Maijishan Grottoes photographed in 1956
Among the many Buddhist grottoes in China, Dunhuang Grottoes, Kizil Thousand Buddha Cave and Baizi Kerek Thousand Buddha Cave are famous for their murals, Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes and Dazu stone carvings are famous for their stone carvings, and Maijishan Grottoes are famous for their clay sculptures and are known as the "Exhibition Hall of Oriental Sculpture". The Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu Province, together with the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi Province and the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province, are known as the four major grottoes in China.
Maijishan Grottoes were founded in the later Qin period of the sixteen States, that is, Yao Qin. They flourished from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Northern Zhou Dynasty. There were sequels in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. More than 70 percent of the grottoes are from the Northern Dynasty. The caves in Sui and Tang dynasties often collapsed due to earthquakes.
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Maijishan Grottoes once fell into oblivion. In 1940, Feng Guorui, a native of Tianshui, obtained a large amount of information about Maiji Mountain in the process of sorting out local documents, and became very interested in it. In 1941, Feng Guorui invited visitors to climb Maiji Mountain and made the first field investigation of the grottoes. Feng Guorui was shocked by the artistic treasures of Maiji Mountain, such as stone carvings and statues, and spent two months after returning home to compile the book "Maiji Mountain Grottoes Annals" and delivered it for publication. After the news was spread, Ta Kung Pao and Yishi Daily successively carried out special reports, which caused a huge response in China and attracted many experts and scholars. Since then, Maijishan Grottoes have seen the light of day and enjoy a good reputation at home and abroad. At that time, more than 170 years had passed since the last Qing Dynasty literati Bi Yuan carved a stone in this poem in 1767.
In 1956, Japanese friend Yokosuke Natori was invited to China to participate in the 20th anniversary of Lu Xun's death. After visiting Maiji Mountain, he took almost all the sculptures that could pass through the caves, and the photos preserved the precious materials before the later restoration. There are many grottoes that are not open or published now, which is an important part of the research on the early materials of Maiji Mountain grottoes art. After returning to Japan, he collaborated with art historian Kaka Machida and published the book Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Iwami Bookstore in April of the following year. Here are some pictures from the book.
Maijishan grottoes and the temples nearby
West cliff
Cave 121 Two Bodhisattvas
Cave 98 Cliff image
Cave 4 The Heavenly King on the left side of the corridor
Cave 4 The Heavenly King on the right side of the corridor
Cave 90 Kasyapa
The road to the grottoes and the villagers carrying firewood
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