御正体 --鏡像から懸仏へ

Mishōtai- From Mirrors to Kakebotoke



御正体（みしょうたい）とは、
日本の神々は衆生を救うために仏が仮の姿で現れたもの、とする
本地垂迹（ほんじすいじゃく）の思想に基づいて、
神の正体としての仏を表現した鏡像、または懸仏（かけぼとけ）です。

Mishōtai are representations of native Japanese Shintō deities that have temporarily manifested in their Buddhist forms in order to save the people of this world. Different deities each assume a specific Buddhist form according to the honji suijaku theory of Buddhist-Shintō syncretism, and they are most often represented by engraved mirrors or "hanging Buddhas" called kakebotoke.



（線刻阿弥陀如来鏡像　平安時代）
[Mirror with Amitabha Tathagata (J: Amida Nyorai)]

こちらは、円形の銅版に阿弥陀如来坐像を線刻で表しているという点では鏡像ですが、
全体に鍍金が施され、釣手がある点は、懸仏とみなすこともできます。

このように御正体は、本当の鏡に線刻した鏡像から、
次第に懸けられる形（懸仏）へと移っていったことが推測されます。

This is a bronze disc with an engraved image of Amida Buddha on its reflective surface, which would normally classify it as a mirror. But as the entire body of the piece is gilt and there are two small loops at the top that would have been used to hang the piece, it can also be considered a kakebotoke. We can imagine in this piece the way that mishōtai began with engraving images on actual mirrors, and then gradually moved toward being suspended.


余談ですが… 薄いです！

From the side you can see how thin it is!