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Fuujin Raijin@•—_—‹_
KEY WORD :@art history / iconography
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Lit. Wind God and Thunder God. Based on popular Indian deities (Sk: Vayu and Varun) and Chinese deities (Ch: Fengshe and Leigong). Although the deities have no basis in early Buddhist scripture, the pair were added to the twenty-eight attendants *nijuuhachi bushuu “ρ\”ͺ•”O, forming part of the retinue of the thousand-armed Kannon *Senju Kannon ηŽθŠΟ‰Ή. In Esoteric Buddhism mikkyou –§‹³, the Wind God is included among the Twelve Devas *juuniten \“ρ“V as Fuuten •—“V and among the Gods of the Realms and Eight Directions gosei happouten Œμ’”ͺ•ϋ“V as the guardian of the northwest. He is also associated with the constellation Sagittarius (Jp: Iteza ŽΛŽθΐ). The Wind God holds a large drawstring bag over his shoulder, from which he releases wind. Sometimes he grasps a spear with a red pennant. In Japan the Wind God is usually depicted as a green demon with two horns, a grimacing mouth, and claw-like feet and hands. The Thunder God, typically, is red with a horned demon head, simian mouth, and claw-like feet and hands. He is encircled by a ring of drums, and often a small hammer to beat them. In China, the earliest known representations of the Wind and Thunder Gods are found in the 6c caves at Dunhuang (Jp: Tonkou “ΦΰŠ), where they are accompanied by rain and lightning gods. The Wind and Thunder Gods later appeared in 12c woodblock printed books depicting thousand-armed Kannon and the twenty-eight attendants. The earliest depiction in Japan is in an illustration of the Sutra of Past and Present Cause and Effect, KAKO GENZAI INGAKYOU ‰ί‹ŽŒ»έˆφ‰ΚŒo (8c), in which the Wind and Thunder Gods are included among demons attempting to frighten the historic Buddha *Shaka Žί‰ή. The two deities appear in several Heian period *mandara ™ΦδΆ—…, such as in the Konkoumyou Saishououkyou Mandara ‹ΰŒυ–ΎΕŸ‰€Œo™ΦδΆ—… (12c). The 13c Kei school *Keiha Œc”h sculptures at the Sanjuusangendou ŽO\ŽOŠΤ“°, Kyoto, represent the development of a sculptural tradition. Many legends and folk-tales surround the Thunder God and he is included in various illustrated narrative handscrolls *emaki ŠGŠͺ. For instance, according to the *Kitano tenjin engi –k–μ“V_‰‹N (Legends of Kitano Shrine), the vengeful spirit of Sugawara Michizane ›Œ΄“Ή^ (845-903) took the form of the Thunder God, and this illustration became one of the highlights of various versions of scrolls. The Edo period folding-screen *byoubu › •—, paintings of the Wind and Thunder Gods by Soutatsu @’B (?-ca. 1640; Kenninji ŒšmŽ›, Kyoto) and Ogata Kourin ”φŒ`Œυ—Τ (1658-1716; Tokyo National Museum) are well known.
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(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.@No reproduction or republication without written permission.
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