THE BELOVED GODS AND BUDDHASOF NORTHEASTERN JAPANDecember 2, 2023 ―February 12, 2024
Tokyo Station Gallery

AOMORI
English Commentaries
on Selected Works

AKITAIWATE318

Standing Buddha
Tendai-ji / Ninohe-shi, Iwate

Standing Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokiteśvara )25 Bosatsu Figure Preservation Committee /Ichinoseki-shi, Iwate

Tendai-ji has been a sacred place of Kannon
worship since before the Oshu Fujiwara clan.
The so-called "machete carving" does not meanthat the statue is unfinished, but rather that itwas carved in a short period of time for a special
wish, and the Tendai-ji statue is a good exampleof this. The statue's pointed head andmustache-like upper lip are expressions that are
difficult to capture in a Buddhist context.

This statue is probably the gentlest bodhisattva
statue in Michinoku (Northeastern Japan). The
feather-like waist cloth is full of mysterious
elements. From the inscription on the back, weknow that it was enshrined in 1688 in the villageof Takouzu, just north of Matsukawa.

29-34
10Guardian Deity of the Mountain
Anigawayamakamisha / Hachimantai-shi, Iwate
This mountain god is still revered by people
involved in the forestry industry. His large face,slightly protruding eyes and nose, narrowshoulders, and very modest pose with his palms
together make him an appropriate main visualfor this exhibition. The round head and squarebento box-like upper body are a perfect match.

Standing Roku Kannon Bosatsu(Six Manifestations of Avalokiteśvara)
Housyakuji / Kuzumaki-machi, Iwate
The simple face carved from high-quality
katsura wood contrasts with the elaborate foldsof the robe. The six Avalokiteśvara Kannon
statues (Shō-Kannon, Senju-Kannon, Batō-Kannon,
Jūichimen-Kannon, Juntei-Kannon, and Nyoirin-Kannon),which are thought to have been created forsome memorial service, are superbly sculptedwith the serenity of prayer and ornamentation.

35-37

79

Standing Fudō Myōō (Acalanatha)
and Two Children Attendants
Tōenji / Takko-machi, Aomori

Demon
Shōfukuji / Kuzumaki-machi, Iwate

The mischievous-looking Seitaka-doji (left),with his bulging muscles, and the plump,smiling Kongara-doji (right), with his gentlesmile, stand on either side of the hip-twisted
Fudō Myoō. They appear to be a unique trio
from a mountainous region.

45A demon, who torments the deceased in hell
for their sins, is posed with a woman in his left
hand, looking very pleased with himself. The
demon is wearing a headscarf, but his largeears are not fully concealed, and even the hairon his chest, belly button, and shins iscomically depicted. Demons associated withhell are meant to warn people against sinful
behavior, but the fact that they are depicted insuch an amusing manner may reflect a wish tolaugh off the hardships of this life.

Standing Tamonten (Vaiśravana)
Honkakuji / Imabetsu-machi, Aomori
The Tamonten, which local fishermen still visit
once a year to pray for, has been hidden behinda bamboo blind for so long that it retains its
original coloring. The statue plays the fourroles of Dragon God, King Enma, Daikokuten,and Tamonten. The local shipbuilders knew theoriginal image of Tamonten, of course, butthey carved this statue in response to people's
desire to add two or three more roles to it.

51-56
Seated Ten Kings of Hell
Sanzugawa Village Residents' Association /Yuzawa-shi, Akita
These Ten Kings statues are crude and dirty,
with missing limbs and even burn marks,
bodies out of balance, colors peeling, and only
inked patterns remaining on the decorative
parts. However, in the modest expression on
the face, the heart of a man who fears hell andprays for salvation is concentrated. The faintly
open-mouthed, smiling expression on the faceis an expression that would not normally befound on the Ten Kings, but it is an expressionthat can only be found on folk Buddhas, wherefaith and sculpture are directly connected.

119
Kneeling Youthful Deity(The Repentant Dead) by Emonshirō
Hōrenji / Towada-shi, Aomori
The rounded bottom of the statue is designed
to swing back and forth, overlapping the imageof a child repeatedly apologizing to demonsand ten kings in hell, or a child piling up stoneson the riverbank of the Sai-no-Kawara. There
are many such statues in Towada, both martialand gentle, carved by the carpenter Emonshirō.

133
Seated Avalokiteśvara Holding a Child
Jigenji / Goshogawara-shi, Aomori
Is it the mother's feelings for the little life she
could not save, or the grief of the family wholost both mother and child, that is reflected inthis statue? The poorly expressed hand holding
the baby firmly in its arms may express
straightforward and earnest prayer.

This Exhibition isOrganized by Tokyo Station Gallery [East Japan Railway Culture Foundation], NHK, NHK Promotions Inc.
With the sponsorship of T&D Insurance Group
Supervised by Hirotoshi Sudo (Professor Emeritus, Hirosaki University)