Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did many Buddhist artworks enter the art market during the Meiji period?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Japanese art
The Breaking Wave off Kanagawa, woodblock colour print by Hokusai, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, 1826–33.
During the Meiji period, a significant volume of Buddhist art entered the art market primarily due to the Japanese government's official policy of separating Buddhism from the indigenous Shintō religion.21
This policy, which sought to establish Shintō as a national religion, led to the following consequences:
- Institutional Divestment: Temples were stripped of many tax privileges and were forced to sell off their artistic holdings to support themselves financially.2
- Nativist Persecution: Strong nativist sentiments resulted in a sometimes violent and destructive reaction against Buddhism, known as Haibutsu Kishaku ("Extermination of Buddhism"), which further pressured religious institutions.23
- Shift in Patronage: The government’s focus on Westernization and the official dismantling of Buddhist-Shintō syncretism curtailed the traditional patronage that had previously supported artists creating Buddhist iconography.2
As a result of these pressures, a vast amount of Buddhist art was released onto the market, where it was frequently acquired by Western collectors, often with the assistance of figures like Ernest Fenollosa, who recognized the exceptional quality of these works.2