Fuujin Raijin　風神雷神

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Lit. Wind God and Thunder God. Based on popular Indian deities (Sk: Vayu and Varun) and Chinese deities (Ch: Fengshe and Leigong). Although the deities have no basis in early Buddhist scripture, the pair were added to the twenty-eight attendants *nijuuhachi bushuu 二十八部衆, forming part of the retinue of the thousand-armed Kannon *Senju Kannon 千手観音. In Esoteric Buddhism mikkyou 密教, the Wind God is included among the Twelve Devas *juuniten 十二天 as Fuuten 風天 and among the Gods of the Realms and Eight Directions gosei happouten 護世八方天 as the guardian of the northwest. He is also associated with the constellation Sagittarius (Jp: Iteza 射手座). The Wind God holds a large drawstring bag over his shoulder, from which he releases wind. Sometimes he grasps a spear with a red pennant. In Japan the Wind God is usually depicted as a green demon with two horns, a grimacing mouth, and claw-like feet and hands. The Thunder God, typically, is red with a horned demon head, simian mouth, and claw-like feet and hands. He is encircled by a ring of drums, and often a small hammer to beat them. In China, the earliest known representations of the Wind and Thunder Gods are found in the 6c caves at Dunhuang (Jp: Tonkou 敦煌), where they are accompanied by rain and lightning gods. The Wind and Thunder Gods later appeared in 12c woodblock printed books depicting thousand-armed Kannon and the twenty-eight attendants. The earliest depiction in Japan is in an illustration of the Sutra of Past and Present Cause and Effect, KAKO GENZAI INGAKYOU 過去現在因果経 (8c), in which the Wind and Thunder Gods are included among demons attempting to frighten the historic Buddha *Shaka 釈迦. The two deities appear in several Heian period *mandara 曼荼羅, such as in the Konkoumyou Saishououkyou Mandara 金光明最勝王経曼荼羅 (12c). The 13c Kei school *Keiha 慶派 sculptures at the Sanjuusangendou 三十三間堂, Kyoto, represent the development of a sculptural tradition. Many legends and folk-tales surround the Thunder God and he is included in various illustrated narrative handscrolls *emaki 絵巻. For instance, according to the *Kitano tenjin engi 北野天神縁起 (Legends of Kitano Shrine), the vengeful spirit of Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真 (845-903) took the form of the Thunder God, and this illustration became one of the highlights of various versions of scrolls. The Edo period folding-screen *byoubu 屏風, paintings of the Wind and Thunder Gods by Soutatsu 宗達 (?-ca. 1640; Kenninji 建仁寺, Kyoto) and Ogata Kourin 尾形光琳 (1658-1716; Tokyo National Museum) are well known.

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