The Research On The Keyura Accessory Of Liao Dynasty

The keyura referred to the gorgeous accesory which was made of gold, jade and other valuable materials and similar to wreath-shaped, which was also worn to the head, neck, chest, hand and legs, and which was the earliest popular in the ancient India of South-Asian subcontinent. The keyura gradually had become the ornaments in the statues of bodhisattva and other Buddhist ones after the Buddhism being born. With the Buddhism spreading to the east, the keyura was also prevalent among the all orders of society in China after Han and Wei Dynasty.Some related scholars had been doing research on the jade ware in Liao Dynasty, gained considerable achievements from 1980s so far. There was still having obvious deficiencies on keyura accessory, which was unearthed from the jade ware in Liao dynasty. First, they were lack of combing and analyzing systematically on the keyura which was excavated archeological materials in Liao dynasty and failed to solve the every aspects of problem, including the periodization, the shape evolution, the characteristics and other questions. Second, it led to the studying defects on keyura in the cultural connotation; the reason of popularity and the definition because of the absence of broadening the research vision.The keyura had occupied the big proportion of the jade ware unearthed in Liao Dynasty according to the archeological materials which were known in Liao Dynasty, most of which was derived from the khitan noble burial. The keyura had also been worn by the all people in khitan society, which was judged by the actual use of them, which was found in the ancient burial from beginning to the end in Liao Dynasty.It was composed of two parts in the khitan people who wore the keyura, the main one of which belonged to neck-keyura, the subordinate one of which belonged to arm-keyura and chest-keyura. The neck-keyura was divided into the single layer and the several layers, which was also found the sorts of T-shape and Heart-shape. Comparing to the neck-keyura that was so diverse in style and complicated in shape, the arm-keyura and the chest-keyura showed a little simple and concise, the two of which were approximately the same in the field of material, handicraft and shape.In the contrast of other nationality and dynasty, khitan keyura had its own characteristics in selecting materials and assembling the parts. Mention to the materials, the khitan keyura was made good use of amber and agate. As for the parts assembling, the khitan keyura was taken advantage of T-shape, Heart-shape and Tube-shape. The khitan people did not wear the keyura in the past, which was so popular after the establishment of Liao Dynasty. With more powerful in national capability and the social developing, it was so common to wear the keyura accessory in Liao Dynasty, on the basis of which was unearthed in the historical relics of Liao Dynasty. The keyura accessory was so fashionable, the reason of which was the internal relations among the khitan unique aesthetic interest, the Buddhist prosperity and exchanging closely between China and western society.