Go around the world of Buddha statues 27: The beginning of God statue in China 5

仏像を巡って　２７：　中国の神像の始まり　５

＜　1.  Mogao Caves in Dunhuang is a Buddhist heritage in China.　＞

＜　１．敦煌莫高窟、中国の仏教石窟　＞

This time, we survey the situation that Buddha statue had been spreading in China.

今回は、中国で仏像が普及する様子を概観します。

The introduction of Buddhism

The introduction of Buddhism was unexpectedly early, and the 1st century A.D.

Before long, the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms period finished, toward about the 4th century, the predawn of Buddhism came.

From about this time, small Buddha statue for being portable began to be made.

仏教の伝来

中国に仏教が伝わったのは意外に早く、後漢時代（後１世紀）でした。

やがて騒乱の三国時代が終わり、後４世紀頃になると仏教が黎明期を迎えます。

この頃から携帯可能な小さな仏像が造られ始めました。

＜　2.  these early Buddha statues were made before the Tang dynasty　＞

＜　２．　初期の仏像、唐時代以前　＞

A:  this gilt bronze statue of Buddha was made in around central Asia in the first half of the 4th century.

This is the earliest Buddha statue of China.

B: a Bodhisattva statue of the early 5^th century in Mogao Caves of Dunhuang.

The appearance is influenced by India or Iran.

Mogao Caves were dug for a training place of Buddhist during the 4^th and 14^th century.

C:  a seated Buddha statue of the early 5^th century in the Yungang Grottoes.

The nation of northern people that ruled the north China including Dunhuang engraved the largest statue on a rock like mountain by staking the national’s prestige.

The appearance is Mongolia-style.  

A：　金銅菩薩立像、４世紀前半頃、中央アジアで製作か。

中国でもっとも古い金銅仏。

B：　弥勒菩薩交脚像、敦煌莫高窟第２７５窟、５世紀前半。

その容姿にはインドとイランの影響がある。

莫高窟（４～１４世紀）は修行の場として掘られた。

C：　仏座像、雲崗石窟第２０窟、５世紀中頃。

敦煌も含む中国北部を支配した北魏が国家の威信をかけてこの巨大な像を作った。その風貌はモンゴル系の容貌です。

＜　3.  Buddha statue of mature Chinese-style after the Tang dynasty　＞

＜　３．成熟した中国風の仏像、唐時代以降　＞

G:  Buddha Statues of the 7^th century.

H:  this seating Buddha statue was made of wood in the 12^th century.

The figure like a sexy woman is wonderful.

I:  this large Buddha statue is only one of statues engraved on Longmen Caves in the 8th century.

Big Buddha of Nara in Japan was modeled after this statue.

Around this time, these statues became the figure with clothes, hairstyle, and posture of Chinese-style.

G：　十一面観音菩薩像、唐、７世紀。

H：　木造菩薩座像、金（中国北部の王朝）、１２世紀末。

なまめかしい女性らしい姿が凄い。

I：　毘盧遮那仏、龍門石窟奉先寺洞、唐、８世紀。

日本の東大寺の大仏はこれを手本に７２年後に作られた。

この頃になると、仏像は服装、髪型、姿勢が中国様式を取り入れた仏像になりました。

Summary

Until now, we looked at the change of Chinese Buddha statue, god statue, and human statue during 7000 years.

Much of human figures in the early stage were half beast and half man, shaman, mountain hermit or ancestor gods.

Around the beginning of the first century, it was considerably drawn like human being.

These were for individual purpose or religious faith such as an amulet of grave, a prayer of something, a prayer of eternal youth and immortality.

Until that time, people had not prayed to one statue that was placed in a shrine on the ground each day.

Outside Buddha statue, there weren't all-around God having supernatural power and personal God that was expressed by a statue.

On the next time, we look at the situation that statue of noble character of Taoism was born suddenly in the Tang dynasty.

まとめ

これまで数回にわたり、中国の人物表現や神像、仏像の変遷の７０００年間を見ました。

初期の人物図像の多くは半人半獣か、シャーマン、仙人、祖先神でした。

紀元前後になるとかなり人間らしく描かれた西王母などが現れました。

それらは墓の魔除けや祈祷、不老不死の祈願など、個別の目的や信仰の為のものでした。

まだ丸彫りの単独像を地上の祠に安置して日常的に礼拝するものではなかった。

仏像以外では、超自然の力を持つ万能の神、人格神を像で表現するにはまだ至っていなかった。

次回は、唐の時代に突如として道教の尊像が誕生する様子を追います。