Keman on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
(Japanese phoneticization from the
(Japanese phoneticization from the Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
''kusumamālā'' "Garland of Flowers"), is a Buddhist ritual decoration, placed hanging on the beam of the inner sanctuary before the enshrined Buddha, in the main hall of the temple. (revised edition; 1964 first ed.), p.132/133
As its Sanskrit name suggests, it originated as a term for fresh flowers strung together and tied in a loop, but became a name for such implements as used to pay respect to the dead (''hotoke''), and eventually signified ritual implements ornamenting the inner sanctuary (, corresponding to the chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
of a church.
They are typically made from gilt bronze in the shape of a round fan (uchiwa
A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (suc ...
). Other materials used for making it are oxhide, wooden boards, or threads.
The design may feature karyobinga (harpy-like beings), or use foliage scroll-work (''karakusa'') combined with the '' hōsōge'' (imaginary peony-like floral pattern), lotus, or peony.
A well-known example is the ''keman'' from the Golden Hall of Chūson-ji
is a Buddhist temple in the town of Hiraizumi in southern Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It is the head temple of the Tendai sect in Tōhoku region of northern Honshu. The temple claims it was founded in 850 by Ennin, the third chief abbot of the sect. ...
in Northern Japan, designated National Treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...
.
Popular culture
* is the Japanese name for the wildflower "Lamprocapnos spectabilis
''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'', bleeding heart, fallopian buds or Asian bleeding-heart, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the fumitory subfamily (fumarioideae) of the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is native to Siberia, northern China, ...
" (also known under genus Dicentra
''Dicentra'' ( Greek ''dís'' "twice", ''kéntron'' "spur"), known as bleeding-hearts, is a genus of eight species of herbaceous plants with oddly shaped flowers and finely divided leaves, native to eastern Asia and North America.
Description
F ...
; common name "bleeding heart"), so named because the flower's shape resembles the ''keman'' ornament.
References
Buddhist ritual implements Japanese art terminology {{Japan-art-stub