額をほとんど用いず背面全体を使って主題を描き上げた、実に信州 まなぶ氏らしい迫力に満ちた不動明王。氏はステンシルに頼らずフリーハンドで肌に直接下絵を描いていくが、キャンバスの隅々まで余すことなく使うこうした構図はその賜物だと言える。堂々たる力強さに溢れる作品だが、衣や羂索の細緻極まるディテールも見逃せない。
Fudo Myoo masterpiece which fills up the entire back without using much of gaku (background), and presents a power that is typicall of Shinshu Manabu. He does not rely on stencils, but draws a rough sketch directly on the client’s skin with his free hand. This bold composition using every inch on the canvas is the result of that. This work is full of majestic power, but the fine details of the garments and kensaku (snare) are not to be overlooked.
神仏は一般的に穏やかな相貌をしているが、不動明王は非常に恐ろしい怒りの表情を浮かべている。これは仏法に従わず煩悩を抱えた救い難い衆生を、たとえ力尽くであっても救済せんとする姿である。手に持つ三鈷剣は人々の煩悩を断ち切るため、そして羂索は煩悩から抜け出せない人々を縛り上げてでも救い上げるために用いるとされている。
The deities in Buddhism generally have a calm appearance, but Fudo Myoo has a very frightening and angry expression on his face. This is representation of trying to save people who do not follow the Buddha Dharma and have worldly desires that are hard to be saved from, even if it takes all of his strength. Sanko-ken (three-pronged sword) in his hand is said to be used to cut off people’s worldly desires, and kensaku (snare) is said to be used to rescue people who cannot escape from desires, even if it means tying up them.
両肩には風雨や雷といった自然現象を神格化した風神雷神があしらわれる。仏教においては仏法を守り悪を懲らしめ善を勧めると同時に、天候を整える力を持つ。そのため農耕には欠かせない神格であり、豊穣をもたらすとして古くから信仰されている。その他、銭亀や夫婦鯉、打出小槌、白蛇といった縁起物も腕や腿に見受けられる。
There’re Fujin and Raijin (wind and thunder gods) which are deified natural phenomena such as wind, rain and lightning on both shoulders. In Buddhism, they have the power to protect Buddhism, discourage evil, and encourage good, then also regulate the weather. For this reason, they are indispensable deities for agriculture, and have been worshipped since ancient times for their ability to bring fertility. In addition, the lucky charms such as zeni-game (money turtle), meoto-goi (married carps), uchide-no-kozuchi (magic hammer), and white snake can also be seen on the arms and thigh.
