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henge Kannon 変化観音 | ||||||
KEY WORD : art history / iconography | ||||||
The transformations in which *Kannon 観音 appears in order to save sentient beings. The term is frequently used
in Japanese scholarly writings to refer to any deities treated as forms
of the manifestations of Kannon, except for *Shoukannon
聖観音, the basic form of Kannon. The term may be used more narrowly to refer
to the forms of Kannon (apart from Shoukannon) that came to be worshipped
in Japan before the formal introduction of Tendai 天台 and Shingon 真言 sects, Esoteric
Buddhism mikkyou 密教 in the early 9c. It is commonly used to describe Kannon in supernatural forms (i.e. multiple arms and heads) such as *Juuichimen Kannon
十一面観音 (Eleven-headed Kannon), *Senju Kannon
千手観音 (Thousand-armed Kannon), *Fukuukenjaku Kannon
不空羂索観音, and *Nyoirin Kannon
如意輪観音, etc., even though some of these have standard iconographic forms (one
head, two arms) as well . The idea of transformation is associated with
the idea of incarnations or avatars, such as Shoutoku
Taishi (see *Shoutoku
Taishizou 聖徳太子像; 574-622) being considered an incarnation of Kannon (or
of *Shaka 釈迦), as well as with
the idea of grouping deities in families and counting one deity as an emanation
of another, according to which Kannon is seen as an extention of *Amida
阿弥陀, for example. |
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(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System. No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。 |
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