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Otsu-e of Shomen Kongoyasha (Vajrayaksha)

Otsu-e of Shomen Kongoyasha (Vajrayaksha). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 23 x 9 1/8 in. (58.4 x 23.2 cm) Overall: 23 x 11in. (58.4 x 27.9 cm). Date: 17th century. In the Edo period, images of the fierce blue-bodied deity Shomen Kongoyasha served as the central icon for the popular rite of koshin machi (or konoesaru machi), an all-night gathering occurring once every sixty days. In a conflation of Daoist and Buddhist beliefs, Kongoyasha presided over this gathering on the night when three worms said to reside in the human body escaped during one's sleep to report on transgressions to the heavenly deity Taishakuten. People stayed up together to prevent the worms' ability to leave their bodies and inform on them, thereby avoiding having their lives shortened on the basis of unfavorable reports. The earlier of the two Otsu-e is closer in form to standard painted Buddhist icons, although more simple in execution. In accordance with descriptions in sacred texts, two attendants stand to the left and right of Kongoyasha, who stands upon two demons, while before him are four fierce yasha (Sanskrit: yaksha), wielding a variety of weapons. In the later, simplified version, Kongoyasha stands on a rock, flanked by two monkeys. The monkeys, who replace the attendant figures in earlier versions of the iconography, relate to the saru of konoesaru, indicating days of the sexagenary calendar associated with the monkey, or saru in Japanese. They also represent the avoidance of evil, a main goal of the all-night vigil. In front of Kongoyasha are a rooster and hen, both woodblock printed, possibly a reminder that people born in the year of the bird looked to Fudo Myoo, to which Kogoyashi is closely connected, as their protective deity.
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Title:
Otsu-e of Shomen Kongoyasha (Vajrayaksha)
Caption:
Otsu-e of Shomen Kongoyasha (Vajrayaksha). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 23 x 9 1/8 in. (58.4 x 23.2 cm) Overall: 23 x 11in. (58.4 x 27.9 cm). Date: 17th century. In the Edo period, images of the fierce blue-bodied deity Shomen Kongoyasha served as the central icon for the popular rite of koshin machi (or konoesaru machi), an all-night gathering occurring once every sixty days. In a conflation of Daoist and Buddhist beliefs, Kongoyasha presided over this gathering on the night when three worms said to reside in the human body escaped during one's sleep to report on transgressions to the heavenly deity Taishakuten. People stayed up together to prevent the worms' ability to leave their bodies and inform on them, thereby avoiding having their lives shortened on the basis of unfavorable reports. The earlier of the two Otsu-e is closer in form to standard painted Buddhist icons, although more simple in execution. In accordance with descriptions in sacred texts, two attendants stand to the left and right of Kongoyasha, who stands upon two demons, while before him are four fierce yasha (Sanskrit: yaksha), wielding a variety of weapons. In the later, simplified version, Kongoyasha stands on a rock, flanked by two monkeys. The monkeys, who replace the attendant figures in earlier versions of the iconography, relate to the saru of konoesaru, indicating days of the sexagenary calendar associated with the monkey, or saru in Japanese. They also represent the avoidance of evil, a main goal of the all-night vigil. In front of Kongoyasha are a rooster and hen, both woodblock printed, possibly a reminder that people born in the year of the bird looked to Fudo Myoo, to which Kogoyashi is closely connected, as their protective deity.
Technique/material:
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and hand-colored woodblock print on paper
Period:
Edo period (1615-1868)
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
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Image size:
3150 x 4200 px | 37.9 MB
Print size:
26.7 x 35.6 cm | 10.5 x 14.0 in (300 dpi)
Keywords:
ASIA • ASIAN ART • EDO PERIOD (1615-1868) • HANGING SCROLL; INK, COLOR, AND HAND-COLORED WOODBLOCK PRINT ON PAPER • HANGING SCROLLS • INK • JAPAN • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA • PAINTINGS • PAPER • PRINTING BLOCKS • PRINTS • SCROLL PAINTINGS • SCROLLS • WOOD BLOCKS