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Kujaku Myouou@E–Ύ‰€
KEY WORD :@art history / iconography
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Lit. peacock king of those who hold knowledge. A female deity of Indian origin (Sk:Mahamayuri). The subject of the BUTSUMO DAIKUJAKU MYOUOUKYOU •§•κ‘εE–Ύ‰€Œo, translated by among others, Bukong (Jp: Fukuu •s‹σ, Sk: Amoghavajra, 705-74). Properly, being female, a myouhi –Ύ”ά rather than a *myouou –Ύ‰€, she is unlike the other deities of fierce aspect who are called myouou, and in two commentaries she is called Kujaku Butsumo Bosatsu E•§•κ•μŽF, where butsumo means mother of Buddhas and indicates the reverse of fierceness. Kujaku means peacock, and because the peacock eats poisonous plants and snakes joyfully, finding in them the nectar which produces its beauty, Kujaku Myouou as revered from ancient times for transmuting the "poisons" of greed and anger and for eliminating karmic hindrances. The power of the darani ‘Ι—…“ς of Kujaku Myouou, a mystic formula recited for protection, was extolled in texts such as the KUJAKUOU JUKYOU E‰€ŽτŒo, translated into Chinese variously from the 4c to 6c. Popularly, the darani was also said to protect one from illness, especially snake bites. Eventually it was also applied more widely, to such matters as making rain start and stop. Although there are no extant images of Kujaku Myouou in India, there are images of her in both China and Tibet. In Japan she was revered from the Nara period (8c) and is mentioned in the NIHON RYOUIKI “ϊ–{—μˆΩ‹L, compiled in the Kounin Om era (810-24). In the Yakushi-kondou –ςŽt‹ΰ“° of Saidaiji Ό‘εŽ› in Nara, there was a group composed of two sculptures of Kujaku Myouou and one of Makamayuri Daikujaku –€ζd–€—R—£‘εE offered by Empress Kouken FŒͺ in prayer for victory against the rebellion of Fujiwara no Nakamaro “‘Œ΄’‡–ƒ˜C in 764. *Kuukai ‹σŠC brought texts concerning Kujaku Myouou back from China and in 810 included the BUTSUMO DAIKUJAKU MYOUOUKYOU among three texts he explained to Emperor Saga ΅‰γ as having merit in protecting the nation and eliminating problems. In 821 Kuukai had a large scroll painted of Butsumo Myouou •§•κ–Ύ‰€. Shuuei @‰b (809-84) brought a painting of Kujaku Myouou back from China. Both of these paintings are thought to have shown four-armed figures whose iconography followed the DAIKUJAKU MYOUOU GAZOU DANJOU GIKI ‘εE–Ύ‰€‰ζ‘œ’dκ‹V‹O or KUJAKU MYOUOU GIKI E–Ύ‰€‹V‹O, translated by Bukong. Kujaku Myouou appears in the *Taizoukai mandara ‘Ω‘ ŠE™ΦδΆ—… as a two-armed figure, without her peacock. From the mid-Heian period on, Kujaku Myouou was propitiated in the ritual called Kujaku Myououkyou hou E–Ύ‰€Œo–@ for averting disasters, particularly in prayers for rain, against illness in the imperial family, and for safe childbirth of the empress. This is a Shingon ^ŒΎ sect ritual that was performed especially at Ninnaji m˜aŽ›, Kyoto. This is why the most famous image of Kujaku Myouou, the Song dynasty painting of a three-faced, six-armed figure riding a peacock, is owned by Ninnaji. Other famous images of Kujaku Myouou are the paintings in the Tokyo National Museum (late Heian period), in Daigoji ‘ηŒνŽ› (an icongraphic drawing based on an earlier painting; late Heian period), and in Houryuuji –@—²Ž› (Kamakura period). Sculptures of Kujaku Myouou are rare; an example is the sculpture in the Kujakudou E“° of Kongoubuji ‹ΰ„•υŽ›, Mt. Kouya ‚–μ in Wakayama prefecture, made by Kaikei ‰υŒc in 1200. A Kamakura period Kujaku mandara E™ΦδΆ—… is owned by Matsuodera Ό”φŽ› in Osaka.
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