新薬師寺 Neighborhood Information
新薬師寺 Shinyakushiji Temple
「薬師如来坐像」“Seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai”
このパッチリしたお目眼を見てください。十二神将の守る御本尊は、平安初期に造られた一木造の仏像です。胸板も厚くどっしりとした大柄で、仏像としては珍しくパッチリと大きく眼が見開かれており、眼病の仏様として信仰されてきました。
Look at these bright eyes. The principal image of the Twelve Divine Generals is a single wooden Buddha statue built in the early Heian period. The chest is thick and solid, and the eyes are wide open, which is rare for a Buddha statue.
「十二神将立像」“Statue of the Twelve Divine Generals”
ご本尊の周りに配置されて守る十二神将は圧巻です。これだけのものがすべて揃って一堂に見ることができるのは貴重です。四天王像などと同様、甲冑を着けた武将の姿で表され、十二体それぞれの個性を表情・ポーズなどで彫り分け、群像として変化を持たせた作例が多いです。十二神将像は中国では早くから制作され、敦煌壁画にも作例があるそうです。中国では十二支と結び付けて信仰され、その影響により日本においても特に平安期以降の作品で頭上に十二支の動物を戴くものが多いとのことです。
The 12 divine generals placed around and protecting the principal image are a masterpiece. Being able to see all these things in one place is priceless. Like the Four Heavenly Kings statues, they are depicted as military commanders wearing armor, and there are many examples in which the individuality of each of the twelve bodies is carved with their facial expressions and poses, giving them variety as a group. The Twelve Divine Generals were produced early in China, and it is said that there are examples in the Dunhuang murals. In China, it is believed to be associated with the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and as a result of this influence, many works in Japan, especially from the Heian period onwards, have animals of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac on their heads.
日本では奈良・新薬師寺の等身大の十二神将像が、奈良時代（8世紀）に作られた最古の作であるとともに、造形的にも優れたものとして名高く、以降も数多く制作されています。多くの場合、薬師如来を本尊とする仏堂において、薬師如来の左右に6体ずつ、あるいは仏壇の前方に横一列に安置されますが、新薬師寺のように立像で円形の仏壇周囲をぐるりと取り囲んで配置される場合もあれば薬師如来像の光背や台座部分に十二神将を表す場合もあるなど、表現形態はさまざまです。経典によって若干用字や読みが異なり、十二支の割り当ては下に挙げたもの以外にも諸説あるそうです。
In Japan, the life-size statue of the Twelve Divine Generals at Shinyakushi-ji Temple in Nara is the oldest work created in the Nara period (8th century), and is also famous for its excellent form, and many have been produced since then. It has been. In many cases, in Buddhist temples where Yakushi Nyorai is the principal object of worship, six Yakushi Nyorai statues are enshrined on the left and right sides of Yakushi Nyorai, or in a horizontal row in front of the Buddhist altar. There are various forms of representation, such as in some cases it is placed in the image of Yakushi Nyorai, and in other cases, the Twelve Divine Generals are represented on the halo or the pedestal of the image of Yakushi Nyorai. The spelling and reading differ slightly depending on the sutra, and there are various theories other than those listed below regarding the assignment of the zodiac.
