EAA 2022: Abstract

“Kucha Silks” is a term mentioned for several times in the Turfan manuscripts (dated to the 5th century) as a valuable textile circulated as one of the currencies in the Tarim Basin. While various interpretations of this textile type have been raised in previous studies, in her article in 2018, the author raised the possibility that the textiles represented in the wall paintings of the Buddhist rock monasteries in Kucha, Bamiyan, and the Gansu Province dated from the 5th to the middle of the 6th centuries, as well as excavated artifacts from Northern Xinjiang, should be considered to be the visual and material witnesses of the “Kucha Silks”.
Based on the findings of the present author’s provisional study, this paper reexplores the 1) cultural background behind the donation of the local-made prestige silk textiles from the lay community to the Buddhist monasteries, 2) the historical situation of the circulation of the Kucha Silks as well as its overlap with the Buddhist network, and 3) a possible reflection of the ritual practice of dressing up Buddhist statues with valuable textiles, as hinted by Buddhist art of the Northern Dynasties in Gansu Province and further East.

Kucha, Silk Road, Buddhist art, wall paintings, Buddhist monastery, Dunhuang

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Satomi Hiyama^1,2