Kujaku Myouou　孔雀明王

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Lit. peacock king of those who hold knowledge. A female deity of Indian origin (Sk:Mahamayuri). The subject of the BUTSUMO DAIKUJAKU MYOUOUKYOU 仏母大孔雀明王経, translated by among others, Bukong (Jp: Fukuu 不空, Sk: Amoghavajra, 705-74). Properly, being female, a myouhi 明妃 rather than a *myouou 明王, she is unlike the other deities of fierce aspect who are called myouou, and in two commentaries she is called Kujaku Butsumo Bosatsu 孔雀仏母菩薩, where butsumo means mother of Buddhas and indicates the reverse of fierceness. Kujaku means peacock, and because the peacock eats poisonous plants and snakes joyfully, finding in them the nectar which produces its beauty, Kujaku Myouou as revered from ancient times for transmuting the "poisons" of greed and anger and for eliminating karmic hindrances. The power of the darani 陀羅尼 of Kujaku Myouou, a mystic formula recited for protection, was extolled in texts such as the KUJAKUOU JUKYOU 孔雀王呪経, translated into Chinese variously from the 4c to 6c. Popularly, the darani was also said to protect one from illness, especially snake bites. Eventually it was also applied more widely, to such matters as making rain start and stop. Although there are no extant images of Kujaku Myouou in India, there are images of her in both China and Tibet. In Japan she was revered from the Nara period (8c) and is mentioned in the NIHON RYOUIKI 日本霊異記, compiled in the Kounin 弘仁 era (810-24). In the Yakushi-kondou 薬師金堂 of Saidaiji 西大寺 in Nara, there was a group composed of two sculptures of Kujaku Myouou and one of Makamayuri Daikujaku 摩訶摩由離大孔雀 offered by Empress Kouken 孝謙 in prayer for victory against the rebellion of Fujiwara no Nakamaro 藤原仲麻呂 in 764. *Kuukai 空海 brought texts concerning Kujaku Myouou back from China and in 810 included the BUTSUMO DAIKUJAKU MYOUOUKYOU among three texts he explained to Emperor Saga 嵯峨 as having merit in protecting the nation and eliminating problems. In 821 Kuukai had a large scroll painted of Butsumo Myouou 仏母明王. Shuuei 宗叡 (809-84) brought a painting of Kujaku Myouou back from China. Both of these paintings are thought to have shown four-armed figures whose iconography followed the DAIKUJAKU MYOUOU GAZOU DANJOU GIKI 大孔雀明王画像壇場儀軌 or KUJAKU MYOUOU GIKI 孔雀明王儀軌, translated by Bukong. Kujaku Myouou appears in the *Taizoukai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅 as a two-armed figure, without her peacock. From the mid-Heian period on, Kujaku Myouou was propitiated in the ritual called Kujaku Myououkyou hou 孔雀明王経法 for averting disasters, particularly in prayers for rain, against illness in the imperial family, and for safe childbirth of the empress. This is a Shingon 真言 sect ritual that was performed especially at Ninnaji 仁和寺, Kyoto. This is why the most famous image of Kujaku Myouou, the Song dynasty painting of a three-faced, six-armed figure riding a peacock, is owned by Ninnaji. Other famous images of Kujaku Myouou are the paintings in the Tokyo National Museum (late Heian period), in Daigoji 醍醐寺 (an icongraphic drawing based on an earlier painting; late Heian period), and in Houryuuji 法隆寺 (Kamakura period). Sculptures of Kujaku Myouou are rare; an example is the sculpture in the Kujakudou 孔雀堂 of Kongoubuji 金剛峯寺, Mt. Kouya 高野 in Wakayama prefecture, made by Kaikei 快慶 in 1200. A Kamakura period Kujaku mandara 孔雀曼荼羅 is owned by Matsuodera 松尾寺 in Osaka.

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