imitation of a fish's scales. They believe that toucliing his
figure after it has been dedicated to a temple will cure pains of the
stomach. Height, 10 inches. Laos. Further India. (Plato 65.
Cat. No. 217596 U.S.N.M.)
162-166. Maha Upakut. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Similar to
the preceding No. 161. Height, 2i-6V inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. Nos. 217597-217601. U.S.N.M.)
320 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. tol. 59.
167. Daikoku. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Daikoku is one of
the Japanese seven gods of good fortune (Shichir-fuku-jin), which are
derived from Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Sliintoism, and
form a sort of popular appendage to Japanese Buddhism. They
are, in the order of their popularity, as follows:
1. Daikoku (the "great black one") is Mahakala of the Hmdus.
But while the Hindu god is one of the most destructive and awe-
inspiring deities of the Hindu pantheon, his Japanese counterpart is
the smiling god of wealth. He is usually represented as a sturdy
figure habited in the ancient dress of a well-to-do Chinese burgher,
with a flat cap. In his right hand he holds the magic hammer, a
single stroke of which gives wealth, while his left hand grasps the
mouth of a sack that is slung across his shoulder. He stands or sits
upon a well-filled pair of rice bales. The mallet being the attribute
of miners, and the rice the product of agriculture, are emblematic of
the two principal sources of the wealth of ancient Japan. Some-
times he also carries a turnip. Plis picture is frequently found at
the entrance door to the house.
2. Ebisu (the "stranger") is, notwithstanding his name, an indige-
nous product of Japan. He was the younger brother of the Sliinto
sun goddess Amaterasu (from whom the emperors of Japan derived
their descent). He somehow incurred the displeasure of his family
and was expelled to the western sea, where ho spent his remaining
life as a fisherman. He is, accordingly, represented with a fishing
rod in his right hand and a fish (Pagrus cardinalis or maj<r, which is
considered by the Japanese the most delicious provision on the table).
He is the patron of merchants and tradesmen and is usually in the
company of Daikoku, the patron of the farmei*s.
3. Benzaiten (popularly abbreviated to Benten) is identified with
Sarasvati, the spouse of Brahma, the Hindu goddess of eloquence and
learning, and her character has remained the same in Japan. She is
also the popular goddess of love and beauty and everything that
adorns life. In Hindu mythology she is depicted as riding on a pea-
cock as her vehicle ivalian). In Japan she is often represented as
standing or sitting on a dragon and holding a musical histrument.
4. Bishamonten (Bishamon) is the Hindu Kubera or Vaisravana,
the god of riches and the Buddliist Maharaja of the northern quarter
of Mount Mem (see above under No. 159). In Japan he is the god
of strength and wealth, but also the patron of knowledge. He is
usually represented as a stately knight, holding a model of a castle
or tower and a spear and standing on a conquered foe, which sym-
bolise his function as guardian warrior god.
5. Hotel (''linen bag") is believed to have been a Chinese priest
who lived in the tenth century A. D., celebrated for his fatness, liis
love of children, and especially for always carr^'-ing a large linen bag,
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CASANOWICZ 321
from which his name is derived. In China he is worsliiped under
the name of Pu-tai as an incarnation of Maitreya, the Buddha of the
future. He is a sort of a Japanese Santa Claus, the god of mirth and
laughter.
6. Jurojin (''old venerable man") is of Chinese origin. He
symbohzes longevity. His attributes are a stag or crane, both
(together with the peach and tortoise) being emblems of longevity.
7. Fukurokuju ('bliss, wealth, longevity"). His most prominent
physical mark is his tall head, being at least twice as long as liis face,
as if an ordiuaiy-sized cranium was not large enough to hold all his
virtues, knowledge, and happiness. He is the companion of Jurojin,
and their names and attributes are often interchanged.
Height of the Daikoku figure, 13 inches. Japan. (Plate 66,
Cat. No. 130458, U.S.N.M.)
168. DailcoTcu. — Lead, silvered. Height, 3 inches. Kobe, Japan.
(Cat. No. 154827, U.S.N.M.)
169. Ehisu.—Le&d, silvered. Height, 3 inches. Kobe, Japan.
(Cat. No. 154826, U.S.N.M.)
170. Jurojin. — Sitting beside a stag. Bronze, black lacquered.
Height, 2^ inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 311809, U.S.N.M.) Bequest
of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
171. Fiikurokuju. — Bronze. Height, 6| inches. China or Japan.
(Plate 67, Cat. No. 311811, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S.
Stevens.
172. FulcnroTcoju.- — Miniature mask, brass, gold plated. Height,
U inches. China or Japan. (Cat. No. 311863, U. S.N.M.) Bequest
of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
11. THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES (DHARMA).
The sacred books supposed to embody the word of Buddha, are
considered by Buddhists as forming the second member of the
Triratna — the three precious ones — to whom the pious Buddhist
daily takes his refuge. The books themselves receive divine honors.
They are held materially sacred, are placed in high places and
worshipped.
The two main divisions of Buddhism, the Hynayana and Mahay ana,
or the southern and northern schools, respectively (compare the
introduction, p. 294), have different canons of scriptures. The
southern canon is written in the Pali language, and contains on the
whole the older and purer exposition of Buddha's doctrines, though
it already shows a considerable development. The scriptures of the
Mahayana, or northern school, which are written parts in Sanskrit
and in a mixed dialect of Sanskrit and Middle Indian or the Gatta
dialect, parts in Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Japanese, are in
27177— 21— Proc.N.M. vol.59 21
322 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
their contents more or less influenced by Hinduism, and contain not
only what is found in the Pali scriptures but a great deal more. The
southern canon is about twice as large as the Enghsh Bible, and is
assumed to have been fixed in the third ccnturj- B. C, and reduced
to writing in Pali in the first centun'' B. C. The northern canon is
about a hundred times larger than the Pali canon. Thus, the
Chinese scriptures are seven hundred times the amount of the New
Testament, comprising 5,000 books, which represent 1,662 different
works. The Tibetan canon, called Ka-gyur (Kan-jur) contains 100
or 108 volumes of about 1,000 pages each and representing 1,083
different works.
The Buddhist scriptures go by the name of the TripitaTca (three
baskets) because when the scholars classified the sacred writings,
which were written on palm leaves, the books were put into baskets.
Another explanation expresses the idea of how the scriptures were
handed down from one generation to another. In the Orient it is a
common custom to have workmen stationed in a line who hand
from man to man a series of baskets filled with something to be
removed from one place to another. In the case of the scriptures
it expresses figuratively the long line of teachers who handed down
to generation after generation the teachings of the founder.
173. Sacred writings of the southern Buddhists (Tripitaica).—
Printed edition in 39 volumes, in the Pali language (the sacred
language of the southern Buddhists) and in the Siamese alphabet.
The three "baskets" contain:
1. The Vinaya-pitaka, the collection of rules and precepts espe-
cially intended for the monks (vols. 1-8).
2. The Suttanta-pitaka, or Sutras, containing discourses, proverbs,
hymns, and legends for general instruction (vols. 9-28).
3. The Abhidhamma-pitaka, devoted to the metaphysics oi
Buddhism (vols. 29-39).
Bangkok, Siam. (1.54,989.)
Presented by His Majesty Somdetch Phra Paramindr Maha Chula-
lonkorn Phra Chula Chom KJao, King of Siam, in commemoration
of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his reign, March 20, 1895.
174. Prajna Paramita. {Tiletan, Shirah). — ^Tibetan manuscript,
written on 366 ornate cardboards, consisting of several layers of paper
pasted together and varnished over with a black pigment, in gold
letters, and held between two covers of lacquered and gilt wood.
The Prajna Paramita, or "transcendental wisdom," properly, "the
means of arriving at the other side of wisdom," consists of mythical
discourses attributed to Buddha and addressed mostly to super-
natural hearers on the Vulture's Peak at Rajagriba (the modern
district of Patna, Bengal). It is the most sacred book of the Mahay-
anist scriptures. It is ascribed to Xagarjuna, a converted Brahmin
No. :i371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 323
philosopher to Buddhism, who possibly lived in the second century
A. D., and who is counted the fourteenth of the twenty-eight patri-
archs of the Mahayana hierarchy. Xagarjuna alleged that he received
the book from the Xagas, who dwell in the ocean (for which see
above under Xo. 40), and they received it from the mouth of Gautama
and kept it until a generation arose which \\'as capable of understand-
ing it. Height, 10 inches; width, 17^ inches; thickness, 7 inches.
Tibet. (Cat. Xo. 237929, U.S.X.M.) Collected by Lieut. Col.
L. A. Waddell, archeologist of the Indian Government expedition to
Tibet in 1904-5, and presented by the Government of India.
175. Printing block of wood in Manchu mid Chinese clmracters. —
From the library of the Temple of the Colossal Buddha in the palace
grounds of Peking. Length, 25 inches; width, 8 inches. Peking,
China. (Cat. Xo. 222152, T^S.N.M.) Lent by Miss Eliza R.
Scidmore.
in. THE BUDDmST CONGREGATION (SANGHA).
1. SAINTS AND PRIESTS AND THEIR APPURTENANCES.
17 Q-177. Pair of arhats. — ^Wood, lacquered. Seated figures. The
term arJiai (Chinese, lohon, Japanese, rohan) is in a specific sense
applied to the original disciples of Buddha, the apostles, who are
variously counted from 10 to 500. More generally it designates a
disciple or follower of Buddha who has attained the highest degree
of perfection and completed the chain of existence so that he need
not be born again. In a still wider sense it is applied to any virtu-
ous and learned saint. The chief apostles or missionaries are usually
provided with some attribute or emblem, such as a book or scroll, a
fly whisk and vase, as seen on these figures, a jeweled snare, a crown,
and so on, and receive worship in the temples. Height, 19i inches.
Tokio, Japan. (Plate 68, Cat. Xo. 130460, U.S.X.M.)
178. Arhat. — Bronze, gilt. Seated figure, with hands joined in
the attitude of veneration. Height, 4 inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. Xo. 217668, X^S.X.M.)
179. Arhat. — Wood, red lacquered and gilt. Kneeling figure, with
hands joined. Height, 4| inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. Xo.
217575, U.S.X.M.)
180. Arliat.—BTonze. Seated figure, with hands raised in rever-
ence. The inscription on the base states that it was dedicated in
the year 1151 of Buddha. Height, 4% inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217513, T^S.X.M.)
181. Arhat. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Kneeling figure, with
hands folded in adoration. Height, 5i inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. Xo. 217562, T'.S.X.M.)
182. Arhat. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Kneeling figure, holding
begging bowl, or medicine va«e, with both hands of the outstretched
324 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MV8EVM. vol. 5».
arms. Height, 6f inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat No. 217563,
TT.S.N.M.)
183. Tibetan mint, supposed to represent CJi^ os-hjin iamha. — Bronze,
gilt and chased. Seated in meditation, clothed in a mantle faUing
over the arm<'. The base is chased with floral designs. Height, 7^
inches. Kumbum, Sifan, near the western frontier of China. (Cat.
Xo. 167270, IT.S.X.M.)
184. Holy man, probably Chinese saint.— Bronze, gilt. Seated in
western fashion. Height, 6i inches. Kumbum, Tibet. (Cat. No.
167269, U.S.N.M.)
185. 5^ain^.— Terra-cotta figurine, seated, holding begging bowl
in front. Height, 3| inches. Tibet ( ?). (Cat. No. 311810, U.S.N.M.)
Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
186. Maha Krachai. — Porcelain figure of a saint, apparently of
Chinese make. It is called by the Laos Maha Krachai and regarded
by them as a learned saint. It is the only figure outside of Buddha
found in Laos temples. Height, 4 inches. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217626, TT.S.N.M.)
187-190. '^Neophytes." — Wood, red lacquered and gilt. Kneeling
figurines with heads bowed to the ground and joined hands to the
right side of the head in the attitude of adoration. Height, 2^ to 3
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. Nos. 217571-217574, U.S.N.M.)
191. Chinese Buddhist ecclesiastic. — Wooden seated statue, clad
in the regulation dress of Buddhist monk. These consist (1) of the
lower garment (antavarasatta) , fastened by a girdle at the waist; (2)
the middle robe {uttarasanga) ; (3) the outer shawl (sanghati), a strip
of yellow cloth, 10 to 20 feet long and 2 to 3 feet broad. It is thrown
over the left shoulder and passed under the right arm, leaving the
right shoulder bare. But both shoulders and the chest are covered
by an inner vest on entering the house of a layman. And over all is
thrown a plaited cloak or cape, crescentic in shape. Height, 50
inches. China. (Plate 69, Cat. No. 127562, U.S.N.M.). Gift of
the Chinese Centennial Conmiission, 1876.
192. Buddhist priest's robes. — Consisting of strips of yellow cloth.
Ceylon. (Cat. No. 154979, U.S.N.M.)
193. Buddhist ecclesiastic. — Wood, painted. Seated in a chair in
ceremonial robes. Height, 40 inches. China. (Plate 70, Cat. No
216028, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Gen. G. W. Bailey.
194. Buddhist ecclesiastic. — Wood, painted and gilt. Seated in
ceremonial robes on a carved and gilt double base. Height, 3i
inches. Kobe, Japan. (Plate 71, fig. 1, Cat. No. 154823, U.S.N.M.)
195. Buddhist monk. — ^Modcl carved in wood. Represented with
fan, staff, beads, and vessels for receiving rice, all of which a Buddhist
monk carries when begging. Height, 5f inches. Burma. (Plate
71, fig. 2, Cat. No. 176647, U.S.N.M.) Gift of M. A. Tribolet.
Na ^371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CASANOWICZ 325
196. Miniature of a Tibetan Buddha. — Statuette of bronze, gilt,
inclosed in a small shrine. Height of image, 2\ inches: of shrine,
3^ inches. Shanghai, China. (Plate 71, fig. 3, Cat. No. 158309,
U.S.N.M.)
197. Kammaracham. — Ordination service of a Buddhist monk.
Manuscript written on strips of palm leaf, ^vritten on both sides in
the Pali language in the Laos characters. The writing is done by-
means of a sharp stylus, and then ink is rubbed over so as to make
the markings with the stylus visible. Gilt on the edges, inclosed by
two wooden tablets secured by a cord passing through them. At
the end of the cord is a fish carved of wood and a bundle of bamboo
rings. The fish as a symbol was adopted by the Buddhists from
Hinduism. In Hindu mythology a fish, that was the disguise of
Brahma or Vishnu, was the savior of Manu (the Hindu Noah) in the
great flood. The first incarnation of Vishnu was in the form of a
fish {the matsya avatar), and generally is the fish considered symbol
of good luck and favorable omen. In the late Mahay ana texts
Buddha is compared to a fisher. Length, 23 J inches; width, 2^
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217669, U.S.N.M.)
198. Japanese Vajra. — Bronze. The vajra (Tibetan, dorje), lit-
erally, diamond, or that which is indestructible, symbolic of the true
doctrine which can not be destroyed, is the ritual scepter or wand of
Mahayana or northern Buddhism. It is originally the thunderbolt
of Indra, the Hindu god of the atmosphere, only that the points of
the darts are closed. "The Nepalese scriptures say that a contest
once occuiTed between Buddha and Indra, in which the latter was
defeated, and had wTested from him his chief and peculiar instrument
of power, the vajra or thunderbolt, which was appropriated as a
trophy by the victor, and has ever since been adopted by his followers
as the favorite emblem of their religion" '^ The Tibetans believe
the dorje to have fallen from heaven and to have alighted in a monas-
tery at Lhasa, where the original is stiU retained. It is called in
Tibetan serapun-dze. An annual festival has been established in its
honor and is one of the principal religious fetes." The three-pronged
vajra is called by the Japanese san-Jco; the five-pronged, go-ko; the
single-pointed vajra which is in use in Japan is called do-Tco. Length,
5^ inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 130390, U.S.N.M.)
199. Japanese Vajra. — Bronze. Length, b\ inches. Japan. (Cat.
No. 167172, U.S.N.M.)
200. Tibetan Dorje.— Bronze. Length, 4f inches. Tibet. (Cat.
No. 167268, U.S.N.M.)
li William Woodville Rockhill, Notes on the Ethnology of Tibet. Report of the U. S. National Museum ,
1893, p. 740.
" Edward Paske, Journal of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 8, p. 202.
326 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
201. Temple bell (Tibetan, drllbu). — Bronze. On the outer suiface
near the handle are in relief eight mystic syllables. The handle is
cylindrical and has a head, representing the Dliarma (doctrine), sur-
mounted by a dorje. The bell is used in the performance of daily
services, and the great lamas are often represented with a bell in the
hand. This bell was made in Derge, which country is famous for
the clear-toned bells cast there. Tibet. (Cat. No. 131011, U.S.N.M.)
202. Temple bell. — Bronze. Similar to the preceding No. 201,
less the head of Dharma on the handle. Monastery of Dolon nor,
eastern Mongolia. (Cat. No. 130389, U.S.N.M.)
203. Vajra. — Bronze. Similar to No. 198. Length, 4^ inches.
Japan. (Cat. No. 77137, U.S.N.M.)
204. VaJ7'a. — Copper. Six-pronged, with one prong in the middle.
Crude casting. Length, 6 inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No.
158311, U.S.N.M.)
205. Vajra. — Brass. Eight-pronged, with one prong in the middle.
Length, 4f inches. Probably China. (Cat. No. 311802, U.S.N.M.)
Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
206. Vajra-dagger (Tibetan, pliurbu) .—Bronze. The thi-ee-angulai-
dagger is set into an animal's (elephant's (?)) head. The central
portion is in form of a vajra, and the hilt end is terminated by a
triple demon's head and surmounted by a horse's head, representing
Tamdi'in or Hayagriva (for which see above No. 158). It is used in
incantation to stab the demons. Length, 7| inches. Tibet. (Plate
72, fig. 1, Cat. No. 311803, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S.
Stevens.
207. Tip of a mendicant's alarm staff (Jiilcila, Tibetan, Margsil). —
Consisting of a socketed brass bar with a circular loop on which are
strung six jingling rings. It is carried by mendicant monks to drown
out by its jingling worldly sounds, and to wain off small animals, lest
they be trod upon and killed. Height, 4| inches. Probably Tibet.
(Plate 72, fig. 2, Cat. No. 311791, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Eliz-
abeth S. Stevens.
Prayer wheels. — The praj'er wheel (Tibetan, mani chos Tcor) is a
cylinder of metal, or, in the larger wheels, of wood or even leather,
through which runs an axis prolonged below to form a handle.
Around this axis are rolled, one on top of the other, sheets of paper
or leaves of a book inscribed with some formula or spell. The sheets
are wound on the axis from right to left, and the wheel when set in
motion must revolve in the opposite way, so that the writing passes
in front of the person turning the wheel in the way in which it is to
be read; that is, from left to right. A piece of metal attached by a
small chain to one side of the barrel facilitates the turning of it.
Each complete revolution of the wheel counts as one repetition of
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— VASANOWICZ 327
all the prayers contained in the cylinder. The prayer wheel is used
especially by the Buddhists of Tibet, and the most usual invocation
inscribed on the rolls in prayer wheels consists of the words: "Om!
mani padme! Hum," which is rendered: "Hail, jewel in the lotus."
The repetition of this formula is the most common mode of praymg
met with among the Mongols and Tibetans. It is addiessed to
Avalokitvsvara (Padmapani), who appeared from out of a lotus for
the deliverance of mankind. By the Tibetans he is held in special
veneration as the protector and patron of Tibet, and is being incar-
nated in the Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism. Prayer
wheels are placed in the entrance to temples and houses, to be tmned
by each person passing bj" it, on gables of houses, or over the hearth,
where they are twirled by the wind or smoke. Sometimes a wheel
is fixed to the bed of a stream and kept in motion by the current,
thus praying night and day for the owner. Besides the small hand-
prayer wheels, usually measuring from 3 to 5 inches in height and from
2 to 3 inches in diameter, there are large machines set up in temples
and monasteries, which are sometimes 30 or 40 feet high and 15 or
20 feet in diameter. In these are placed a collection of the canonical
books of lamaism (ka-gyur, see p. 322), and by means of bars fixed
in the lower extremity of the axis of the barrel it is put in motion.
It is a materialistic putting into practice of the symbolical phrase
"Tm'ning the wheel of the law."
208. Small Stationary Prayer Wheel. — ^Bronze. The axis projects
above the top, so that it may be put in motion without removing it
from the stand on which it rests. It is adorned with a raised orna-
mentation of the dorje and an invocation in Nepalese Sanskrit chai-
acters, while the top of the cj-linder is ornamented with a wheel, and
the bottom with four dorjes. Tibet. (Cat. No. 130393, U.S.N.M.).
209. Hand Prayer Wheel. — -Bronze. The top is decorated with a
silver wheel, studded with coral and turquoise beads. The bottom
has four dorjes, and on the sides is the six-syllable spell in Landza
characters in silver. Bands above and below are decorated with
dorjes and lotus flowers, respectively. The axis terminates in a
pineapple-shaped knob of silver. Tibet. (Cat. No. 130392, U.S.N.M.)
210. Prayer Wheel. — Bronze. The top is dome-shaped. The bar-
rel is divided into two compartments by a ridge, which is decorated
with coral and turquoise beads. Darjeeling (on the border of Tibet),
India. (Cat. No. 74494, U.S.N.M.)
211. Stri'p of Chinese Payer. — On which the formula ''Om, mani
padme hum" is nearly 400 timas repeated in print. As about 100 of
such sheets can be wTapped in the cylinder, a revolution of the wheel
would be equivalent to repeating the formula 40.000 times. Tibet.
(Cat. No. 131014. U.S.N.M.)
328 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
212. Prayer wheel. — 'Bronze. Similar to the preceding, No. 210.
The bottom is decorated with scroll patterns. Darjeeling, India.
(Cat. No. 74493, U.S.N.M.)
213. Prayer wheel. — -The barrel of bronze is divided by a band of
brass into two compartments, which have the invocation. Top and
bottom, as also the pineapple-shaped knob on top and the bead on
the side, are likewise of brass. The top is in shape of a fluted dome;
the bottom is decorated with four dorjes, all in repousse. Probably
Tibet. (Cat. No. 311794, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S.
Stevens.
214. Prayer wheel. — Bronze. Resembling the preceding. Leh,
Ladak. (Cat. No. 175152, U.S.N.M.) Gift of W. L. Abbott.
215. Prayer wheel. — Bronze. Flat top; otherwise similar to the
preceding. Leh, Ladak. (Cat. No. 175153, U.S.N.M.) Gift of
W. L. Abbott.
216. Prayer wheel. — The barrel is of felt covered with coarse
woolen cloth. An iron pivot runs through the barrel and fits in a
roughly carved wooden handle. The cylinder is covered with a
piece of red cotton cloth, to the corners of which are attached glass
beads. Tibet. (Cat. No. 167169, U.S.N.M.)
The rosary, like the prayer wheel, is especially peculiar to the
northern, or Mahayana, school of Buddhism, with its belief in the
merit and efficacy of meditation and in the potency of repeating
mystic spells and formulas. The Buddhist full rosary is composed
of 108 beads, and this number is given a symbolic signification. The
number 108 is said to correspond to a like number of mental condi-
tions, or sinful inclinations, which are to be overcome by the recita-
tion of the beads. The number 108 generally plays a great part in
the tradition and philosophy of Buddhism: 108 Brahmans were
summoned at Gautama's birth to foretell his destiny. The Burmese
footprints of Buddha have sometimes 108 divisions. The Ka-gyur,
the Tibetan canon of scriptures is composed of 108 vloumes, and the
white pagoda at Peking is surrounded by 108 columns. In Japan,
on the festival of the dead (boinmatsuri or honku), which is celebrated
from the 13th to the 15th of July, 108 welcome fires (imikaeU) are
lighted along the shores of the sea or lake or river by which a city or
village is situated.
The full rosary of 108 beads is usually divided by three beads of a
different size or material into four groups of 27 beads each. The
two ends of the string before being knotted are passed through three
extra beads, called "retaining beads," or "union holders," as they
keep the proper rosary beads in position and indicate the completion
of a cycle. They symbolize the Buddhist triad — the Buddha, the
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CA8AN0WICZ 329
doctrine (dharma), and the community (sanglia). Attached to the
main string are two small pendant strings, having each 10 smaller
beads. These pendants are used as counters to keep count of the
number of times the rosary is said. A bead of one pendant string is
slid down on completion of a single recital of the rosary, while the
beads of the second note each 10 repetitions. They thus serve to
register the utterance of 108 multiplied by 10 multiplied by 10,
equaling 10,800 prayers or formulas. Sometimes there are two
additional pendants.
Alongside of the full rosary of 108 beads, employed by the monks,
there are in vogue rosaries of 18 and 16 beads, representing, respec-
tively, the 18 lohans or chief disciples of Buddha counted by the
Chinese, and the 16 rohans of the Japanese. The common people,
moreover, use indifferently rosaries with various numbers of beads.
The material of the Buddhist rosaries varies according to the
taste, wealth, and rank of the owner. Tlie commonest are made of
seeds, wood, pebbles, shells, glass, or bone; the more costly of jade,
turquoise, coral, amber, silver, and gold, and even of pearls and
other gems. The countries in which the Buddhist rosary is most
widely used are China, Tibet, and Japan."
217. Chinese rosary (su-chu). — The 108 beads of the main string
are palm-wood balls. The dividing and retaining beads are of
silver, richly enameled, measuring 1^ inches in diameter. The three
counter strings have each 10 beads, likewise of enameled silver but
of smaller size, being only one-half inch in diameter. From the re-
taining beads is suspended a silk ribbon embroidered with small
glass beads of diverse colors to represent the swastil^a and other
symbols, with a sOver enameled medallion, measuring 2{ by If inches
in the center, and terminating in an oblong or oval bead 2 inches
long. Such an oval bead is also at the end of each of the three
counter strings, each 1^ inches long. They are called the "four
dewdrops," which they resemble, or the "disciple beads," or the
"regents of the four heavens." They typify the emperor, father,
mother, and the teacher, to whom a Chinese subject owes reverence
and obedience. This rosary is the official necklace which used to be
worn by dignitaries on state occasions. China. (Cat. No. 202869,
U.S.N.M.) Gift of Yang Yu, Chinese minister to the United States,
1897.
218-20. Three CJdnese rosaries. — Consisting of 108 globular beads
made of black wood. Hoihau, China. (Cat. No. 154242, U.S.N.M.)
221. Chinese rosary. — Consisting of 18 olive-shaped beads, probably
made of some wax or resin composition, each being carved into an
image of one of the 18 lohans or saints. China. (Cat. No. 130388,
U.S.N.M.)
» Compare also "The collection of rosaries in the U. S. National Museum," by I. M. Casanowics.
Proc. of the U. S. National Museum, vol. 36, pp. 333-360, with pis. 21-3(i.
330 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 59.
222. Chinese rosary. — Consisting of 18 beads made of the fruit of
the Trapa hicornis of China, which resembles a Buffalo's head with
two blunt horns. China. (Cat. No. 5503, U.S.N.M.)
223. Tibetan rosary {trengwa, ^^ string oj heads"). — Consisting of
108 disk-shaped shell beads, divided into four groups of 27 beads
each by three red coral beads. The three retaining beads (do dzin)
are a large spherical amber bead, a smaller disk-shaped one, and a
conical one of coral. The four counter strings (drang dzin), with 10
silver beads on each terminate in various ornaments. This form of
rosary is in common use among the lamas. The rosary in Tibet is
not only an essential part of the outfit of the lamas, but is every-
where in appearance. Nearly every man and woman carries a rosary,
holding it in the hand, or attached to the girdle, or wearing it around
the neck as a necklace, or t\nsted around the wrist as a bracelet. Lay-
men also use it to assist in ordinary calculations, like the sliding balls
of the Chinese, in their business transactions. Kumbum, Tibet.
(Cat. No. 167271, U.S.N.M.)
224. Tibetan rosary. — Consisting of 108 disks cut from human
skull, divided into four sections of 27 each by three larger disks of
conch shell, with two retaining beads of amber and wood, respec-
tively, but \vithout counters. Such rosaries are especially used in
the worship of Dorje jig-ch'e (Sanskrit, Yama), the king of the
dead. Tibet. (Cat. No. 130387, U.S.N.M.)
225-6. Tibetan rosaries. — Made of small disks of rosewood, %vith
red coral beads as dividers. It has no counters, and the dividing
beads, as also the three retaining ones, have to be counted to com-
plete the number of 108. Beads of reddish color, usually of red
sandalwood, are used in the worship of the fierce Tamdrin (Haya-
griva, see above No. 158), the demon patron of lamaism. Ta-
chien-lu, China. (Cat. No. 167267, U.S.N.M.)
227. Tibetan rosary. — Consisting of 108 disks of yellow wood,
with the dividing beads of the same material only slightly larger and
thicker. It has only two retaining beads and no counters. Ba-
tang, China. (Cat. No. 131058, U.S.N.M.)
228-229. Tibetan rosaries. — Consisting of 108 spherical beads of
yellow wood, without counters and with only one retaining bead.
Said to have been brought from Lhasa, the holy capital city of
Tibet. Ladak. (Cat. Nos. 178119-178120, U.S.N.M.) GiftofW. L.
Abbott.
230. Japanese rosary (jiu-dzu). — Consisting of 112 globular beads
made of cherry wood. In the Japanese jiu-dzu the Buddhist rosary
attained its highest development. The rosary of 112 beads (sho-
zoki jiu-dzu), which is used by all sects in common, is divided by 2
large beads, called parent beads (oya-dama) into two equal parts.
They are distinguished into the upper parent bead (ten-no oya-dama),
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 331
also called father, sun, Buddha, and lower parent bead (clii-no oya-
dama), mother, moon, Bo, divine spirit, which inspired and perfected
the enlightenment of Buddha. The ends of the string before being
knotted are drawn through the 2 parent beads which have for this
purpose a third opening. From the upper parent bead extend 2
pendant strings on which are strung 21 beads, smaller than those on
the main string, in the follo\nng manner: Immediately above the
large parent bead, on the left-side pendant string, is a solitary bead.
Beyond this the strings are knotted. Then come 5 beads on each
string, when they are again knotted. Still again there are another
5 beads on each pendant, which then terminates in an elongated
bead, called dewdrop {tsuyu-dama) . The use of the solitary bead is
that in holding the rosary, Anth the upper parent bead uppermost, it
should be in the left hand; this will insure a right signification to each
bead during prayer. The collective name of these pendant beads is
ka mi-deshi, superior disciples. Extending from the lower parent bead
are 3 strings, on 2 of which are 5 small beads, called sMma-desTd, or
inferior disciples, each terminating in a dewdrop bead, while the
third has 10 small beads without a dewdrop. They are used as
counters and are called Tcadzu-tori. The 4 dewdrop beads are also
termed shi-ten-no, the four regents who are supposed to preside over
the four quarters of the universe. The rosary thus represents sym-
bolically the Buddhist pantheon. On the main string, at an interval
of 7 beads on either side from the upper parent bead, are 2 beads,
smaller than the others, and again, at an interval of 14 beads from
these, on either side, are other 2 of the same kind. They indicate
where a special invocation is to be uttered while the rosary is lifted
to the forehead with a reverence.
A smaller rosary of 16 beads, corresponding to the Japanese rohans,
or chief disciples of Buddha (analogous to the 18 lohans of the Chi-
nese), is chief!}' used by lay peoples on ceremonial and social occa-
sions. Japan. (Plate 73, Cat. No. 130683, U.S.N.M.)
231-2. Two Japanese rosaries. — Consisting each of 112 globular
beads made of plum-tree wood. The same as the preceding No. 230.
Japan. (Cat. No. 130683, U.S.N.M.)
233. Prayer heads (rrmlc-nap) . — Made of small black seeds, strung
on a cord. The invocations repeated by the Laos b}' means of the
beads are: Sabbe sangkara anicca, 300 times; sabbe sangkara dukkha,
repeated 400 times; sabbe sangkara anatta, repeated 500 times.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217666, U.S.N.M.)
234. Buddhist monks' begging howl. — Spherical, of thin iron, with
wooden base. Inclosed in an open work bag formed of bands of
cotton, the ends of which serve as handles. To this cloth is secured
a lacquered base. P'rom the bottom hang models of the perquisites
of a monk, nameh^ ( 1) the water strainer, used to exclude the small
332 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.35).
animals which might be found in the water from being killed; (2) a
drum; (3) sandals; (4) steel and flint for striking fire; (5) vessel for
pouring out water when performing acts of merit; (6) a shaving
knife. Height, lOf inches; diameter, 9^ inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217664, U.S.N.M.)
235. Buddhist monk's legging howl. — Old bronze, decorated with
groups of rosette-shaped dots. Height, 4 inches; diameter, 8 inches.
Japan. (Plate 74, Cat. No. 158321, U.S.N.M.)
236. Buddhist monlc's begging howl. — Earthenware, black lacquered.
Height, 7 inches; diameter, 9 inches. Burma. (Cat, No. 129555,
U.S.N.M.)
237. Buddhist monk's rice spoon. — ^Made of shell. Rice and fruit
constitute the diet of Buddhist priests. They obtain these viands
by begging from house to house, and an alms bowl, rice spoon, and
fruit bag belong to the equipment of a Buddhist priest. They are
bound to abstain from meat and intoxicating liquors, and from par-
taking of any food after midday. Length, 6 inches. Siam. (Plate
75, fig. 1, Cat. No. 127163, U.S.N.M.)
238. Buddhist monk's rice spoon. — ^Made of alabaster. Length, 4
inches. Tokio, Japan. (Plate 75, fig. 2, Cat. No. 127552, U.S.N.M.)
239. Flyjlap. — ^Lacquered and gilt. The feathers are arranged in
shape of a heart. "It is properly a screen, and is never used as a fan
but to cover the face when presenting the alms bowl for alms so that
the monk may receive the gift without knowing the giver. The
Buddhist believes it is more blessed to give than to receive, and the
merit belongs to the giver." Length, 26 inches; %vidth, 14 inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217665, U.S.N.M.)
2. BELIGI0U8 EDIFICES AND THEIB PAB.1PHEBNALIA.
240. The Wat Chang pagoda. — Model of wood, painted. Pagodas
(the Burmese name for these structures; Singhalese, dagaha or
dagoha; Sanskrit, stupa; Pali, thupo, whence Anglo-Indian tope; Nep-
alese, chaitya; Tibetan, chorten; Chinese, tah; Japanese, to) are relig-
ious structures the original purpose of which was to receive the relics
of Buddha, or the remains of such of his disciples as distinguished
themselves by piety or learning. But already in the early periods of
Buddhism stupas were constructed ex voto, either for marking some
important event in the life of Buddha and the history of Buddhism,
or for decorating the monasteries and temples. In keeping with the
original purpose of the pagoda, its earliest architectural style was
derived from the tomb or tumulus. The earliest stupas are simple
cupolas or hemispheres raised on a low basement, about half the
diameter in height. With the exception of a small cell for the ashes
or relics, these shrines were solid masses of bricks or stone. Grad-
ually the plinth was increased until it rose from one to two diameters
No. 2871. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 333
in height. The apex of the dome was usually surmounted by a disk
placed horizontally, on which rose, as a terminal, an umbrella (tee),
the emblem of royalty and state among eastern nations. Later the
number of umbrellas was increased to 3, 7, 9, 11, and even 13 (always
an odd number), placed one above the other.^^
The pagoda of Wat Chang ("great monastery") is considered the
most magnificent edifice of Bangkok, the capital of Siam. It is buUt
of brick, and its outside plastering is wrought into a mosaic by means
of porcelain of different colors set in it so as to form figures of ele-
phants, griffins, demons, flowers, etc. From its broad octagonal
base the bell-shaped structure rises in elegant tapering terraces,
ending in a dome-shaped top, from which rises a sharp spire. In
large niches upon the sides toward the summit are images of Buddha
riding on elephants, and the whole building is lavishly adorned in
both color and carving. It is assumed tbat the pagoda measures
from the base to the tip of the spire about 250 feet in height. It is
surrounded by smaller pagodas, shrines, monks' dwellings, flower
and fruit gardens, ponds, grottos, and various stone statues. Dimen-
sions, 3 by 3 by 3 feet. Bangkok, Siam. (Cat. No. 158420, U.S.N.M.)
Gift of the Marquis Visuddha, minister of Siam to England.
241. Chinese pagoda. — Model of wood. Consisting of nine stories,
surmounted by a spire, called in Japanese Jciu-do (nine rings), resem-
bling a corkscrew such as may be used to uncork a columbiade. The
form of the Cliinese pagoda is probably derived from the spire ringed
with umbrellas, described in the preceding No. 240, of the Hindu stupa.
The umbrella-shaped roof is the main element in the Chinese pagoda,
the walls being mere screens, set between pillars. Each platform as
it towers upward in decreasing size is supposed to denote a world.
To the roofs of the various stories are attached small bells and tin-
kling copper leaves, which are swung and rung by the wind, to denote
the eternal music of the spheres, and the carved balustrades and pro-
jecting eaves are emblems of the habitations of the happy beings
dwelling in the supernal regions. Of the several stories only the
first is used as a shrine for relics and images, while the others are
hollow, with staircases leading up to the top.
The roofs are black lacquered, the railings and halls are red lac-
quered, the spire is gilt lacquered. Height, 5 feet by 23 inches
square. China. (Cat. No. 313624, U.S.N.M.)
242. Pagoda. — Model of wood, lacquered and gilt. Consisting of
three stories, surmounted by the nine-ringed spire (kiu-do), ter-
minating in the jewel or sacred pearl, one of the three treasures or
w Compare "The Wat Chang Pagoda of Bangkok, Siam," by I. M. Casanowicz. Smiths. Misc. Coll.
vol.47, pp. 273,274.
334 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MV8EVM. vol.59.
emblems of royalty in Japan. Height, 30 inches by 15 inches square.
Japan. (Plate 76, Cat. No. 154965, U.S.N.M.)
243-245. The Temjde Hongwanji and Tmir rope. — The great Hong-
wanji temple of the "True Sect" (Shin shu), at Kioto, Japan, was
completed in 1895. Its dimensions are those of a western catliedral.
Ninety-six massive pillars support the roof at a height of 126 feet.
The timbers were all dragged from the mountain and lifted into their
places by 29 immense ropes made of human hair, the voluntary
offerings of innimierable women, which are still preserved Avithin the
precincts. Tokio, Japan. (Plate 77, fig. 1, plan of the temple
Hongwanji; fig. 3, section of a hair rope, measuring 32 inches in
length and 4 J inches in diameter, used in the erection of the temple;
fig. 2, photograph of the ropes made of human hair. Cat. Nos.
150829-150831, U.S.N.M.) Gift of V. Marshall Law.
246, 247. Pair of Nios. — Models of wood, painted and decorated.
The Nios or Niolcongas ("the two bold golden kings") are usually
placed on both sides of the lofty portal to a Buddhist temple in
Japan as gatekeepers or guardians. They are the Hindu gods
Brahma and Indra. They are represented naked, close-set, athletic
figures, 10 or 12 feet liigh, with e^^es and features distorted, painted
vermilion red, wrestling against the powers of evil. Height, 16^
inches. Japan. (Plate 78, Cat. No. 166079, U.S.N.M.)
248. 249. Pair of Nios. — Models of wood, black lacquered. Height,
14 inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 130457, U.S.N.M.)
250. Buddhist temple .—Model of wood (in parts), red painted.
Miniature copy of a Laos Buddhist temple, carved and set up by a
priest, with the carvings, placement of the timbers, and the several
parts of it, as the throne for the image of Buddha, the pulpit from
which the scriptures are read, the Nagas on each side of the entrance,
representing in every detail a copy of a Buddhist temple in Laos.
Laos, Further India." (Cat. No. 217670, U.S.N.M.)
251, 252. Temple lanterns. — ^The lids of these two lanterns are of
lacquered wood. The upper lid of each is provided with a bronze
handle representing a dragon: the lower lid with bronze cocks. The
lids have openings to admit a candle, for which an iron spike is pro-
vided on the bottom of the lower lid, upon which the candle is stuck.
By raising the upper lid, the painted paper cylinder, which emits tho
light, is unfolded. The lanterns can either be hung up by the handles
or suspended on poles which are passed through holes in both lids
provided for that purpose. Height, 12i inches; diameter, 13f
inches. Japan. (Plate 79 shows the lanterns opened; plate 80,
fig. 1, exhibits the top; fig. 2 the bottom. Cat. No. 154967, U.S.N.M.
253. Temple lantern. — Copper. Hexagonal, with dome-shaped top
in open work. Richly enameled in various colors and decorated
with a profusion of floral designs. Height, 21 inches: diameter, 10
inches. Korea. (Cat. No. 154983, U.S.N.M.)
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART—CASAXOWJCZ 335
254. Altar covering (Chinese, huan mun-tiao-lcyia) . — Made of brown
cloth, consisting of a center piece scalloped at the lower edge, with
two side pieces which descended over the edge of the altar. Em-
broidered in gold with dragons and hilins (kirins), a mythical ani-
mal, pictured as resembling a stag in its body and a horse in its
hoof, but possessing the tail of an ox and a parti-colored or scaly
skin, and a single horn, having a fleshy tip, proceeds out of the fore-
head. The kilin is believed to exliibit great benevolence of dis-
position toward other living animals, and to appear only when wise
and just kings or sages are born. Dimensions, 24 by 30| inches.
Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158307, U.S.N.M.)
255-258. 'Fovr altar cmr rings (Chinese, Tiuan mnn-tiao-lcua) . —
Made of oblong pieces of brown cloth, with centerpieces of red cloth.
The edges are embroidered in silk with floral designs, while on the
body is an inscription in Chinese charactei's pasted on. Dimensions,
37 by 8i inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158307, U.S.N.M.)
259, 260. Pair of candlesticlcs.— Made of pewter in the shape of
the Chinese character for longevity (slieu). The candles are stuck
on the points at the top of the candlesticks, arttl lighted whenever a
ceremony takes place. This is done in the temple service as well as
in home worship. Height, 19 inches. Shanghai, China. (Plate 81,
figs. 1 and 3, Cat. No. 158294, U.S.N.M.)
261. Incense burner (kong-po-to). — Made of pewter. On the front
are in relief the Chinese characters for longevity (sJieu) and bliss (fu).
Height, 7 J inches; length, 5i inches; width, 4 inches. Shanghai,
China. (Plate 81, fig. 2, Cat. No. 158295, U.S.N.M.)
262. Imitation candlesticks. — Wooden sticks with inserted points
for candles to be stuck on them. Height, 8 inches. Japan, (Cat.
No. 130678, U,S.N,M,)
263. Censer. — Bronze. Supported on three legs formed of double
volutes or spirals. The handles are in shape of dragons. The cover,
in open work, is surmounted by a mythical bird perched on some
mythical animal. The circumference is embossed with dragons and
other monsters. Height, 10 inches; diameters, 6 and 4| inches.
Japan. (Plate 82, fig. 1, Cat. No. 220057, U,S,N,M,) Lent by Miss
Eliza R. Scidmore,
264. Candlestick. — Bronze, Consisting of the figure of an emaci-
ated ascetic holding a long dragon, the head of which rests on the
base, while the tail terminates in a bowl for inserting a candle.
Height, 6^ inches, Kobe, Japan, fPlate 82, fig. 2. Cat. No. 154825,
U.S.N,M,)
265. Censer. — Brass. Height, 6J inches, Kobe. Japan, (Cat, No.
254828, U,S,N.M,)
266. Censer. — Brass. The cover, in open work, is surmounted by
a knob. Height, 4 inches, Japan, (Cat. No, 158314, U,S,N.M.)
336 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 5S>.
267. Censer. — Bronze. The cover, in open work is surmounted
by a crouching mythical animal. Around the circumference are
embossed trees with various birds perching in them. Height, 5^
inches; diameter, 3^ inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 311806, U.S.N.M.)
Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
268. Censer. — Bronze. Resting on three legs which are of animal-
headed human figures. The lid is surmounted by a mythical animal.
Height, 5} inches; diameter, 4\ inches. vSeoul, Korea. (Cat. No.
151618, U.S.N.M.)
269. Incerise.—Bmmfi. (Cat. No. 129531, U.S.N.M.)
270. Incense.— J ei^Sin. (Cat. No. 130685, U.S.N.M.)
271. Flower vase. — Brass. Placed before Buddhist shrines. Height,
5 inches; diameters, 4 and 2 J inches. Probably China. (Cat. No.
158313, U.S.N.M.)
272. Lotus cup. — Bronze. Eight-fluted cup set in a quadruple
eight-petaled lotus, with short stem and base of an inverted eight-
petaled lotus. The lid has twenty perforations for inserting flowers.
Height, 4f inches; diameter, 2^ inches. India (?). Cat. No. 311796,
U.S.N.M.) Bequest *of Miss Eizabeth S. Stevens.
273. Holy water vase (Tibetan, humba or tsebum). — Made of brass
heavily gilded in Persian shape, with a large spherical body and slender
bent spout. The neck is short and narrow and terminates in a flar-
ing mouth in shape like an overturned bowl. In the top of this is a
small circular opening, in which a chased metal tube fits, reaching
far down into the vase, and in its upper end a bunch of the sacred Icusa
grass and some peacock feathers. This instnunent is the aspergil.
The vase has a covering of silk fastened around the neck so as to
completely hide the vase. Such coverings are put on most objects
used in the temple worship, on the sacred images, books, etc., prob-
ably as a mode of honoring these sacred objects. The water used in
these vases has a little saffron in it, and sometimes a little sugar.
The vase is used especially in the ceremonies connected with the wor-
ship of Tsepamed (Amitayus), the Buddha of long life (see No. 137),
and is called the vase of life. Height, 6^ inches. Kumbum, Tibet.
(Cat. No. 130402, U.S.N.M.)
274. Lih'Ltion howl. — -Made of a human skull with a lining of iron
and an ornamented copper gilt rim fitting on it. The cover of
copper gUt is finely and intricately chased and has on each side
the mystic syllable om with an arabesque design surrounding it.
The top of the cover is surmounted ^vith four half vajras (dorjes)
at right angles, a fifth and larger one formmg the handle. The
stand on which the skull rests is of gilt copper and triangular in
shape. At the three angles are human heads, painted red, white,
and green. The skull bowl is likewise used in the worship of
Tsepamed, when it is filled with nectar Ijrewed from chang. After
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0W1CZ 337
the ceremony it is drunk by those present — a kind of a lamaist
eucharist. The custom of using skulls as hoi}" vessels, or even as
eating bowls, is a very old one in Asia. Height, 9.^ inches; diameters,
8 and 6^ inches. The specimen in the Museum came from Kum-
bum, Tibet. (Cat. No. 130384, U.S.N.M.)
275. Prayer banners (Chinese, yen-kou-fo, or tong hoan). — Consist-
ing of five brass figurines holding small suspended banners of cloth.
They are set up on the altar during recital of prayers for the souls
of the dead, especially for the souls of those who faUed to receive
burial. Their number probably corresponds to the five earthly
irnanushi) Buddhas of the present age (kalpa), see p. 296, note 1).
Height, 15i inches. Shanghai, China. (Plate 83, Cat. No. 158303,
U.S.N.M.)
276. Pair of prayer wands (Chinese, yen-kou tsi-tao). — Made of
copper. Used in recitmg prayers for the souls of the dead. They
are placed crosswise one over the other. Length, 7^ inches. Shang-
hai, Chma. (Cat. No. 158310, U.S.N.M.)
277. Scent sprinkler. — Made of white metal in form of a long-
necked narrow vase. Used at Buddhist funerals. Height, 14^
inches. Ceylon. (Cat. No. 154975, U.S.N.M.)
278. Temple sword. — On one side of the blade is incised a windmg
dragon, on the other a vajra (dorje). The scabbard is red and gUt
lacquered, crossed by bands in red and black. The hilt is covered
with shark skin and set on either side with bronze dragons. The
lower end of the scabbard and the head of the hilt are framed in a
marine animal (lobster?) of bronze. A sword is placed on the altar
in front of the celebrant in the worship of Fudo (see above No. 157).
Length, 45 inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 154969, U.S.N.M.)
279. Temple sword. — On one side of the blade is incised a dragon
winding round a vajra (dorje), on the other, a vajra. The scabbard
is decorated in cloisonne enamel on a blue ground with rosettes
alternating in pale green and crimson rod, with other floral designs
between them. The hUt, which is in shape of a vajra, is decorated
in champleve enamel. Used in the worship of Fudo (No. 157).
Length, 23 inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 154968, U.S.N.M.)
280. Japanese prayer hook. — Folded. This prayer book comes
from the famous temple Mis-kru-saw in Japan. The temple is a
resort for invalids, particularly for those having affections of the
eye, and the prayers contained in this book are for special use in
the temple. Japan. (Cat. No. 130676, U.S.N.M.)
281. Temple drum.— laying in a lacquered wooden frame set on a
four-legged support. On the flattened faces of the drum are pahitod
in gold lacquer a bird and leaves. Drums or bells are put up in front
of Buddhist temples, on which the priests strike to announce the
27177— 21— Proc.N.M. vol.59 22
338 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.69.
hours of prayer. The worshippers also strike them to invite the
presence of the deity. Drums arc likewise used in Buddhist worship
to accompany the chanting of the priests. Diameter of the bell,
16 inches; height, 7^ inches; height of the frame, 36 inches. Japan.
(Cat. No. 168815, U.S.N.M.)
282, 283. Pair of temple drums. — Set on four-legged lacquered
wooden stands and surmounted by cocks. The circumferences of
the drums are covered with red cloth. On the flattened surfaces
are painted three comma-shaped segments, the Japanese modifica-
tion of the Chinese (and Korean) tah-gook, formed of two segments,
the common representation of the yang and yin, the two first causes
and great principles of the universe, or contrary influences, such as
darkness and light, male and female, good and evil, etc. The figure
also represents the Japanese magatama, or "crooked jewel," one of
the emblems of sovereignty in Japan, As regards the cocks perched
on top of the drmns. Dr. John EUerton Lodge, curator of Chinese
and Japanese art in the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, kindly
communicated the following interesting story:
The familiar Japanese or Chinese design of a cock on a drum is intended to suggest
a well-known storj^- of the famous Emperor Yao, who is said to have ascended the
throne of China in the year 2357 B. C. This enlightened monarch caused a drum to
be placed in front of his palace gate, with the announcement that whoever had any
complaint to make to the sovereign should come to the gate and beat upon the drum,
thereby attracting the Emperor's attention. So wisely, however, did this niler
govern his people, that none ever came to enter a complaint, and in the course of time
the fowls went to roost on the silent drum.
Height, 26 inches. Japan. (Plate 84, Cat. No. 159966, U.S.N.M.)
284. Wooden fisli (Japanese, molcugio; Chinese, mo-yii). — Carved
and red lacquered. Used as drum in Buddhist ceremonies. The
shape is accounted for by the supposition that the fish is sleepless,
keeping its eyes always open on account of the lack of eyelids and
eyelashes. It is therefore an emblem of wakefulness and watch-
fulness in the striving after perfection. Height, 12 inches; length
18 inches. Japan. (Plate 85, front; plate 86, back. Cat. No.
150893, U.S.N.M.)
285. Wooden fish (Chinese, mo-yii; Japanese, moTcugio). — Carved,
and painted red, with wooden mallet for striking it. Similar to the
preceding No. 284. Height, lOi inches; length, 14 inches. Shang-
hai, Chma. (Cat. No. 158296, U.S.N.M.)
286. Wooden drum (Chinese, siao-Tcu). — Shaped like two flat
plates put together. It is carried by the priest in processions and
struck on the side. Diameter, 7^ inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat.
No. 155300, U.S.N.M.)
287. The nine-toned hell (Chinese, chin yinrlo). — ^Made of copper.
Consisting of 10 small gongs suspended in a screen or gate-like cabinet
which is struck with a small stick as an accompaniment to prayer.
Xo. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART~CA8AN0WICZ 339
Height, 24 inches; width, 22 inches. Shanghai, China. (Plate 87,
Cat. No. 158305, U.S.N.M.)
288. Small gong (Chinese, yin-to). — ^Made of copper in shape of a
pan or flat plate, with a wooden carved handle. It is struck with a
carved slender stick as introductory to prayers in Buddhist tem-
ples. Diameter, 6| inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158302,
U.S.N.M.)
289. Small heU (Chinese, siao-chung) . — ^Made of copper, suspended
from a carved wooden frame. It has no clapper, but is struck with
a stick on the outer cu-cumfcrence. Used in the temple serv'ice.
Height, 14^ mches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158306, U.S.N.M.)
290. Inverted hell (Chinese, clim'g to). — Made of copper in fonn of
a pot or kettle, somided on the outer surface with a stick in Budd-
hist v/orship. Height, 4| inches; diameter, 9 inches. Shanghai,
China. (Cat. No. 158297, U.S.N.M.)
291. Small hell. — ^^lade of copper. Suspended from a slender
wooden carved stick which is held in the hand, while the bell is
struck on the outer surface during the recital of prayere. Height,
li inches; diameter, 2^ inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No.
158308, U.S.N.M.)
292. Pair of large cymbals (Chinese, da-jya). — Made of brass.
These cymbals are employed in the temple service, and also in pri-
vate ceremonies, such as wedduigs, funerals, etc. They are sup-
posed to have been introduced into Cliina from India. Diameter,
9h inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158298, U.S.N.M.)
293. Pair of small cymbals (Chinese, siao-pa). — ^Made of brass.
Used only in the temple service of the Buddhists. Diameter, 8
inches. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158299, U.S.N.M.)
294. Pair of cymhals. — ^Made of brass. Used in Buddhist pro-
cessions. Diameter, 7 inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217504, U.S.N.M.)
295. Drum of skulls (Tibetan, damaru). — Made of two skulls
attached together by a wooden disk cemented to them. A band of
embroidered satin, decorated with elaborately knotted silk tassels
of Chinese make, covers the disk between the two heads, by A\hich
the person using the drum may hold it in his hand, his thumb and
forefinger being placed around the disk of wood between the drum-
heads. From the band are depending small knobs covered with
cloth by short strings of such length that when the drum is sharply
twirled around they strike the heads. Used by the lamas in the
temple service in Tibet. Height, 3 inches; diameter, 4i inches.
Kumbum, Tibet. (Cat. No, 130385, U.S.N.M.)
296. Drum of sTcuUs (damaru). — Painted in red and blue with
heads of demons and skulls. The band around the wooden disk is
of cotton. Height, o\ inches; diameter, 6^ inches. India. (Cat.
No. 1.53363, U,S,N.M.)
340 PROCEEDINOS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
297. Triratna, or the three jewels, namely, Buddha, the law (dharma),
and the congregation (sangha). — Wood, red and black lacquered and
gilt. Represented by three columns set on a base. The center cone,
which represents Buddha, issues from a lotus flower and in its cir-
cumference are set five Buddha figurines of ivory, of which three
are seated in the witness position and two in that of meditation.
They are probably intended to represent the five mundane (manvshi)
Buddhas of the present age. Between the petals of the lotus are
carved five open lotases and beneath them five leaves inlaid with pieces
of shell and looking glass. The two side columns, which represent
the law and the congregation, i-espectively, are carved in the shape of
a closed lotus, flattened on one side, into which is inserted an ivory
panel, representing Buddha standing in the gift-bestoAving attitude.
Height, 17 inches; width, 12^ inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate
88, Cat. No. 217501, U.S.N.M.)
298. Triratna. — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Representing Buddha
standing in the center, while the two figm-es on the right and left are
sitting. On the base is an inscription in Pali. Height, 14 inches;
width, 7 inches. Laos, Further India. (Plate 89, Cat. No. 217585,
U.S.N.M.)
299. Triratna. — Terra-cotta relief, finely molded. Buddha seated
in the witness position in a niche, formed of a pointed arch resting on
columns, an elaborate halo of rays rising above his head. The two
smaller figures on his sides sitting in meditation. Height, 3^ inches;
width, 2\ inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217631, U.S.N.M.)
IV. miscellaneous: magic, divination, etc.
300. Lotus. — Model of wood. The lotus {Nelumhium spedosum)
is, as has been said previously (No. 2), the favorite flower of India
and invested with much symbolism. Among others, it is the symbol
of purity. The lotus upon the lake seems to spring from the body of
the waters without contact with the earth, and no matter how muddy
the water may be, the lotus preserves its own purity imdefiled. Thus
Buddha is made to say: "Just as a lotus born in water, bred in water,
overcomes water and is not defiled by water, so I, born in the world
and bred in the world, have now overcome the world." The wor-
shipers of Amitabha, or Amida, in China and Japan believe that each
man while living on earth is represented in paradise by a lotus, which
flourishes or languishes according to his spu'itual condition. The
saved dead (by faith in the invocation of Amitabha) are carried to
the lake of lotuses where they are reborn with a spiritual body within
the calyx of one of the lotuses. According to their merits, the lotus
opens sooner or later. Some are imprisoned for thousands of ages
within the closed calyx of their lotuses — a kind of painless purgatory.
Height, 3^ inches. Kobe, Japan. (Cat. No. 154880, U.S.N.M.)
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0WICZ 341
801-2. Pair of mythical Hans. — Bronze. Lions of metal or stone,
sometimes of colossal size, are often placed at the entrance of Bud-
dhist temples as protectors from evil spirits. Thej' are also emble-
matic of Buddha who bears the epithet Sahya.nmlta, "the lion of the
Sakyarace." Length, 2 inches. Kobe, Japan. (Cat. Nos. 15483 1-
154832, U.S.N.M.)
303. Mythical lion (singto). — Wood, red lacquered. Height, 6
inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217578, U.S.N.M.)
304-5. Pair of Icirins (Chinese, Tcilin). — Wood, black lacquered
and gilt. Standing on lacquered bases. For a description of the
mythical kirin see above under No. 254. Height, 1\ inches. Japan.
(Cat. No. 154296, U.S.N.M.)
306. Mythical ardiiml, dog Fo {l) . — Wood, painted brown with
gray spots, lacquered and gilt. Height, 27 inches; length, 32 inches.
China or Japan. (Cat. No. 313625, U.S.N.M.)
The following small collection of bronze animal figurines from Laos
may be votives or weights :
307. Bronze dog. — Height, \ of an inch. Laos, Fiu-ther India.
(Cat. No. 217551, U.S.N.M.)
308. Bronze inonTcey. — Height, i of an inch. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217552, U.S.N.M.)
309. Bronze zebu, standing on base. — Height, Ig inches. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217547, U.S.N.M.)
310. Bronze zebu, couchant.S.eight, three-fourths of an inch.
Laos, Fmther India. (Cat. No. 217548, U.S.N.M.)
311. Bronze cow (?). — Height, three-fourths of an inch. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217549, U.S.N.M.)
312. Bronze horse. — Height, seven-eighths of an inch. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217550, U.S.N.M.)
313. Bronze bear, on base.— Height, 1 inch. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217546, U.S.N.M.)
314-322. Nine griffins, or dragons, on bases. — Bronze. Called by
the Laos "noble animals," which peacefully roam through the splen-
did gardens of the gods. Height, | to 3^ inch&s. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. Nos. 217537-217545, U.S.N.M.)
323. Derno7\.-queUer (Chinese, Chung Rw'ei; Japanese, iihoki. —
Made oi wood; carved and painted. On his head in the upstanding
hair is perched a dragon; at his feet is a crouching demon, and over
the belt is carved the mask of a monster. The demon queller is in
Chinese mythology supposed to be a ghostly protector of the Emperor
Ming Hwang (713-762 A. D.), He is usually represented as a trucu-
lent giant, clad in official garb and armed with a two-edged sword.
He is sometimes shown as riding upon a lion, but more commonly
is engaged in punishing the pigmy demons. The subject forms one
of the most frequent inspirations of the Japanese artist, and appears
342 PROCEEDlNGti OF THE :NATI0NAL MU8EUM. vol.59.
in numberless specimens of porcelain, ivory, wood carving, and other
works.
This statuette is a specimen of old Japanese carving. Height, 39
inches. Japan. (Plate 90, Cat. No. 130461, U.S.N.M.)
324. Devil dancer's dress. — Consisting of a blue cotton jacket with
thin strips of palm leaves stuck into it, giving it the form of fur.
Ceylon. (Cat. No. 154980, U.S.N.M.)
325. Devil dancer's dress. — The same as No. 324, only that the
jacket is of white cotton. Ceylon. (Cat. No. 154981, U.S.N.M.)
326. Devil dancer's lash.— Ceylon. (Cat. No. 154982, U.S.N.M.)
Sir James Emerson Tennent gives the following explanation and
description of the devil dance in Ceylon: "The Singhalese have
demon or Sanne for each form of disease, who is supposed to be the
direct agent and infiicter, and who is accordingly invoked for its
removal. Hence on every domestic occurrence, as well as in every
domestic calamity, the services of the Icatadias or devil priests are to
be sought and their ceremonies performed * * *. Especially in
cases of sickness and danger the assistance of the devil-dancers is
implicitly relied on: An altar, decorated with garlands, is erected
within sight of the patient, and on this an animal, frequently a cock,
is to be sacrificed for his recovery. The dying man is instructed to
touch and dedicate to the evil spirit the wild flowers, the rice, and the
flesh which have been prepared as the pidaneys, or offerings to be
made at sunset, at midnight, and the morning; and in the intervals
the dancers perform their incantations, habited in masks and dis-
guises to represent the demon which they personate, as the immediate
author of the patient's suffering. In the frenzy of these orgies the
Icatadia, having feigned the access of inspiration from the spirit he
invokes, is consulted by the friends of the afflicted, and declares the
nature of the disease, and the probability of its favorable or fatal
termination. At sunrise, the ceremony closes Nnth an exorcism
chanted to disperse the demons who have been attracted by the rite ;
the devil dancers withdraw wdth the offerings and sing, as they retire,
the concluding song of the ceremony, ' that the sacrifice may be accept-
able and the life of the sufferer extended.' " " And describing the
performance of such a dance the same author says: "We witnessed
the extravagances of two professional devil dancers, who were per-
forming a ceremony in front of a little altar, for the recovery of a
patient who was dying close by. It is difficult to imagine anything
more demoniac than the aspect, movements, and noises of these
wild creatures; their featm-es distorted with exertion and excitement
and their hair tangled in ropes, tossed in all du'ections, as they swing
round in mad contortions." *^
'• Sir J. B. Tennent, Ceylon. An account of the island, physical, historical, and topographical. London,
1860, vol. 1, p. 540.
" Idem, vol. 2, p. 681.
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0WICZ 343
327. Geomantic compass (Chinese, lo-kin^, or lo-pan). — Consisting
of a disk of lacquered wood, beveled do"UTi at the bottom to the shape
of a saucer. The upper surface carries in its center a small compass,
around which run 17 inscribed concentric circles, containing the
sundry geomantic factors, as the 8 permutations of the trigram, the
12 signs of the zodiac, the 24 celestial constellations, and so forth.
It represents the ancient Chinese system of cosmogony and natural
philosophy, and forms the basis of a system of divination.
Geomancy, or, as the Chinese call it, "wind and water," rules
(fung-shui) , is much used by the Chinese for divining future events,
or ascertaining the luckiness or unluckiness of any event, or selecting
sites for houses, cities, and especially burial places, which are supposed
to have important results on the prosperity of the living. The prin-
ciples of geomancy depend on two supposed currents running through
the earth, kno^vn as the dragon and the tiger; a propitious site has
these on its left and right. A skillful observer {fung-shui siensang,
or "wind and water doctor") can detect and describe such currents
with the help of the compass, also the direction of the watercourses,
shapes of the male and female ground and their proportions, position
of rivers, trees, and mountains, color of the soil, and the changes of
the elements. (Compare S. Wells Williams, The Middle Kingdom:
New York, 1853, vol. 2, pp. 245-247). Diameter, 7h inches. China.
(Plate 91, Cat. No. 126954, U.S.N.M.)»«
328. Divination slips (Chinese, cTii en-toong). — Consisting of two
bamboo tubes containing slips of bamboo which are inscribed mth dif-
ferent characters. The person \\'ishing to know the will of the gods
or his fortune shakes the tube and, with averted face, draws out a
slip and reads the answer on it. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158304,
U.S.N.M.)
329. Divination hlocl's (Chinese, chiao). — Consisting of two pieces
of split bamboo, kidney-shaped, \y\th one side convex and the other
flat. The supplicant tosses them into the air in front of the altars
of the gods he is supplicating. If both convex sides turn up, the
answer is yang-yang, which signifies the male principle of nature,
and means "indifferently good"; if both flat sides turn up it is
yin-yin, which signifies the female principle of nature, the answer is
underetood to be negative and unfavorable; if one convex and the
other flat, the answer is considered as absolutely affirmative and the
prayer as granted. Shanghai, China. (Cat. No. 158301, U.S.N.M.)
330. Divination cards. — Five disks of rough cardboard, painted in
red, green, blue, and yellow with concentric circles, with Tibetan
letters in the center and surrounded by flames on the margin. Dia-
» For a detailed explanation of the geomantic compass sec j. J. M. de Groot, The Religions or China, I-oiile,
1897, vol. 3, p. 959, and Paul Cams, Chinese Thought, Chicago, 1907, p. ««.
344 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59.
meter, 4i inches. Tibet. (Cat. No. 311864, U.S.N.M.) Bequest
of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
331. Divination cards. — Nine cardboards, painted in the same
colors as the preceding No. 330, with various gi"otesque monstrous
animals. Length, 4^ inches; width, S^ inches. Tibet. (Cat. No.
311865, U.S.N.M) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
332. Boole of divination. — Manuscript in Pali on palm leaves,
inclosed in a wooden case. The leaves and the case are perforated
through the center for the passing of a cord which holds the book
together. Length, 2^ inches; width, 1^ inches. Laos, Further
India. (Cat. No. 217647, U.S.N.M.)
333. Amulet case (Tibetan, gavo). — ^Made of copper in shape of
shrine, with two handles or ears on either side for suspension. The
front of the case is richly adorned in repouss^ work with figures of
birds, lotus, and other floral designs, and set with eight medallions of
gilt brass, representing the eight glorious emblems figured on Buddha's
footprint, namely, (1) the conch-shell trumpet of victory; (2) the
umbrella; (3) the vase; (4) the victorious banner; (5) the golden fish;
(6) the lucky diagram; (7) the lotus; and (8) the wheel. Amulet
boxes of wood, silver, copper, or leather, in which are carried charms
against various accidents, are worn by the Tibetans around the neck,
or suspended from the girdle, while the larger ones are affixed over the
head in the house or tent. They contain some meaningless Sanscrit
inscription, a few fragments of the cast-off robe of a saintly lama, pea-
cock feathers, supposed to keep off moths, sacred kusa grass, etc. In
front of the case is an opening for the image of a deity (missing in
this specimen). Height, 8 inches; width, f)\ inches; depth, 3^ inches.
Probably Tibet. (Plate 92, Cat. No. 311793, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of
Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
334. Amulet case {gavo). — Made of silver. Decorated with the
eight glorious emblems, arabesques, and Chinese dragons, and pro-
vided "vvTith tubes on the sides for the passing of a cord by which it was
suspended around the neck or fastened to the girdle. Height, 4^
inches; \vidth, 3 inches; depth, l\ inches. Lhasa, Tibet. (Cat. No.
130391, U.S.N.M.)
335. Amulet case (gavo). — Made of brass, decorated with plant de-
signs in filigi'ee work, and provided with handles on the sides for sus-
pension. On top are three porcelain beads, representing the triratna
(see No. 297), painted blue in imitation of turquoise, the color of Tara
(see No. 155), who is usually depicted Nvith a bluish-green complexion.
In the opening, under glass, is a terra-cotta miniature figurine of the
goddess Marichi (Tibetan, odzez canma), represented seated on a lotus
in the witness position, with three faces, of which the left is that of a
sow, and eight arms, holding various weapons, as the thunderbolt
Jio.T67l. CATALOOUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 345
(vajra), a bow and arrow, a club or ax. Originally the gooddess of
dawn, she was coupled with the myth of the primeval productive
sow. She is also considered as the consort of the demon-general
Tamdrin (Hayagriva, see No. 158), and is believed to be incarnated
in the abbess of the convent of Palti Lake in Ti]>et. Height, 3 inches;
width, 2^ mches. Tibet. (Cat. No. 311795, U.S.X.M.) Bequest of
Miss Elizabeth S. Stevens.
336. Charm (copy). — Consisting of a diamond-shaped lattice frame,
attached to a bamboo pole and having various structures and carvings
of fishes fastened to it. It is set up in a corner of the rice field before
the planting of the rice. The carvings of the fishes represent Buddha
in one of his incarnations as a fish (compare also, for tlie signification
of the fish. No. 197). After this charm has been set up nine stalks of
rice are planted. As each rice stalk is planted the formula: Namo
tasso hhazarato arahato sammasam-bvddliassa is repeated, and an offer-
ing of flowers, rice, curry, and chicken meat is placed on a stand be-
neath the fishes. The whole area is then fenced in and remains
sacred until the rice is harvested. Height, 32 inches. Laos, Fiu-ther
India. (Cat. No. 217667, U.S.N.M.)
337. Charm. — Consisting of a bamboo cylinder, lacquered and gilt,
strung on a cotton cord. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217644,
U.S.N.M.)
338. Charm. — Consisting of stone, copper, and zinc beads, and a
crystal of pyrites strung on a cotton cord. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217645, U.S.N.M.)
339. Amulet (pfcl--che, seng-die). — Consisting of a black stone,
polished, with concave sides. "The possessor of this stone is pro-
tected against wounds by bullets, knives, swords, and remains well
and happy." One-half of an inch square. Laos, Further India.
(Cat. No. 217646, U.S.N.M.)
340. Amitlet, "luchj crystal."— PToteciing against evil influences.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217648, U.S.N.M.)
341. Amulet. — Consisting of a knot of palm leaf, inscribed with
auspicious sentences. It is tied around the neck of children to pro-
tect them against evil influences. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No.
217649, U.S.N.M.)
342. " Naga cloth. "—Fiece of cotton cloth, painted with circles,
squares, and p>Tamidal figures between the winding coils of serpents
(Nagas) or dragons, and inscribed \\ath incantations. It is to "pro-
tect against all manner of evil and bodily harm, and, kept in the
house, it protects against fire." Length, 48 inches: width, 36 inches.
Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217650, U.S.N.M.)
343. "Naga cloth."— Piece of cotton, with a large magic square in-
closing a serpent or dragon in the center, and four smaller squares
346 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MVaEUM. fol. 59.
on one margin, drawn in India ink, and a Pali inscription. Length,
18 inches; width, 27 inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217651,
U.S.N.M.)
344. " Naga cloth." —Piece of bleached muslin. The edges are
inscribed in squares or checkers. The center is filled with four
seated figures in witness position and four standing ones, inclosed
within a garland. The designs are painted in yellow and vermilion.
18 inches square. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217652, U.S.N.M.)
345. " Naga cloth." — Piece of cotton with inscribed squares and
adorned with figures of men, birds, and fishes and floral designs.
Length, 17 inches; width, 36 inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat.
No. 217653, U.S.N.M.)
346-349. Native medicine, — Four bags containing from 4 to 24
different substances, as various woods, bones, pieces of Buddha's
alms bowl, etc. These are rubbed on a stone, and the resulting
powder washed off in water which is given to the patient to drink.
Each bag is labeled and selected according to the sickness. Laos,
Further India. (Cat. No. 217654, l^.S.N.M.)
350. Piece of oval sandstone. — Cut out on the upper surface. Sup-
posed to have been used for grinding or rubbing medicine, but more
probably for sharpening some instrument. Length, 3 inches; width.
1^ inches. Laos, Further India. (Cat. No. 217655, U.S.N.M.)
351. Kakemono. — Representing Buddha in the center surrounded
by saints or Bodhisattvas. Painted in gold and various colors,
The style much resembles that of the illuminated missals of the
Middle Ages. A Kakemono is a scroll of paper or cloth, with a
picture or inscription painted or printed upon one side. The designs
are usually religious. They are rolled upon a cylindrical stick, and
are intended to be hung upon the wall. Japan. (Cat. No. 305813,
U.S.N.M.) Gift of Mrs H. B. Buckingham and Isabel C. Freeman.
352. KaTcemono. — -Representing Buddha with 12 saints or arhats.
The faces are painted white, the caps red, the robes yellow, the halos
light green. China (?). (Cat. No. 154273, U.S.N.M.)
353. Kakemono. — -Monochrome. Representing Daruma by Toteku
the Unkoku School (1538-1610 A. D.). Daruma was the twenty-
eighth Buddhist patriarch. He arrived in China in 520 A. D. and
converted the then emperor. It is said he came to Japan in 613
A. D. and died there. During nine years he sat in profound medita-
tion, neither moving or speaking, and when he returned to conscious-
ness of his surroundings his legs had become paralyzed owing to their
long disuse. He is often depicted in a humorous mamier, with a
comical head and round body, without arms and legs, which are
supposed to have withered away from disuse. Japan. (Cat. No.
154273, U.S.N.M.)
No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CA8AN0WICZ 347
354. Kakemono. — Buddhist ecclesiastic, seated in a chair holding
in his right hand a vajra ( ?) : in the left, a rosary. Head and neck
are painted white; the robe is in vermilion. Above are trees. China
( ?). (Cat. No. 154273, U.S.X.M.)
355. Kakemono. — Monochrome. Daikoku, one of the Japanese
seven gods of fortune (see Xo. 167), ^^'ith mallet, seated on rice bags.
Japan. (Cat. No. 154273, U.S.N.M.)
356. Kakemono. — ^Monochrome. Ebisu, Avith fishing rod and fish
(see Xo. 167). Japan. (Cat. Xo. 154273, I'.S.X.M.)
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 44
BRONZE Buddha.
For explanation of plate see paoe 301.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 45
Teakwood Buddha from Burma.
For explanation of plate see page 302.
I. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 46
Wooden Buddha from Ceylon.
For explanation of plate see paoe 303,
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 47
Alabaster Buddha from Laos, Further India.
For explanation of plate see page 303.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 48
Bronze Buddha, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see page 304,
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS VOL. 59 PL. 49
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM.
PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 50
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 51
Wooden Buddha and Garuda, from Laos.
For explanation of plate see page 307.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 52
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
TPROCEEDINGS, vol. 59 PL. 53
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 54
Buddha Figurines on Clam Shell from China.
For explanation of plate see paoe 313.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59. PL. 55
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 56
Wooden Buddha Entering Nirvana, from Laos.
For explanation of plate see page 313.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 57
CD 1
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 58
Cast of Buddha's Footprint, from India.
For explanation of plate see paoe 3 14.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 59
Wooden Amitabha, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see page 3 14.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 60
PORCELAIN Kuan-Yin, from Foochow. China.
For explanation of
ME SEE PAGE 3 15.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 61
Wooden" Kuannon, from Kobe. Japan.
For explanation of plate see page 3 16.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 62
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 63
I, Wooden Bodhisattva from Burma or Si am; 2, Bronze Bodhisattva. from
China or Mongolia.
For explanation of plate see paces 317 and 318.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 64
FuDO IN Shrine, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see pace 318.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 65
Wooden Figure of Maha Upakut, from Laos.
For explanation of plate see page 3 19.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 66
Wooden Daikoku, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see paoe 321.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 67
Bronze Fukurokoju, from China or Japan.
For explanation of plate see page 321.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 68
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 69
Wooden Chinese Buddhist Ecclesiastic, from China.
For explanatjon of plate see page 324.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 70
Wooden Buddhist Ecclesiastic in Ceremonial Robes, from China.
For explanation of plate see page 324.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 71
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 72
I. BRONZE VAJRA-DAGGER, FROM TIBET; 2. BRASS TiP OF MENDICANTS STAFF.
FROM Tibet.
For explanation of plate see page 326.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 73
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PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 74
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U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 75
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 76
Model of a Wooden Pagoda, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see pace 334.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 77
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PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 78
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U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 79
Open Temple Lanterns, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see page 334.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 80
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 81
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 82
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PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 83
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PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 84
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U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 85
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PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL.
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U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 87
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Copper Nine-Toned Bell, from Shanghai, China.
For explanation of plate see page 333.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL.
Wooden Triratna, from Laos.
For explanation of plate see page 340.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 89
Wooden Triratna, from Laos.
For explanation of plate see page 348.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 90
Wooden Demon-Queller, from Japan.
For explanation of plate see page 342.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS, VOL. 59 PL. 91
Geomantic Compass, from China.
For explanation of plate sfe page 343
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM
PROCEEDINGS. VOL. 59 PL. 92
COPPER AMULET CASE, FROM TIBET.
kNATION OF PLATE SEE PAGE 3»«
University of British Columbia Library
DUE DATE
MAR 1 6 197>
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