LIGHT FROM THE EAST

UNDERLINING the nation's ever increasing interest in Asia, three museums this week opened major shows of Asian art. In Washington the National Gallery staged an exhibition of haniwa (prehistoric ceramic tomb sculptures) lent by Japan. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts showed the Buddhist sculptures of Gandhara, on loan from Pakistan. Both shows were organized by Manhattan's Asia Society, which was formed in 1957 with the aim of cross-pollinating Eastern and Western cultures.

The society celebrated its swift growth by moving into a new building on East 64th Street designed by Philip Johnson and christened Asia House. Architect Johnson's curious combination of austere steel-and-glass with a luxurious leather-and-linen decor might strike some visitors as overformal, but at least it did nothing to detract from the superb objects displayed in the opening show. The loan exhibition chosen from the top American collections consisted of 46 masterpieces, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and covering a span of 3,000 years.

Among the finest items: a bronze ritual vessel from China in the form of a rhinoceros, dating from the 12th century B.C.; a Mogul miniature painting of Krishna, tense as a strung bow, awaiting his beloved; and a fantastic carpet from 17th century Lahore (see color). The carpet begins at the top with peaceful scenes of partying, moves to a gazelle hunt, with swift cheetahs used as hunting dogs, and then explodes in a wild fantasy. While tigers watch, a giant griffin with an elephant's head ferociously descends on a circle of black elephants, but is itself swooped upon by a fiery bird.

In contrast to such savage moments, the exhibition as a whole reflected the Oriental ideal of calm delight, nowhere better shown than in the 32 1/2-in.-high wooden sculpture of Hachiman. the Shinto god of war, who was incorporated into the peaceful Buddhist pantheon. Unlike his Shinto predecessor, the Buddhist Hachiman as carved by Koshun in 1328 was a peaceful and humble priest. "Even if I should have to drink molten copper," he once exclaimed. "I would not accept offerings from those whose hearts are tainted!" Koshun's image of him is clearly an offering from an untainted heart.

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