myouou　明王

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Translation of Sanskrit vidyaraja, meaning spell-king. Vidya literally means knowledge, but in Esoteric Buddhism mikkyou 密教 it also came to signify sacred lore and, by extension, a mystic formula or spell similar to a dharni (Jp: darani 陀羅尼) or mantra (Jp: shingon 真言), and the vidyaraja or myouou are personifications of what were believed to be especially powerful spells. In origin they are generally Hindu deities who were adopted into the Buddhist pantheon, and they constitute the third category in Japanese Buddhist iconography, the first two being tathagata *nyorai 如来, and bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩. The fourth category is that of the divinities *ten 天. According to the esoteric doctrine of three wheel-embodiments, sanrinjin 三輪身, *Dainichi 大日 and other Buddhas, representing the embodiment of the wheel of own-nature, jishourinjin 自性輪身, manifest themselves both as bosatsu, corresponding to the embodiment of the wheel of the true Dhara, shouhourinjin 正法輪身, and as myouou, corresponding to the embodiment of the wheel of injunction, kyouryourinjin 教令輪身, and whereas bosatsu instruct people in the teachings of Buddhism by compassionate means, myouou assume a fearsome appearance at the behest of the Buddhas in order to subjugate and convert obdurate nonbelievers. They include *Fudou Myouou 不動明王, *Gouzanze Myouou 降三世明王, *Gundari Myouou 軍荼利明王, *Daiitoku Myouou 大威徳明王 and *Kongouyasha Myouou 金剛夜叉明王, who are collectively known as the five great myouou *godai myouou 五大明王, as well as *Aizen Myouou 愛染明王, *Daigensui Myouou 大元帥明王, *Kujaku Myouou 孔雀明王 and *Ususama Myouou 烏枢沙摩明王, and there are various groupings of eight great myouou hachidai myouou 八大明王, and in Indian Tantric Buddhism, groups of four and ten myouou, although in Indo-Tibetan Tantrism they are usually referred to as wrathful deities (Sk: krodha). Apart from Kujaku Myouou, they are usually represented as wrathful funnugyou 忿怒形, often with many faces, many arms and even many legs. They hold weapons in their hands and are sometimes adorned with skulls, snakes or animal skins and wreathed in flames. Their female counterparts are called myouhi 明妃 (Sk: vidyaraini, spell-queen), but these too may still be referred to as myouou, as in the case of Kujaku Myouou, who is in fact a female deity, and the term myouhi is also used to denote the female consorts of Buddhist deities in general .

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