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1880年代英文旅行手冊中的京都古寺:佛教美術史書出現之前的古寺遊賞 Appreciating Kyoto’s Temples: Reading an 1880s’ Travelers’ Handbook from the Prelude of Buddhist Art History

作者
巫佩蓉
Author
Pei-jung Wu
摘要

本文以一本出版於1880年代,以英文書寫的日本旅行手冊為主,探索當時的外國旅行者,可能探訪哪些京都古寺,又會被引導由什麼角度去觀察古寺中的文物。

1994年以「古都京都的文化財」為題登記為「世界文化遺產」之佛教寺院,有十三所之多。百餘年前的旅人,是否已經有機會探訪這些被認為有普世文化價值的寺院?在日本美術史或東亞美術史的學科領域尚未成形之時,美術相關書籍中並無提供充分的寺院資料,而佛教美術通史更尚未問世。此時,旅行手冊提供的內容是什麼?透過分析此手冊中的京都古寺名單,以及剖析作者的書寫方式,將有助我們了解十九世紀後期,亞洲佛教文物,被納入全球旅行文化、美術知識領域的過程。

Synopsis

Based on an English handbook for travelers published in the 1880s, this study discusses temples in Kyoto historically accessible for foreigners, and their introduction to foreign travelers.

In 1994, thirteen Buddhist temples were included as a part of “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” and recognized as “World Heritage Sites” by UNESCO. It is interesting to know whether travelers in the 1880s had access to these temples – now recognized as being of universal value – and if so how these places were presented to visitors. In the 1880s, the academic fields of Japanese art history, and East Asian art history, were not well established, and there were neither general Japanese art historical books with much information concerning temples, nor Buddhist art history books. A further concern of this article is whether the text concerning temples in Kyoto was written with an art history approach. Analyses of the temples listed in this handbook, and of the authorhship of the text, will contribute to our understanding of the processes through which ancient temples became famous sites for global travelers, and objects of art history research.