Seikai mandara　清海曼荼羅

KEY WORD :　 art history / iconography

One of Three Joudo Mandalas *joudo sanmandara 浄土三曼荼羅. A type of *Amida joudo hansou 阿弥陀浄土変相, depicting a vision of the Pure Land granted by the *Kannon 観音 of Kiyomizudera 清水寺 appearing as an old man, to the monk Seikai 清海 (also read Shoukai, d.1017) in 996. Seikai, who came from Hitachi 常陸 (present-day Ibaraki prefecture), entered the priesthood at Koufukuji 興福寺, later moving to Choushouji 超昇寺, where he died whereby this mandala is sometimes called Choushouji mandara. The Seikai mandara is based on the KANMURYOUJUKYOU 観無量寿経 and may be considered a transformation scene of the Pure Land *Kangyou hensou 観経変相, like the more well-known *Taima mandara 当麻曼荼羅. Although the original painting has been lost, several faithful copies survive. The Seikai mandara (dated to 1726) in Shoukouji 聖光寺, Kyoto, suggests the original was painted in gold and silver kingindei 金銀泥 on indigo-dyed silk. *Amida 阿弥陀 is in the center of the field flanked by his attendant bodhisattvas *bosatsu 菩薩, seated on a lotus throne in front of his two-storied palace surrounded by pavilions linked by bridges and a lotus pond in the foreground. The outer surrounding court of this painting has sixteen lotus thrones painted alternately in gold and silver that represent the Sixteen Contemplations juurokkan 十六観 from the KANMURYOYJUKYOU. Other later copies are in the collections of Joukakuji 成覚寺, Miyagi prefecture and Kushira Joudoji 櫛羅浄土寺, Nara.

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