rasetsu　羅刹

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Transliteration of Sanskrit; raksasa, a term for demons in general, but which may also be divided into three classes. 1　Genii of a semidivine and benevolent nature similar to *Yasha 夜叉. 2　Titans and powerful enemies of the gods similar to *Ashura 阿修羅. 3　Fearful demons and ogres who go about at night, haunt cemeteries and devour humans. In Buddhism rasetsu are also believed to act as wardens under *Enmaou 閻魔王 (the Lord of Hell), punishing the damned. Their female counterparts are called rasetsunyo 羅刹女 or rasetsushi 羅刹斯 (Sk: raksasi), and ten of them are mentioned as tutelary spirits of the Lotus Sutra HOKEKYOU 法華経. Carved images of rasetsu are known to have existed in China, and in Japan an early representation is to be found on a sutra cylindwe *kyouzutsu 経筒 dating from 1141 (Nara National Museum). Later these ten rasetsunyo came to be depicted accompanying *Fugen 普賢 in the picture of Fugen and the ten demonesses Fugen juurasetsunyo-zu 普賢十羅刹女図, wearing either Tang dynasty Chinese costume (e.g., Heian period painting at Rozanji 廬山寺 in Kyoto) or Japanese dress (e.g., Kamakura period painting in possession of the Hinohara 日野原 family in Tokyo). The overlord of these demons is called Rasetsuten 羅刹天 or Nirichi 涅哩帝 (Sk: Nirrti/Nairrti) and is counted among the guardians of the eight directions, presiding over the southwest corner and thus figuring among the Twelve Deities *juuniten 十二天 which comprise the eight Guardians of the directions plus those of the Earth, Heaven, Sun and Moon. He is depicted with two arms, usually clad in armour, and seated (sometimes on a lion), but the objects held in his hands may vary. He appears among the Twenty Deities nijitten 二十天 of the *Kongoukai mandara 金剛界曼荼羅 (Mandara of the Diamond World) and also in the Gekongoubu-in 外金剛部院 of the *Taizoukai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅 (Mandara of the Womb World), accompanied by two rasetsunyo, one rasetsu boy rasetsu dounan 羅刹童男 and one rasetsu girl rasetsu dounyo 羅刹童女.

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