Thinking humans through fine arts

The word bijutsu (“fine arts”) was created in 1872 as a translation from German. In other words, there was no such word in Japanese until the end of the Edo period. However, countless works of “art” have been created in Japan over the centuries. Why did our ancestors make them? “Art/bijutsu” is essentially visual, which means that its range of expression surpasses that of a verbal text. For instance, it can convey beauty, sublimity, or piety. It is likely that our ancestors craved visual arts much more strongly than we usually imagine.
The history of fine arts is a discipline that looks into hearts and minds of the people of the past through works of art. Rising to that challenge, I have set three research goals listed below.
1. First, I intend to study Buddhist statues in various regions of Japan and create a publicly accessible archive with detailed descriptions and photographs.
2. Second, I want to conduct a comparative study of the art of Buddhist relic cults (worshipping sariras), which are found all over Asia.
3. Third, I plan to analyze the concept of the afterworld in ancient Japan in order to elucidate the meaning and functions of Buddhist art.
As a result of my studies, I hope to demonstrate that art has always been indispensable for religion.