Reception and transformation of foreign cultures in Thailand; focusing on the foreign trade items of the 13th to 18th centuries

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24401020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Aesthetics/Art history
• Research Institution: Kyushu National Museum
• Principal Investigator: Harada Ayumi 独立行政法人国立文化財機構九州国立博物館, 学芸部企画課, 室長 (20416556)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KOIZUMI Yoshihide 九州国立博物館, 学芸部, 部長 (40205315) ; SUEKANE Toshihiko 京都国立博物館, 学芸部企画室, 研究員 (20594047) ; FUJITA Reio 九州国立博物館, 学芸部博物館科学課, 室長 (00416554)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 文化交流 / 交易品 / 文化財 / 仏教美術

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to verify the mutual relations between domestic and foreign cultures in Thailand. Its scope from 13 century Thai state has been established, maritime trade was up to 18 century was expanding dramatically.
As the trade item we focused on the transformation of Japanese sword that have been accepted into Thailand, this is the most intriguing category. In Thailand, there exist “Japanese style swords” that are based on the Japanese swords. And Thai Buddhist narrative art offers many Buddhist tales that were newly created and transmitted apart from the Pali Tipitaka. Among these, the legend of Phra Malai providing salvation from the sufferings of hell, which rivals the last of the Ten Jataka Tales in popularity. Also, Maitreya worship can be seen only in the sutras passed down in Thai culture, and it is worth noting that the Maitreya also plays an important role in the Phra Malai tale.

Free Research Field

タイ美術史