Brahma and Indra | Bonten and Taishakuten

Hello, my name is Etsuko Kobata and I'm a docent at the Asian Art Museum. Today I'd like to share an artifact from our Japanese Buddhist gallery. This pair was made in the mid-700s, merely two centuries from the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan. Their life and graceful stature, along with their long-sleeved robes of brocaded silk and shoes with upturned toes, remind us of a connection to Chinese sculptures of the same period. But they also bring us stories from much further west. They represent Hindu deities Brahma and Indra, but in an East Asian Buddhist context. Indra, king of Vedic heaven, wears armor under his robe. The plates protecting his back still retain ornamentations of mineral pigments and gold. Both Indra and Brahma were once brilliantly colored, representing high culture of the time. Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, is shown as a scholar in contrast to the military Indra. He may have once held a scroll of Buddhist texts in his left hand. Powerful deities in their own right, but incorporated into Buddhism. These sculptures once accompanied a Buddha figure, much like high-ranking officials to an emperor. They were fashioned of layered lacquer with a hollow core, a time-consuming and expensive sculpting technique that was adopted in Japan for only about a century. The material made them light and easy to transport. These sculptures survived many fires, including one in 1717, which destroyed the building they were housed in. They were also witnesses to the fall of Japanese Buddhist patronage in the late 19th century. Support of many temples suffered with the rise of state Shintoism. Brahma and Indra were sold to Japanese art collector Masuda Takashi in 1906 to raise funds for the temple they belonged to, the once glorious Kofukuji. They stayed with Masuda's family until in 1964, they were purchased by Avery Brundage, then the chair of the International Olympic Committee. It was the year Japan finally hosted the Olympic Games, with prayers of atonement for past mistakes and recovery from the horrors of World War II. Brahma and Indra witnessed natural disasters, human errors of every kind, and the remarkable resilience of society around them. Centuries of human suffering and reflection linger on their robes like the scent of heady incense. What advice would they have for us today as we navigate the world around us? As we sit in front of them, we see them gracefully reach out to us, as if to tell us that everything will be okay. Thank you for watching this artifact from the Asian Art Museum.