
The at the
Shingon
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
of
Enjō-ji
is a Shingon temple in the northeast of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. A number of its buildings and images have been designated National Treasures of Japan, National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties of Japan, Important Cultural Propert ...
in
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
is the earliest and best-substantiated work by Japanese master sculptor
Unkei. An inscription on the pedestal records that he began work on the piece in 1175 and brought it to completion the following year. The
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
has been
designated a
National Treasure.
[The statue was designated a National Treasure in 1920, under the 1897 Ancient Temples and Shrines Preservation Law; with the 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, the statue was redesignated an Important Cultural Property; the statue was again designated a National Treasure in 1993.] Unkei's next documented works, from the early 1180s, were commissioned by military leaders prominent in the ensuing
Kamakura shogunate
The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459.
The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...
, for temples in eastern Japan. These works are physically more massive and powerful, as are his giant
Niō at
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...
. By contrast, in this early work Unkei employed a more "gentle" or "tranquil" style.
Subject
Dainichi Nyorai (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
:
Mahāvairocana) is the
central deity of
Esoteric Buddhism.
As opposed to the "revealed teaching", understandable to the intellect of the common man, the "concealed teaching" (''
mikkyō'') of Esoteric Buddhism offers
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indo-Aryan languages, Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are Enlightenment in Buddhism, spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the Buddhist paths to liberat ...
and paradise on earth to the initiate, through ritual practice and the contemplation of sacred images.
According to
Kūkai
, born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...
, the founder of the
Shingon
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...
school of Esoteric Buddhism in the early ninth century, "because the secret storehouse
ikkyō teachingis so profound and mysterious it is difficult to manifest with brush and ink
ext
Ext, ext or EXT may refer to:
* Ext functor, used in the mathematical field of homological algebra
* Ext (JavaScript library), a programming library used to build interactive web applications
* Exeter Airport
Exeter Airport , formerly ''Ex ...
Thus it is revealed to the unenlightened by adopting the form of images. The great variety of postures and ''
mudrās'' are the effect of Buddha's great
compassion
Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...
. With a single glance
t the imagesone becomes a Buddha."
Dainichi (''lit''. "Great Sun") is worshipped as the supreme, primordial sun Buddha and also appears as the central figure of the
Five Wisdom Buddhas
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number.
Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs.
Mathematics
5 is a Fermat pri ...
.
Under the
syncretic
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...
doctrine of ''
honji suijaku
The term in Japanese religious terminology refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period according to which Indian Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native ''kami'' to more easily convert and save the Japanese.Breen and Te ...
'', the
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
sun goddess
Amaterasu
, often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...
was considered a manifestation of Dainichi Nyorai.
The term
Nyorai (''lit.'' "thus-come one") is an epithet for the
enlightened Buddhas that occupy the highest rank in the
Japanese Buddhist pantheon. In the
Mandala of the Two Realms
The Mandala of the Two Realms (Traditional Chinese: 両界曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngjiè màntúluó''; Rōmaji: ''Ryōkai mandara''), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngbù mà ...
, the principle
mandala
A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...
for ritual activity and contemplation in
Shingon Buddhism
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō-j ...
, Dainichi Nyorai appears in the centre of both the
Diamond Realm and the
Womb Realm
The Mandala of the Two Realms (Traditional Chinese: 両界曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngjiè màntúluó''; Rōmaji: ''Ryōkai mandara''), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngbù mà ...
. In the former, as defined by the
Dainichi Sutra, Dainichi represents the "
metaphysical
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of h ...
presence that embodies reason"; in the latter, as defined by the
Diamond Peak Sutra, Dainichi represents the "
epistemological
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowled ...
presence that embodies wisdom".
Iconography
Unlike the other Buddhas, Dainichi Nyorai is typically depicted in the form of a
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
, with the garments, adornments, and long hair of the nobility of ancient India.
In this image Dainichi is bare-chested, with flowing draperies hanging from the left shoulder; the head is crowned, the arms, wrists, neck, chest, and legs bejewelled; the topknot is high, with long hair resting on the right shoulder.
Dainichi Nyorai appears in two principal guises as denoted by the
mudrā or ritual gesture formed by the hands, that of the
Diamond Realm and that of the
Womb Realm
The Mandala of the Two Realms (Traditional Chinese: 両界曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngjiè màntúluó''; Rōmaji: ''Ryōkai mandara''), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngbù mà ...
. Here the mudrā is that of the "knowledge fist" of the Diamond Realm, with the fingers of the right hand symbolizing the
five elements penetrated by the Buddhist essence as represented by the index finger of the left hand. The gesture also symbolizes the mystic union of the material with the spiritual of
yoga practice, which in Tibet and Nepal takes the form of the ecstatic
Yab-Yum embrace, but in China and Japan is sublimated in this mudrā.
The double round
halo
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to:
Most common meanings
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
* ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021)
Arts and en ...
, one for the head attached to that for the body, represents the light emitted by the Buddha, as emphasized by the rays surrounding the lotus cushion on which the head rests.
In the
Brahma Net Sutra, translated into Chinese in 406 and copied and expounded on
imperial orders through all the
provinces
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
in mid-eighth century Japan, Dainichi Nyorai appears seated on a
lotus pedestal, around which all gather to hear his teaching of the
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
. Here Dainichi sits atop a six-tier lotus pedestal with alternately arranged petals.
Technology
Approximately ninety percent of Important Cultural Property and National Treasure sculptures are made of wood.
All of Unkei's surviving works are in this medium.
This piece employs the joined-block technique known as ''yosegi-zukuri'', which has the twin advantages of obviating the need for large pieces of timber while facilitating the hollowing-out process which helps reduce shrinkage and cracking.
Six main blocks of ''hinoki'' or
Japanese cypress were used, two vertical blocks arranged side by side and end on for the torso and head; one horizontal piece for the legs; one for the top-knot; and two wedges for the thighs; the arms are assembled from a number of further pieces.
After
carving
Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and y ...
, hollowing, and assembly, the statue was
lacquered and covered in
gold leaf
upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan.
Gold leaf is gold that has ...
.
The double halo and pedestal are of similar materials.
The eyes are of
rock crystal
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical fo ...
, inserted into the open sockets from inside and held in place by bamboo pins, with painted pupils.
Eyes formed in this way seem to move in the
guttering firelight of a temple and are one of the defining features of the sculpture of the
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
that began a decade later.
The lips are painted red and the hair blue.
The jewels and crown are of
gilt bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
.
History
According to an inscription in black ink on the underside of the lotus heart of the pedestal, the statue was begun by Unkei, "true apprentice of great ''
busshi A busshi is a Japanese term for Buddhist artists who specialized in painting or sculpting images for Buddhist temples, predominantly in the Nara period. Painters were specifically known as , whereas sculptors who worked with wood were called ''ki- ...
''
Kōkei", on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of 1175 and was completed on the nineteenth day of the tenth month of 1176; Unkei's fee was forty-three lengths of
Hachijō-jima
is a volcano, volcanic Islands of Japan, Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. It is about south of the special wards of Tokyo. It is part of the Izu Islands, Izu archipelago and within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Its only municipalit ...
silk.
[The inscription reads: 運慶承 安元元年十一月廿四日始之 , 給料物上品八丈絹肆拾参疋也 , 已上御身料也 , 奉渡安元弐秊丙申十月十九日 , 大仏師康慶 , 実弟子運慶 "Unkei in compliance: begun on the 24th day of the eleventh month of Angen 1 175, for payment of forty-three lengths of superior quality silk cloth from ]Hachijō-jima
is a volcano, volcanic Islands of Japan, Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. It is about south of the special wards of Tokyo. It is part of the Izu Islands, Izu archipelago and within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Its only municipalit ...
, that is all as regards payment , completed and handed over in '' heishin'' 176 per sexagenary cycle">sexagenary_cycle.html" ;"title="176 per sexagenary cycle">176 per sexagenary cycleon the 19th day of the tenth month of Angen 2 [1176] , great ''busshi A busshi is a Japanese term for Buddhist artists who specialized in painting or sculpting images for Buddhist temples, predominantly in the Nara period. Painters were specifically known as , whereas sculptors who worked with wood were called ''ki- ...
'' Kōkei's , true apprentice, Unkei" The states that the statue was installed in the
tahōtō
A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Vajrayana, Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories (two). (The second story has ...
.
At an uncertain date two panels were opened in the back of the head of the statue, either for repairs to the eyes or to enable the insertion of holy objects, as found in numerous other instances.
The statue survived the destruction of the tahōtō by fire during the
Ōnin War
The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. ''Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era name, Japanese era during which the war started; the war ende ...
; subsequently it was installed in the
hondō.
In 1921 repair work was carried out, at which time the inscription was discovered.
The third tahōtō, erected to replace that moved to
Kamakura
, officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...
in 1920, was constructed between 1986 and 1990. In 1991 the statue was exhibited at the
Kyoto National Museum
The is one of the major art museums in Japan. Located in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, the museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art.
History
The Kyoto National Museum, then the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was proposed, along with the Imp ...
. Unkei's Dainichi Nyorai is now once again installed in the tahōtō, against a backdrop of painted Buddhas and
vajra
The Vajra (, , ), is a legendary and ritualistic tool, symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). It is also described as a "ritual weapon". The use of the bell and vajra together as s ...
on the columns and wall behind the altar.
See also
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
*
Kei school
The was a Japanese school (style) of Buddhist sculpture which emerged in the early Kamakura period (c. 1200). Based in Nara, it was the dominant school in Buddhist sculpture in Japan into the 14th century, and remained influential until the 19th. ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dainichi Nyorai (Enjo-ji)
National Treasures of Japan
Japanese sculpture
Buddhist sculpture
Kei school
1176 in Asia
Wooden sculptures in Japan
12th century in Japan