Senbutsu: Figured Clay Tiles, Buddhism, and Political Developments on the Japanese Islands, ca. 650-794 CE

This study of senbutsu, figured clay tiles with Buddhist subject matter, offers new means to expand our perception of the emerging Japanese state, as initial production of the figured tiles began during the second half of the seventh century, a time of massive reorganization in governing structure and practice on the Japanese islands. Largely excavated by archaeological institutions during the last fifty years, senbutsu are an important body of material evidence which has not yet been fully examined. Most senbutsu were recovered from the ruins of Buddhist temples, predominantly built between the second half of the seventh century and the eighth century, with a heavy concentration of consumption sites located in and near the successive capitals. Since molds were used to manufacture the figured tiles, through formal analysis of each tile, I identified related senbutsu and proposed the boundaries of common cultural spheres, as well as the geography of transportation routes. In all, the spreading influence of the central government throughout the Japanese islands, as described in the limited written sources, was both corroborated and put into new perspective by this alternative form of material evidence, the figured tiles. Yet since the tiles do not have inscribed dates, production periods are relatively uncertain. Thus the foremost aim of this study was to establish a chronological sequence for the senbutsu, primarily by focusing on tiles with a depiction of a Buddha triad, likely the earliest type of senbutsu developed and produced on the Japanese islands, and clearly the most abundant. I also explored other critical issues, such as the manner of use, which appears to have ranged from ornamental decoration inside temples, as small devotional icons, as acts of merit-making, to possibly serving as protection against angry ghosts resulting from the politics of succession. Essentially, this thesis examined the transmission of a new kind of object to the Japanese islands from across the seas, how it was interpreted and transformed, and the processes involved in the dissemination of this new practice from workshops serving the Buddhist temples in the capital to the workshops operating in the distant provinces.