Enmaten　焔魔天

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Also written 閻摩天, 焔摩天, 炎摩天. Enma is a transliteration of Sk: Yama, which in Indian mythology is the name of the first man to die who was subsequently regarded as king of the underworld and judge of the dead. In this role he was incorporated into Buddhism, and in Japan he is more commonly known as *Enmaou 閻魔王. In Esoteric Buddhism mikkyou 密教, Enmaten is also counted among the guardians of the eight directions, presiding over the south and figuring among the Twelve Deities *juuniten 十二天, a group consisting of the eight guardians plus those of the sun, moon, earth and heaven. He is usually depicted seated on a buffalo with one leg pendent. He holds a staff surmounted by a human head in one hand, and the other arm is bent at the elbow with the palm turned outwards. A wooden image in this style is preserved at Daigoji 醍醐寺 in Kyoto. He further appears among the Twenty Deities nijitten 二十天 of the Diamond World mandala *Kongoukai mandara 金剛界曼荼羅 and in the Gekongoubu-in 外金剛部院 of the Womb World mandala *Taizoukai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅. He was associated in particular with long life and protection from illness and misfortune. The *Enmaten mandara 焔魔天曼荼羅, centered on Enmaten, was used in such rites. The designation Enmaten is sometimes also used for Yamaten 夜摩天 (Sk: Yama), the third of the six heavens in the realm of desire in Buddhist cosmology, but although probably of the same origin, the two should be differentiated.

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