Search Results (10)

The Xizi Pagoda (惜字塔) is a form of traditional religious building used for burning “Paper with Characters (字纸)”, worshiping the gods, praying for blessings, revitalzing culture, and it is also an important material embodiment in the process of the development and evolution of religion in China, carrying China’s unique “Scholarly Culture (书香文化)”. This paper is the first study of the philosophy of religion of Xizi Pagodas (a vernacular stone religious architectural landscape). The research of the representative Xizi Pagodas in different parts of Hunan province were carried out to analyze the origin of Xizi Pagodas, cultural rituals, modeling paradigms, decorative art, and to explore the traditional Chinese religious and philosophical thoughts embedded in Xizi Pagodas through relevant literatures. The results show that Xizi Pagodas contain the religious concepts of “Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism (儒释道)”: the emergence of Xizi Pagodas is connected to the development of Confucianism; Xizi Pagodas incorporate Buddhistic thoughts and inherit architectural features of Buddhist Pagodas; and the “Xizi (惜字)” ritual and images of deities on Xizi Pagodas are associated with Taoism. At present, the number of Xizi Pagodas is decreasing, and the remaining ones are in a serious state of dilapidation and disrepair, and the “Xizi” Culture is gradually being forgotten and fading away. This paper enriches the relevant research on the Xizi Pagodas and the “Xizi” Culture. Full article

For a long time, scholarly research on Buddhism in Luoyang during the Tang Dynasty has mainly focused on eminent monks and Buddhist temples. This focus is evident in the recorded literature of ancient times, such as The Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks and The Biographies of Eminent Monks. Based on stone inscriptions, this paper examines the dissemination and development of Buddhism in the Eastern Capital of Luoyang during the Tang Dynasty. This article presents the following viewpoints and findings: Firstly, the epitaphs and pagoda inscriptions provide historical details that are not widely known, such as the names of temples in the suburb, the identities of prominent monks who propagated Dharma in Luoyang, the Buddhist scriptures chanted and learned by the Luoyang people, and the people’s motivation to adopt Buddhism. Secondly, the epitaphs and pagoda inscriptions supplement important historical materials on Chan Buddhism, confirming the widespread popularity of the Northern Sect of Chan Buddhism in the Luoyang region. Thirdly, the epitaphs and pagoda inscriptions reveal that Luoyang Buddhist practice was popular, characterized by the succession of blood-related monastic companions; that is, many families had two or more relatives who became monks or nuns simultaneously or successively, a phenomenon that has not attracted attention from academic circles. Fourthly, the blood-related monastic companions of Buddhist practice affected the mentoring relationships and organizational management of temples and monasteries, promoting communication and interaction between Buddhism and traditional Chinese culture. Full article

This study provides a comparison of results from dynamic centrifuge tests and a finite element analysis model to confirm the behavior of a representative Korean stone pagoda cultural heritage structure against earthquakes. The indirect stiffness or physical state of the structure was estimated by measuring the natural frequency of the masonry stone pagoda. The actual natural frequency of the stone pagoda was measured to be 4.5 Hz. It was determined to have a lower natural frequency than other stone pagodas of similar size. For the experiment, a dynamic centrifugal separator test was performed on a 1/15 model. Data from an actual earthquake record, the Ofunato earthquake, were used, with various maximum acceleration levels ranging from 0.069 g to 0.424 g. In order to confirm the accuracy of the finite element analysis model, the measured natural frequency of the masonry stone pagoda was compared with the modal analysis of the finite element model. When the data obtained from the experiment and the PGA (peak ground acceleration) of the FEM analysis with a complex masonry stone pagoda using a validated model result were compared, it was found to have a low average error rate of 13%. This shows that structural behavior can be predicted for similar masonry stone pagoda structures using finite element method analysis in the future. Full article

Xizi Pagoda, or the pagoda for cherishing writing paper, is part of China’s architectural heritage in culture, education, and rites. It symbolizes respect for books and ceremonies, aspirations for virtue and ideals, and hope for literati cultivation. This paper is the first comprehensive study based on the spatial structure and artistic value of the pagoda as rural stone architecture. It analyzes the shape, components, and decoration of typical Xizi Pagodas in Hunan Province, and studies the stress structure with finite element simulation software. This study delves into the science of the shape, structure and space, and the cultural and aesthetic connotations, and proposes protection and renovation methods. In conclusion, the architecture is decided by the cylindrical shape of the paper burning structure and aesthetics; it is also influenced by Hunan culture, which cherishes literature and ceremonies and values candor and optimism. The pagoda is a national art form with a unique role in enlightenment and education. Therefore, the protection and utilization of the pagoda can be approached from its spatial structure, artistic value, and cultural inheritance to facilitate the sustainable development of architectural heritage, environment, and culture, so as to build Xizi Pagoda into a new national brand. Full article

The production of stone sculptures in the form of statues, steles, and pagodas was arguably one of the most prominent forms of Buddhist devotion in early medieval China. The abundant Buddhist imagery and devotional inscriptions adorning their surfaces provide rich information on their creation, commission, consecration, and worship, which is essential for comprehending the local community’s religious landscape. This paper employs a network analysis approach to visualize and analyze the spatial arrangement of Buddhist images on the surfaces of pagodas from Nannieshui 南涅水, Shanxi 山西 Province. Network analysis reveals that Nannieshui pagodas were commissioned and worshipped differently from other kinds of stone sculpture, as shown by its emphasis on the spatial and sequential order of Buddhist images depicted on the exterior of these pagodas. Full article

In this study stone pagodas from ancient Japan (7th to 9th centuries) were analyzed. The findings show that there are some apparently influenced by the Korean Peninsula and two other types. While there are examples of the former type that are large and serve as temple buildings, the latter are located in mountain forest temples. I am of the opinion that stone pagodas were important mechanisms that made possible the existence of mountain forest temples as Mahayana precepts-based transgression repentance (keka 悔過) training sites that complemented flatland temples. This use of stone pagodas is different than China and Korea, which treated both wooden and stone pagodas in the same way. Moreover, ideas regarding Mahayana precepts-based transgression repentance were introduced from China, and I hold that the increase in stone pagodas at mountain forest temples corresponds to the Sinicization of Japanese Buddhism. Full article

A large number of stone blocks, stacked up in diminishing size to form pagodas, was discovered in northern China, primarily eastern Gansu and southeastern Shanxi. Their stylistic traits and inscriptions indicate the popularity of the practice of making stacked pagodas in the Northern dynasties (circa the fifth and sixth centuries CE). They display a variety of Buddhist imagery on surface, which is in contrast with the simplification of the structural elements. This contrast raises questions about how stone pagodas of the time were understood and how they related to contemporaneous pagoda buildings. This essay examines these stacked pagodas against the broader historical and artistic milieu, especially the practice of dedicating Buddhist stone implements, explores the way the stacked pagodas were made, displayed, and venerated, and discusses their religious significance generated beyond their structural resemblance to real buildings. Full article

In general, the stone pagoda structures with discontinuous surfaces are vulnerable to lateral forces and are severely damaged by earthquakes. After the Gyeongju earthquake in 2016 and the Pohang earthquake in 2017, numerous stone pagoda structures were damaged due to slippage, rotation, and the separation of stacked stone. To evaluate seismic resistance of masonry stone pagoda structures, we analyzed the seismic behavior of stone pagoda structures using the shaking table test. Shaking frequency, permanent displacement, maximum acceleration, rocking, and sliding were assessed. Responses to simulations of the Bingol, Gyeongju, and Pohang earthquakes based on the Korean seismic design standard (KDS 41 17 00) were analyzed for return periods of 1000 and 2400 years. We found that the type of stylobate affected the seismic resistance of the stone pagoda structure. When the stylobates were stiff, seismic energy was transferred from lower to upper regions of the stone pagoda, which mainly resulted in deformation of the upper region. When the stylobates were weak, earthquake energy was absorbed in the lower regions, which was associated with large stylobate deformations. The lower part of the tower body was mainly affected by rocking, because the structural members were slender. The higher part of the stone pagoda was mainly affected by sliding, because the load and contact area decreased with height. Full article

This paper examines the bronze Buddha mold that was excavated from the western pagoda of Hwaŏm temple 華嚴寺. The research centers on the mold’s date of production, its function, and the reason it was enshrined in the Hwaŏmsa pagoda. The pagoda itself was constructed in the ninth century and is considered to be a Dharani pagoda because Wugoujingguang datuoluonijing (無垢淨光大陀羅尼經, The Great Dharani Sūtra) is enshrined within the structure. The act of placing the Buddhist scriptures in the pagoda was to benefit the structure’s benefactors by absolving them of their sins and granting blessings in their afterlives for their meritorious deeds. Of all the dhāraṇī, Wugoujingguang datuoluonijing is the most detailed and particularly emphasizes the act of repetition. The clarity and simplicity of its instructions made it especially popular in eighth-to-ninth-century Korea. The Hwaŏmsa Buddha mold was one of the tools used in the ritual described by Wugoujingguang datuoluonijing. Considering the sūtra’s insistence on repetition and replication, the mold was a very suitable implement. The use of inexpensive clay also allowed for the mass production of Buddha images that any individual could commission at little cost. Furthermore, this method of producing Buddha images made it easy for the temple to attract followers and thus raise funding for the construction of the pagoda. The clay Buddhas themselves were small, making it possible for one to keep the image on his person and carry it wherever he went. Ultimately, these actions were meant to bring the individuals closer to Buddha and his world. Full article

Ancient books on East Asian mathematics introduced to the Korean Peninsula enrich our understanding of the arithmetic notions that mold the creative thought processes of the ancients. They believed that all objects in the universe could be composed of circles and squares and all items could be expressed in terms of geometrical profiles. Through the combination of circles and squares, the ancient East Asians expressed the order of the world and unraveled it mathematically. These principles are evident in the construction principles of early Korean stone pagodas. In particular, the square root of 2 (√2) is a very important number in the delineation represented in the consolidation of inscribed and circumscribed circles with squares. Further, the square root of 2 is applied as a design principle in the construction of the stone pagodas at the temples Chŏngnimsa and Kamŭnsa. This article demonstrates that the ancients on the continuous impact of the Jiuzhang Suanshu and the Zhoubi Suanshu constructed the pagodas complying with design principles based on the arithmetic and geometric proportional systems of √2 times, which are intended to adjust compositional proportions and the gradual decrease in length to shape the tripartite partition of the foundation, the pagoda body, and the finial in stone pagodas. Full article