Cultural Interaction between Flying Buddhas of Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties’ Mogao Grottoes and Heian Period Japan

Abstract

Japanese Buddhism originates from Chinese Buddhism, on what basis? Books, music, dance, architecture and other arts and cultures are the carriers of Buddhism. Murals and sculptures are no exception and are visual media that can strongly embody cultural interaction. Through the existing academic research, the author understands the artistic style of flying Buddha statues in the Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties. On this basis, this paper takes several flying Buddha figures recorded in Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang as the typical flying Buddha figures and discusses the mural art of Northern Wei Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. It further compares the aesthetic characteristics of the flying Buddha statues in the Heian Period of Japan with the two dynasties of China. This paper discusses the communication and development of flying Buddha figures in color, face, body posture, costume, shape, and specific styles in Northern Wei Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and Heian period. Finally, this paper concludes that the flying Buddha statues of Heian period imitated the flying Buddha statues of Northern Wei Dynasty and Tang Dynasty while developing the style of localized Japanese flying Buddha statues.