Zenmyoushin　善妙神

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Also known as Zenmyou nyoshin 善妙女神. A deity that protects the Kegon 華厳 sect of Buddhism. According to the legend a Chinese woman, Shanmiao (Jp: Zenmyou 善妙), fell in love with a Korean monk, a founder of the Kegon sect in Korea, while he was studying in China in the 7c. Although he spurned her love, she leapt into the water as his ship set sail to take him back to Korea. In that instant she was transformed into a dragon who was allowed to guard his ship on his return to China, and she remained a protector of the religion. Her story is one of the most important passages shown in the 13c illustrated handscrolls *emaki 絵巻 of The History of the Kegon Sect, Kegon engi 華厳縁起, also known as Kegonshuu soshi e-den 華厳宗祖師絵伝, owned by Kouzanji 高山寺 in Kyoto, the temple of Myoue Shounin 明恵上人 (Kouben 高弁; 1173-1232) who revitalized the Kegon sect. In 1225 sculptures of Zenmyoushin and Byakkoushin 白光神 attributed to Tankei 湛慶 (1173-1256) were installed in a hall at Kouzanji along with others of Kasuga 春日 and Sumiyoshi 住吉 to act as protectors of the temple and of the sect. Byakkoushin is a god associated with snow and mountains, originally the Himalayas, she being of Indian Buddhist origin. Thus both Chinese and Indian gods are mixed with Japanese kami 神; and in doing so it seems that Myoue understood them as similar and treated Zenmyou as kami. The same mixture of origin and treatment can be seen in the case of other protective deities in the Buddhist pantheon.

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