Japanese Mandalas August 6, 2009

The introduction of esoteric Buddhism to Japan from mainland China in the ninth-century forever changed the visual landscape of Japanese religion and of Japanese art as a whole. The rituals of Mikkyo Buddhism, or the "Secret Teachings" as the newly imported doctrine was called, involve a preponderance of arrestingly beautiful and fearsome images that aim to reveal ultimate truths to the initiated. At the core of Mikkyo is the Mandala of Both Realms, paired cosmic diagrams of the Diamond World and the Matrix World. The installation explores the art of Mikkyo Buddhism from the models used to create these mandalas to the images they inspired. Important early iconographic drawings, paintings, sculpture and textiles from the Metropolitan's permanent collection are displayed with outstanding works from other institutions and private collections.