背中に描かれた天女は仏教における天界の住人で、天の音楽を奏で、華を降らせ、香を振り撒いて極楽を飛び回るとされている。眉目秀麗で美の表顕として捉えられ、浄土への祈りを込めて寺社などの装飾にも多く用いられた。天衣を纏った姿を特に羽衣天女と呼ぶ。
Tennyo, the celestial maiden, is said to be a resident of the heavenly world in Buddism. She happily plays music, invokes the raining of flowers, sprinkles incense, and flies around the paradise that is the heavenly realm. Tennyo are considered the pinnacle of beauty and were often used to decorate temples and shrines with prayers to the land of happiness. The figure drapped in a celestial robe is especially called Hagoromo Tennyo.
一方、前面上半身を大きく使って表現されたのは七福神。言わずと知れた縁起物の最たる絵柄である。ヒンドゥー教や仏教、道教の神々が日本古来の土着信仰と融合し、恵比寿、大黒天、毘沙門天、弁財天、福禄寿、寿老人、布袋の組み合わせとして定着した。商売繁盛や五穀豊穣に始まり財福、必勝、芸能、長寿までありとあらゆる福徳をもたらす。それぞれの着衣の細やかにして鮮やかなディテールにも注目されたし。
なお、左腕および右腕上部は他アーティストの作品となる。
The front panels show, Shichifukujin, the seven gods of good fortune. They’re one of the most famous motifs of good luck in Japan. The gods of Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism were fused with ancient Japanese indigenous beliefs and became established as a combination of Ebisu, Daikokuten, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Fukurokuju, Jurojin and Hotei. They are thought to bring a wide variety of blessings and virtues including prosperity in business, bountiful harvests, wealth, victory, improvement of artistic ability and longevity. The fine and vivid details of each garment is worthy of attention here.
The left arm and the upper part of right arm are the works of other artists.
