Go around the world of Buddha statues 8: various Buddha statues in Japan 2

I introduce friendly Buddha statues and originative Buddha statues.

親しみのある仏像や独創的な仏像を紹介します。

 

＜　Rāgarāja(Aizen-myouou): Nara National Museum, Kamakura period, the 13 century, wood, H.26cm ＞

This Wisdom King (Myouou) is important Buddha statue that ranks next to Buddha and Bodhisattva, and there are many kinds of this, too.

The figure is the fearful face holding skeleton or snake, and with blazing flame on its back.

Wisdom King was born from the teachings of Buddhist Tantrism, and came from Shiva that was one of the three great Hindu gods.

The fearful figure was because the enlightenment by mild Buddha and Bodhisattvas was difficult in only its ways.

The characteristic of the Buddhist Tantrism that was born in India about the 7th century was divine favor in this life, bewitchment, and secretiveness.

While the Buddhism adopted Hinduism and its Gods, on the contrary, it had a loss of the characteristic and declined at last.

明王は如来、菩薩に次ぐ重要な仏像で、これまた多くの種類があります。

その姿は恐ろしい顔、ドクロや蛇を携え、燃える炎を背負っています。

明王は密教の教えから生まれ、インドの三大神シヴァ神に由来しています。

恐ろしい姿は、穏和な如来や菩薩では教化が困難なためです。

インドで７世紀頃に誕生した密教の特徴は現世利益、呪文、秘密主義にありました。

仏教はヒンドゥー教を取り入れ行く内に、逆に特質を無くし、ついに廃れてしまった。

＜　Asanga Bodhisattva( Mudyaku Bosatu): Kofuku-ji, Nara, Kamakura period, the 13 century, wood, H.193cm　＞

This priest is Mudyaku of the Buddhist scholar who played an important role in India in the 4th century.

This work is a compilation of master Unkei’s work, and has the brilliant truth to life.

He reached it through the expression in wonderful dynamism from the overthrow of the ready-made ideas at early phase.

この僧は、インドで４世紀に活躍した仏教学者の無著です。

この作品は巨匠運慶の集大成で、初期の既成概念の打破、躍動感ある作風を経て到達したリアリティが見事です。

＜　Kuya: Rokuharamitsu-ji, Kyouto, early Kamakura period, wood　　＞

He was an itinerant priest in Heian Period, and an early promoter of the practice of the Nembutsu among the common people.

From his mouth, six Amitabha meaning a prayer to Buddha appears.

彼は、平安時代の僧空也で、諸国を巡り、道や橋を造り、念仏を広めた。

彼の口からは、念仏を意味する６体の阿弥陀仏が出現している。

＜　a part of nirvana clay figure:  Horyu-ji, Nara, Nara period, the 8^th century, national treasure  ＞

This is a scene that the disciples are grieving for on the occasion of the death (Nirvana) of Buddha.

In Japan, it was few that Buddha statues were made of clay and expressed as a group. There are also few Nirvana images.

これは、釈迦の死去（涅槃）に際して弟子達が嘆き悲しむ場面です。

仏像が粘土で作られ、群像として表現されることは珍しく、さらに涅槃像も日本では少ない。

＜　Left, a Ghost Festival of Ksitigarbha(Jizo-bon). Right, Ksitigarbha at a roadside. 　＞

“Jizo” is Ksitigarbha, and one of Bodhisattva.

It was everywhere seen along rural ways and city streets.

The figure is a priest who has a walking stick and close-cropped hair.

Although “Jizo” had grown popular belatedly, it relieved people of the pain in this world and hell, and they widely worshiped as a guardian deity of the ground or child.

A red cloth of the Jizo is a child's bib, and the parental affection of parents that lost the child is transmitted to us.

In Japan, there are few Buddha statues of stone cavern and rock surface, but only the stone statues of Jizo are many.

お地蔵さんは地蔵菩薩のことで、町中から街道沿いと到る所に見られた。

その姿は丸刈りで錫杖を持つ僧侶です。

お地蔵さんが普及するのは遅いのですが、この世や地獄の苦しみを救済し、大地や子供の守り神として広く崇められた。

８月の盆の後、お地蔵さんの祠の前で地蔵盆が行われた。

お地蔵さんの赤い布は、子供のよだれかけで、子を亡くした親心が伝わってきます。

日本では石窟や磨崖の仏像が少ないのですが、このお地蔵さんの石像だけは多い。

＜ Buddha statues by Enku: Takayama city, Gifu, wood　＞

These Buddha statues were made by Enku of a pilgrimage priest who played an active part at the beginning of Edo period.

He made 120,000 statues in the whole life, and many of it is remaining across the whole country.

He made the Buddha statues in large quantities, and desired to be put on a field so that the public could worship freely.

Although the style looks like rough-planed woodcarving with a single knife, the warmth of the aspect, and eliminating the waste excel in particular.

From the next time, I pursue the origin of the Buddha statue.

この仏像は江戸時代初めに活躍した行脚僧の円空によるものです。

彼は生涯に１２万体を製作し、それは全国に遺っている。

彼は民衆が気軽に拝めるように、仏像を大量に作り、野に置かれる事を望んだ。

その作風は、荒削りな一刀彫りのように見えるが、無駄を削ぎ落とし、特にその表情の温かさは群を抜いている。

次回から、仏像の起源を追っていきます。