神像 ・ A Shinto Deity

今回は、独特の髪飾りが可愛らしい 『女神像』 をご紹介します。

This time, I would like to introduce to you a sculpture of a female deity with an interesting hair piece.




素朴な中にも表情がうかがえます。瞑想しているのでしょうか、私は首を少し傾けてなんだか寂しそうな様子に見えます。。。

日本にこのような神像が出現するのは、平安時代の初期からです。

日本の神々は本来、姿や形を持たない（山の神・海の神など）霊的な存在とされ、偶像を神体として祀ることはありませんでした。

仏教が伝来してからは、実は仏が神様の姿をとって私たちの前に現れているのだとする、本地垂迹【ほんちすいじゃく】思想の発生に伴い仏像と同様に、神の姿をかたどった具体的な礼拝対象が求められるようになりました。

僧侶の姿をしたものや、吉祥天・梵天など天部の仏像の姿など様々な形の神像があります。

Though extremely simple, we can get a sense of its gentle facial expression, and she seems as if deep in thought. With head tilted slightly to one side, it looks to me almost as if she is a bit sad....

Sculptures of Shinto deities such as this first appeared in Japan in the early Heian period. Originally, Shinto gods were not represented and enshrined in physical forms such as this, but were rather thought of as spirit-like entities that resided in places such as mountains and waterfalls. The honji suijaku concept of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism that developed in the Heian period holds that Shinto deities are in fact Japanese manifestations of various buddhas and bodhisattvas, and as such, they soon too came to be physically represented and placed in shrines as objects of worship. These sculptures took a number of forms, from monks, aristocratic figures, or even those close to Buddhist deva kings.



お花のような形をかたどった髪飾りはあまり他には見られない特徴で、正面からじっと見ていると河童さん？の頭に見えてきたり……☆

現在の展示は１１月２日（金）迄でございます！

皆さまのお越しをお待ちしております♪

On top is a unique feature not seen on other sculptures of this type, which is a hair piece in the shape of a flower. Looking straight down upon it, it almost appears as the top of the head of the mythical Japanese Kappa.

Our current exhibition goes until Friday, November 2nd, and we hope that you will come by and see the show before then.