Exploring the circulation of Buddhist material culture in Western historical media, including prints, photos, ephemera, &c. Digital public scholarship project curated by @peterromaskiewicz.bsky.social. 📜 #buddhasinthewest 🌟 Summer Hiatus 🏖️https://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mtlusvopks2nThe Under Gods project published 25 essays for America’s 250th celebration, including a fun one by Elijah Siegler, “Gods on the Menu,” which takes readers on a US road trip “in search of the gods of Chinese restaurants”: www.undergods.org/1985 https://www.undergods.org/198521 Aug 2026 13:34 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlusvopks2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mtlusvopks2nThe Under Gods project published 25 essays for America’s 250th celebration, including a fun one by Elijah Siegler, “Gods on the Menu,” which takes readers on a US road trip “in search of the gods of Chinese restaurants”: www.undergods.org/1985 https://www.undergods.org/198521 Aug 2026 13:34 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlusvopks2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3monh7kkbes2jThe rise of popular theatrical revues and silent film helped glamorize the notion of the "idol." The masculine "matinee idol" of Victorian theater increasingly gave way to female stars, sometimes depicted in poses reminiscent of a seated Buddha—playing on the double meaning of the word idol. 🧵 🗃️ 📜19 Jun 2026 13:30 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3monh7kkbes2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3monh7kkbes2jThe rise of popular theatrical revues and silent film helped glamorize the notion of the "idol." The masculine "matinee idol" of Victorian theater increasingly gave way to female stars, sometimes depicted in poses reminiscent of a seated Buddha—playing on the double meaning of the word idol. 🧵 🗃️ 📜19 Jun 2026 13:30 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3monh7kkbes2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3moircmts7k2jAmong the earliest European images of Buddhist monks are the copperplate engravings appearing in late 17th travel books. This curious assortment of figures comes from the 1665 French edition of An Embassy of the Dutch East India Company by Johannes Nieuhof. 🧵 🗃️ 📜17 Jun 2026 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3moircmts7k2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3moircmts7k2jAmong the earliest European images of Buddhist monks are the copperplate engravings appearing in late 17th travel books. This curious assortment of figures comes from the 1665 French edition of An Embassy of the Dutch East India Company by Johannes Nieuhof. 🧵 🗃️ 📜17 Jun 2026 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3moircmts7k2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mkssxi6ifs2qWith bulging eyes, flared nostrils, and straining veins, the Niō guardians stand frozen mid-roar. Placed at temple entrance gates, the Niō serve as spiritual sentinels, warding off malevolent forces and reminding visitors they are crossing into sacred space. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan #仁王01 May 2026 19:03 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkssxi6ifs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mkssxi6ifs2qWith bulging eyes, flared nostrils, and straining veins, the Niō guardians stand frozen mid-roar. Placed at temple entrance gates, the Niō serve as spiritual sentinels, warding off malevolent forces and reminding visitors they are crossing into sacred space. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan #仁王01 May 2026 19:03 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkssxi6ifs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mkb2e6osuk2rBefore Kyoto's Hōkō-ji faded into relative obscurity, it held one of Japan’s most ambitious projects: a colossal Great Buddha meant to rival Nara's Tōdai-ji. Reports from a visiting Dutch Embassy in 1649 allowed European book illustrators to envision this 60-foot marvel. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan24 Apr 2026 17:27 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkb2e6osuk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mkb2e6osuk2rBefore Kyoto's Hōkō-ji faded into relative obscurity, it held one of Japan’s most ambitious projects: a colossal Great Buddha meant to rival Nara's Tōdai-ji. Reports from a visiting Dutch Embassy in 1649 allowed European book illustrators to envision this 60-foot marvel. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan24 Apr 2026 17:27 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkb2e6osuk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mk3utwuzlc23This image of Angkor Wat is unusual: instead of empty corridors and abandoned statues, it captures a moment of active devotion. Photography of Angkor often framed the complex as lifeless – timeless ruins rather than a living religious site. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Cambodia22 Apr 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3utwuzlc23https://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mk3utwuzlc23This image of Angkor Wat is unusual: instead of empty corridors and abandoned statues, it captures a moment of active devotion. Photography of Angkor often framed the complex as lifeless – timeless ruins rather than a living religious site. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Cambodia22 Apr 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3utwuzlc23https://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mjpbguvkys27As hanami, flower blossom viewing, spread among commoners during the Edo period, so too did the popularity of cherry blossoms in woodblock prints. This visual tradition carried into the Meiji era through hand-colored photographs and postcards - but something curious emerges here. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan #花見17 Apr 2026 15:46 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjpbguvkys27https://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mjpbguvkys27As hanami, flower blossom viewing, spread among commoners during the Edo period, so too did the popularity of cherry blossoms in woodblock prints. This visual tradition carried into the Meiji era through hand-colored photographs and postcards - but something curious emerges here. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan #花見17 Apr 2026 15:46 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjpbguvkys27https://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mjkalblm422mReputedly founded in the 6th century, Hualin Temple traces its origins to the famed Zen patriarch Bodhidharma, who arrived in China by sea. Situated in the port city of Guangzhou, the temple remained a favored destination for visitors and foreign photographers more than a millennium later. 🧵 #China15 Apr 2026 15:47 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkalblm422mhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mjkalblm422mReputedly founded in the 6th century, Hualin Temple traces its origins to the famed Zen patriarch Bodhidharma, who arrived in China by sea. Situated in the port city of Guangzhou, the temple remained a favored destination for visitors and foreign photographers more than a millennium later. 🧵 #China15 Apr 2026 15:47 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkalblm422mhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mjezdx5jcs2oAt Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, piety and play have been tightly interwoven since the nineteenth century. Approaching the temple entrance, this 1905 stereoview captures rows of vendors selling tobacco, toys, and talismans within the inner precincts to passing crowds. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan13 Apr 2026 13:54 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjezdx5jcs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mjezdx5jcs2oAt Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, piety and play have been tightly interwoven since the nineteenth century. Approaching the temple entrance, this 1905 stereoview captures rows of vendors selling tobacco, toys, and talismans within the inner precincts to passing crowds. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan13 Apr 2026 13:54 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjezdx5jcs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mj5tndbe3k2dIn 1924, Wembley Park was transformed into a miniature British Empire, showcasing national pavilions, trade displays, and staged cultural performances. Seeing opportunity, postcard publisher Raphael Tuck released vibrantly colored sets of cards depicting Britain's colonial holdings.🧵 🗃️ 📜 #SriLanka10 Apr 2026 17:24 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5tndbe3k2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mj5tndbe3k2dIn 1924, Wembley Park was transformed into a miniature British Empire, showcasing national pavilions, trade displays, and staged cultural performances. Seeing opportunity, postcard publisher Raphael Tuck released vibrantly colored sets of cards depicting Britain's colonial holdings.🧵 🗃️ 📜 #SriLanka10 Apr 2026 17:24 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5tndbe3k2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3miymtccsks2pIn temples across Japan each April 8, visitors celebrate Hanamatsuri, the Flower Festival, commemorating the Buddha’s birth. Devotees pour ladles of amacha sweet tea over a small statue of the infant Buddha, reenacting the moment when dragons bathed the newborn with sacred rain. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #花祭り08 Apr 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3miymtccsks2phttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3miymtccsks2pIn temples across Japan each April 8, visitors celebrate Hanamatsuri, the Flower Festival, commemorating the Buddha’s birth. Devotees pour ladles of amacha sweet tea over a small statue of the infant Buddha, reenacting the moment when dragons bathed the newborn with sacred rain. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #花祭り08 Apr 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3miymtccsks2phttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mitlrz42222tOpening in 1898 in Atlantic City, the Heinz Pier stretched 900 feet into the ocean, lined with advertising signs, food award displays, and a gallery housing Henry Heinz's eclectic curio collection. Tourists armed with Kodak cameras could easily take snapshots posing with Heinz's Buddhist statues.06 Apr 2026 15:36 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mitlrz42222thttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mitlrz42222tOpening in 1898 in Atlantic City, the Heinz Pier stretched 900 feet into the ocean, lined with advertising signs, food award displays, and a gallery housing Henry Heinz's eclectic curio collection. Tourists armed with Kodak cameras could easily take snapshots posing with Heinz's Buddhist statues.06 Apr 2026 15:36 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mitlrz42222thttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mimagp2nbc2yDuring the summer each year, the streets of Kandy ignite with music and ritual dance as towering elephants move slowly through the crowd beneath jeweled canopies. This is the Esala Perahera, the great annual procession honoring the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #SriLanka03 Apr 2026 17:25 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mimagp2nbc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mimagp2nbc2yDuring the summer each year, the streets of Kandy ignite with music and ritual dance as towering elephants move slowly through the crowd beneath jeweled canopies. This is the Esala Perahera, the great annual procession honoring the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #SriLanka03 Apr 2026 17:25 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mimagp2nbc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mijsjvqe4c2sHidden among the treasures of Nara’s Tōdai-ji stands a fierce guardian: Bishamonten, the Heavenly King of the North. Clad in armor with eyes blazing, this towering 4.2-meter cypress statue exemplifies the remarkable craftsmanship of thirteenth-century Japanese Buddhist sculpture. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan02 Apr 2026 18:11 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijsjvqe4c2shttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mijsjvqe4c2sHidden among the treasures of Nara’s Tōdai-ji stands a fierce guardian: Bishamonten, the Heavenly King of the North. Clad in armor with eyes blazing, this towering 4.2-meter cypress statue exemplifies the remarkable craftsmanship of thirteenth-century Japanese Buddhist sculpture. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan02 Apr 2026 18:11 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijsjvqe4c2shttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mielqgyyp22m📣 New Exhibit 📣 Another wonderful collaboration with San Diego Central Library is now up through June. To read the exhibit intro and get a look at some of the trade cards on display, you can check out the digital companion guide: tinyurl.com/4a2kmm29.31 Mar 2026 16:26 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mielqgyyp22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/buddhasinthewest.bsky.social/post/3mibyababuc2aAfter Fuzhou opened to foreign trade in 1842, missionaries, merchants, and travelers began climbing the stone stairway to Gushan. The dramatic setting with temple roofs rising from forested slopes above the Min River plain made it irresistible to photographers and travel writers. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #China30 Mar 2026 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:ftj2bmay74kldpsbikim2lnu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mibyababuc2a