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Japanese Journal of Religious Studies

Japanese Buddhism is generally considered to be misogynist in nature. Scholars, who are familiar with paintings of the female body in nine aspects of decay, called kusozu, believe that these paintings represent the sexist nature of Buddhism. In an attempt to interpret the paintings within religious and cultural historical contexts, this paper examines a series of these paintings with respect to the legend of the ninth-century poet, Ono no Komachi, and Tendai thought on original enlightenment (hongaku). JAPANESE BUDDHIST IMAGERY of female cadavers in progressive stages of decay, dating from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries, has been interpreted as a visual sign of misogyny in Japanese Buddhist thought by modern scholars. Painted interpretations of corporeal decay emphasize the female sex of the corpse and are highly explicit. I have never come across a Japanese painting of a male corpse in progressive stages of decay. This imagery is found in poetry, narrative literature, woodblock books and prints, as well as paintings. The reaction of modern viewers to these paintings is one of fascination and surprise. Hitomi Tonomura, speaking of this theme in narrative literature (setsuwa fl˚) of the Buddhist didactic type, epitomizes the puzzlement of present-day audiences with this comment:

The gender of Buddhist truth: The female corpse in a group of Japanese paintings