Gyōdō Explained

is a Japanese Buddhist ceremony.

Ceremonies

Gyōdō may refer to three distinct ceremonies: ritual circumambulation of temple buildings or images while chanting sutras; masked processions during memorial services; and, in Pure Land Buddhism, reenactments of the descent of Amida.^[1] Gyōdō ceremonies still take place annually on May 14 at Taima-dera, where they are also known as or .^{[2] [3] [4]}

Masks

Surviving masks include a pair of masks dating from 1086 and 1334 at Tōdai-ji (ICP);^[5] a set of ten masks dating from 1138 for use in the ceremonies at Hōryū-ji (ICP);^[6] thirteen Heian-period masks from (ICP);^[7] a Kamakura-period mask of Tamonten at the Tokyo National Museum;^[8] a thirteenth-century bodhisattva mask at the British Museum;^[9] a Kamakura-period bodhisattva mask at the National Gallery of Victoria;^[10] a fifteenth-century example at the Victoria and Albert Museum;^[11] and a pre-modern mask at the Smithsonian Institution.^[12] A late-Heian Taishakuten of uncertain provenance was auctioned by Christie's in 2010 for $20,000.^[13]

See also

• Gigaku
• Bugaku
• Antiquities trade

Notes and References

1. Book: Bugaku Masks . Nishikawa Kyōtarō . . 1978 . 0870113127 . 96 f . registration .
2. The Mukaekō of Taimadera: A Case of Salvation Re-enacted . Bryant, Gail Chin . Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie . 1995 . 8 . 325–334. 10.3406/asie.1995.1100 .
3. Web site: Nerikuyou . . 20 April 2012.
4. Web site: 年中行事 . Annual ceremonies . . 20 April 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110825074251/http://www.taimadera.org/gyoji1.htm . 25 August 2011 .
5. Web site: 木造行道面（蠅払） . Wooden gyōdō masks . . 20 April 2012.
6. Web site: 木造行道面（聖霊会所用） . Wooden gyōdō masks (for use in the shōryō-e) . . 20 April 2012.
7. Web site: 木造行道面 . Wooden gyōdō masks . . 20 April 2012.
8. Web site: Masks . . 20 April 2012.
9. Web site: Bodhisattva mask for Gyōdō . . 20 April 2012.
10. Web site: Gyodo mask of Bodhisattva . . 20 April 2012.
11. Web site: Buddhist mask . . 20 April 2012.
12. Web site: Gyodo mask . . 20 April 2012 . 5 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141205141226/http://asia.si.edu/collections/singleObject.cfm?ObjectNumber=F1902.88 . dead .
13. Web site: A wood Gyodo Mask of Taishakuten . . 20 April 2012.