&m^n
b;'-'

Ar

•i

jtiissiONS lxb^a;^^I»tnwTN} ifffi

-

r.

'^1

•• I

Yäle univers
lTlllllllllllllll|[|llllllllllll[l[IIIIIHIIIIIIIIII»lllf

IJapanese picture
representing Jizö, in the
shape of a priest, descending on a cloud and StanFig. I.

ding upona lotus, withthe precious pearl (cintämani) and the staff withmetal rings {khnkkharn).
Kamakura period. Royal

Museums,

Berlin.

THE
BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG(JIZO) IN CHINA AND JAPAN
BY

DR.M.W.DEVISSER

WITH ILLUSTRATIONSOESTERHELD & CO. VERLAG BERLIN I9U.

.

•

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

Fig. I.

Japanese picture

representing Jizö,

in

the

shape of a priest, descending on a cloud and Standing upon a lotus, withthe precious pearl (iiiitJiiiiitii)

and the staff withmetal rings

Kamakura(/;//, i/i/i/idni).

period.

Museums,Royal

Berlin.

THE
BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG(JIZO) IN CHINA

AND JAPAN

BY

DR, M^W.DEVISSER

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

MMf l^•r^^ ^CnfK}Li;•1/

OESTERHELD & CO. VERLAG BERLIN J9U
•

.

•

2r\.

^-V?^

DRUCK
DER SPAMERSCHENBUCHDRUCKEREI IN LEIPZIGSECTION I.
KSHITIGARBHA ACCORDING TO THE SÜTRAS, AND HIS CULTIN INDIA, TIBET AND TURKISTAN.
called Jizö in Japan, is after Kwanyin, the Japanese Kwannon, themost important Bodhisattva of China and Japan. His name being a translation

Ti-tsang,of Kshitigarbha,"Womb of the

Earth",

Professor

CHAVANNES^

explains

second character of his name (i'&M), to be identical with ^, tsang, bowels.

theIn theChinese Classics the former character is used as well in the sense of hiding as in thatof bowels, and the character |0 was invented in later times.

In my opinion, however,the second character of Ti-tsang's name is to be taken in the sense of "Receptacle", andnot be identified with |^. As first I was inclined to accept CHAVANNES's explanation,but on comparing Ti-tsang's name with the term ^nl^, t'ai-tsang, "Receptacle of thepregnant womb", I arrived at the opposite conclusion. The Tantric school distinguishes
the "Vajra- World" of the ideas (#PJJ?-, Kin-kang Mai, Kongökai, "Diamond world")of the womb-receptacle" of the phenomena (^nl^^, T'ai-tsang
The title of the fourth translation of the Garbha sütra, mentioned
by EITEL in his Sanskrit-Chinese dictionary^, is MMT^T^aM'W, or "Meeting in which
the Buddha explained the entering of the womb-receptacle". In these terms the cha-from the "World
kiai,

Taizökai).

racter^ cannot mean "bowels", but

issure to be used in the sense of "receptacle".

Moreover, garbha means "womb", not "bowels". As to the form ]§ä, this may be
unknown to the Classics, but in the fourth Century A. D., when Kshitigarbha's name wastranslated into Chinese,itmust have existed.

If

the translator by mistake had taken

garbha in the sense of "bowels", instead of in that of "womb", why should he nothave used the füll form of the character ? For these reasons I prefer to take Ti-tsang's
natne in the sense of "Receptacle (i. e. womb) of the Earth".

The Tibetans call him Sai snyin-po^, which according to CHANDRA DAS^, whomeans "Womb of the Earth"; WADDELL* explains it in thewrites Sahi-snin-po,^ CHAVANNES et PELLIOT, Un traite manicheen retrouve en Chine, Journal Asiatique,dixieme serie, tome XVIII (1911), p. 549 sq., note 5.
^ GRÜNWEDEL
Mythologie des Buddhismus in Tibet und der Mongolei, p. 141.
3 Tibetan-English Dictionary, p. 1261, quoted by CHAVANNES and PELLIOT, 1. 1., whoremark that Bhümigarbha is to be corrected into Kshitigarbha.
*

Lamaism, p. 358.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
same way.

It is, atany rate, beyond question that Ti-tsang, Jizö and Sai snyih-po

are identical with Kshiti-garbha.

Before treating the history of this Bodhisattva in

China and Japan we have to examine his position in India and Tibet.

CHAPTER I.
KSHITIGARBHA ACCORDING TO THE SÜTRAS.
§

I.

Indian litcraturc.

As regards the original Sanscrit texts, Professor SPEYER had the kindness of giving
me a translation of some fragments of the Kshitigarbha siltra, found in the Cikshäsamuccaya (yth Century)^.

These fragments, however, shed no light with respect

to this Bodhisattva's nature, as they dono even mention him.

Professor DE LA VALLEE POUSSIN kindly gave me a passage from the Bodhicaryävatära^, which he translated as follows: "Wishing to be protected I invoke withall

my heart Akägagarbha, Kshitigarbha, and all the Great Compassionate Ones."
interesting to find these two Bodhisattvas,

It is

who both belong to the Eight Great

Bodhisattvas to be treated below-*, mentioned together in this passage.

Mr. DE LA

VALLEE POUSSIN directed my attention also to the Threehundred Burkhan, editedhy Oldenburg, where Kshitigarbha is represented as nr 148 and Äkägagarbha as nr 150,
These 300 are apparently the same as those of PANDER's Pantheon des Hutuktu,

mentioned below (Ch. II, § 2), for these two Bodhisattvas form also nrs 148 and 150
of PANDER's

work, which also contains three hundred figures with their Tibetan

and Chinese names.
Further, Professor

DE LA VALLEE POUSSIN pointed out to me that Kshiti-

garbha's name is found in the Mahävyutpatti^, a dictionary of terms in which a listof 92 Bodhisattvas

isgiven.

Professor SPEYER kindly gaveme the names of theeight first Bodhisattvas of this list, namely: Avalokitegvara, Maitreya, Akägagarbha,

Samantabhadra, Vajrapäni, Mafijugri, Sarvanivaranavishkambhi and Kshitigarbha.
These are exactly the same, enumerated in the same order, as the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, to be treated below (this section, Ch. I, § 4).
Although Kshitigarbha belonged to these Eight Great Bodhisattvas, his nameis apparently seldom mentioned in Indian literature. Therefore we have to consult
the Chinese Tripitaka for getting information about his nature.
§ 2.

The "Sütra on the Original Vom of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha."

The main sütra on Kshitigarbha, translated from Sanscrit
found in the
1

'

is

into Chineseandthe Ti-tsang P'u-sah pen-yucn king^,

BENDALL, Bikliotheca Biiddhica, Nr. I.

Ed.
11,

Chinese Buddhist canon,

52-

I, Ch. I, §§4 sq.; Ch. II§§ i sq.
Bibliotheca Buddhica, XIII; §23, nr. 8.
° This sütra seems to be different from the Kshitigarbha sütra mentioned in the Qikshäsamuccaya, for I did not find in it the passages given there.
3
*

Sect.

I

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
i^Ma'M^Mi^., or "Sütra on the original vow of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha"
This sütra is mentioned in NANJÖ's Cataloguc of the Buddhist THpitaka sub nr 1003.

was translated between A. D. 695 and 700 by QIKSHÄNANDA, an Indian 9ramana from Kustana (Khoten), whose works are enumerated by NANJÖ sub nr 145
ItofAppendix II to his Catalogue.

We read in the first chapter of this sütra, that the Buddha one day deHvered a
sermon in the Träiyastrimgat heaven in the presence of numberless Buddhas andBodhisattvas, Devas, Nägas, demons and spirits, all brought or to be brought to perfection by Kshitigarbha in innumerable kalpas past, present and future. At Maiijugri's request the Buddha explained in the following way by which actions and bywhich original vow Kshitigarbha had obtained this wonderful power.
The vow of this Bodhisattva, said he, was so wonderful, that all virtuous
men and women of future ages, who on hearing his name should praise, invocate
make offerings to him, or represent him in painting oror worship him, or should

wood
the

and
exempt from falling upon the evil paths. As to the nature of this vow(or stone), should obtain a hundred births in the Träyastritngat heaven

for ever be

Buddha taught Mafijugri the following.
Innumerable kalpas ago the son of a man of high rank,of Kshitigarbha,

being a former birthadmired the blessings and majesty of the Buddha of that time^.

When the latter said that one ought to save all suffering beings for a long, long
time,

if

he wished to become a Buddha, the youth made the following vow in the

Buddha's presence:means"Henceforth for innumerable kalpas

I

shall

amply establish

on behalf of these sinful and sufferingliving beings of the six gati, and after having saved them all I shall become a Buddha

the proper

myseif,for obtaining salvation?i^4-^*^5l^;f pri+|ll:^'-^lt^^^7^^il^)l B^:i^1M^^MMMÄ "ä^JjWL

f^M." This was the present Kshitigarbha,

now (at Qäkyamuni's time) a Bodhi-

sattva still.

Again, innumerable kalpas ago, Kshitigarbha
of a very wealthy Brahman.

was born as the holy daughter

She was highly respected by the people and protectedby all the devas. Her mother, however, a heterodox woman who always disregarded
the Triratna, died before her daughterby constant exhortations.
last of the eight

hot hells.

had completely succeeded in Converting her

Therefore the mother's soul

feil

into the Avici hell, theThe pious daughter, sorrowing very much about her

mother's pitiful fate, because she was sure that a terrible punishment had been in-upon her, spent her possessions in making great offerings to the Buddhasof the past. Thus she also went to the temple of the Buddha of her own kalpa^
she lived in a period of Saddharma pratirüpaka, "Reflection of the Saddharma", ^i^flicted

1

p.

—
—

This Buddha's name was gip-TtfifeEÄ^itT

3 b.
2This Buddha's name was ^ip;£g^i.

(j(I!*).

Great Jap. Tripitaka of Leiden, Ch. I,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

8

and asked him where her mother had gone. Suddenly a voice in the air promised
her to announce her the spot, and the Tathägata in a trance advised her to go home
and to reflect upon his (the Tathägata's) name, sitting in a correct attitude. After
having done so for one day and one night, she suddenly saw herseif on the shoreof a frightful sea. The boiling and bubbling waves were filled with men and women,
pursued by Yakshas and devoured by terrible animals. But by the power of permanently
concentrating her thoughts on the Buddha she was without any fear. Then there
came a demon king, who bowing his head to the ground addressed her by the nameof Bodhisattva, and taught her that this was the first of the three frightful seas tobe crossed by the evil souls before reaching the great hells. When she asked where hermother, Ift^^'J, Yattili (Uttili?), the wife of the Brahman Nila Sudargana,P^W^,

had gone, he answered that three days before her mother had been reborn in aheaven, thanks to the filial piety of her daughter, who had made offerings and spent
gifts to the temple of the Tathägata mentioned above. "Do not be uneasy about her",
he Said, "the Bodhisattva's (i. e. your) mother was saved from hell. Accordingly all
the culprits of the Avici hell are rejoicing this day, and their life (in hell) is finished at
the same time". After these words the demon king joined his hands in veneration
and retired. The Brahman's daughter went home as in a dream, but after having
clearly understood the matter she forthwith went to the Tathägata's stüpa and before
his image uttered the foUowing vow: "I vow to assist in all future kalpas the living
beings which shall undergo the sufferings of punishment, amply establishing the{^^^^^&M^^

means of reaching salvation and causing them to obtain it'SM^MM^fj^^'ri-MM:, Ch. I, p. 6b). This girl was the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha.
In the fourth chapter the Tathägata gives two other tales concerning this Bodhi-

a former kalpa, innumerable
many crimes andwho with his friend, the king of a small neighbouring country, discussed and estabsattva's originalvow.

According to thefirst tale inkalpas ago, he was a virtuous king whose subjects committed
lished the means of salvation.

The latter made a vow, soon to become a Buddha tosave those wicked people, and afterwards actually reached Buddhaship. The former
king, however,vowed not to become a Buddha before having saved them from themiseries of punishment and having caused them to live in peace and joy and to ob-

This king was Kshitigarbha.
The second story (Ch. IV, pp. 12 sq.) relates about an Arhat, who, living long
ago in a period of Saddharma pratirüpaka, instructed and converted the people, in
Order to procure them felicity and salvation. This Arhat entered samädhi on behalfof a girl, "Bright Eye", 3^0, Prabhäcaksu, by name, who was anxious to know
where her mother had been reborn after her death. He saw that this woman had
fallen upon a wicked path and was undergoing the most cruel punishments. Whenthe girl told him, that during her lifetime her mother had eaten an immense numberof fish and turtles, and that she herseif was now in great sorrow and doubt how shetain Bodhi.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

9

might save her mother's unhappy soul, the Arhat advised her to worship the Buddhaof that kalpa, ^'^M.^^i\i^, Viruddhä-padmacaksu Tathägata, and to makeimages of him and to represent him in painting. She did so, throwing away all she
was attached to and worshipping the Buddha with all her heart. Then the Tathägata appeared to her in a dream and said: "Your mother shall soon be reborn in yourhouse, andwhen hardly perceiving hunger or cold she shall speak". Afterwards

the mother was actually born as the child of a maid-servant in the house, and threedays after her birth she wept bitterly and spoke to her daughter.

She told her thaton account of the sins of killing and slander she had fallen into a Great Hell, from
where she had escaped and was reborn as the child of a woman of low standing by
the power of her daughter's virtues. After thirteen years, however, she should die
and fall again upon a wicked path. She implored her daughter to save her, whereupon the latter uttered a great vow. If her mother for ever might be saved from thethree wicked paths and for many kalpas might be exempt from birth in such a low
Position or as a woman, she, her daughter, would save all the living beings sufferingin the hells of all the worlds and on the three wicked paths, and she would not be-come a Buddha herseif before having caused them all to reach Buddhaship. After
having uttered this vow she heard the Tathägata praising her and announcing thatafter thirteen years her mother should be reborn as a Brahmacäri and after a lifeof a hundred years should go to the Sorrowless Land where she should stay forinnumerable kalpas, tili she should become a Buddha and save men and devas,
numerous as the sand of the Ganges. In Qäkyamuni's time the Arhat of those days
was the Bodhisattva Akshayamati, M^^a, the mother was the Bodhisattva Vimoksha(Vimukti), ß^M, and the girl Bright-Eye was Kshitigarbha.
In the second chapter Kshitigarbha himself appears on the scene. All the bodies,

numerous as the sand of the Ganges, into which he had divided himself in all thehells

of innumerable kalpas,

assembledinthe Träyastrimgat heaven, and, after

having been addressed by the Buddha, united into one body.

Then Kshitigarbha

stated that each of his bodies had saved innumerable men and caused them to reach

Nirväna, gradually saving them even by means of the slightest virtuous deeds.

His

only wish was that the Tathägata might not be anxious about the living beings whichsh,ould commit evil deeds in future ages (because he, Kshitigarbha, would save them).
Thereupon the Buddha praised him for fulfilling his vow so well, and said that hefinally

should obtain Bodhi.

In the third chapter Kshitigarbha explains to Mäyä, Buddha's mother, the crimes

which lead to the five different Avici hells and the meanings of the name Avici withregard to the punishments inflicted there upon the culprits. In the fifth chapter
we hear him explain at the request of Samantabhadra the names of the hells and thedifferent punishments.

The seventh chapter is devoted to his explanationof theblessings received by the dead in consequence of the masses performed by the living.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

lO

In chapter IX he speaks on many previous Buddhas of kalpas long past, and mentions

names.

their

In the remaining chapters not Kshitigarbha, but the Tathägata himself ad-

In the eight chapter he answers Yama (called the Son of
Heaven) and the innumerable Demon kings of Hell, who by Buddha's divinity anddresses the multitude.

Kshitigarbha's powerall

had cometothe Träyastrimgat heaven.

Yama praises

Kshitigarbha's wonderful divine power, but asks why the living beings after having

been freed from punishment soon fall again upon the wicked paths. On having
heard Buddha's answer, four of the Demon kings successively promise to protect
virtuous

men and women.

Charity is the subject of Buddha's sermon in chapter X,

delivered at Kshitigarbha's request.

With regard to Kshitigarbha himself, however, besides the stories mentioned
above, eh. IV, VI, XI, XII and XIII are specially important.
tale of the girl Bright Eye, theAfter having told theBuddha says that if wicked men or women for one

moment take their refuge with Kshitigarbha, they shall be saved from the three evil
If they worship him with their whole hearts, they shall be reborn in theheavens for millions of kalpas and then become emperors or kings on earth, again

paths.

and they shall be able to remember the karma of their lives
from the beginning to the end.
A similar praise of Kshitigarbha by the Buddha is found in the sixth chapter,
where virtuous men and women who worship this Bodhisattva are said to overleap
the sins of thirty kalpas. If they make images of him and worship him, be it only
one time, they shall be born a hundred times in the Träyastrimgat heaven and neverfall upon the evil paths, and if they are then reborn among men they shall becomekings and not lose the great blessings they enjoyed before. Women, who hate thefor thousands of kalpas,

female shape, shall by devoutly worshipping Kshitigarbha obtain the favour of
not being reborn as women for thousands of kalpas.

Low people and slaves shall by

from the evil paths.
In the eleventh chapter an Earth spirit praises Kshitigarbha, whose vow, says
he, is deeper (i. e. more intense) and harder to accomplish than that of any otherBodhisattva. He enumerates ten blessings which shall be bestowed upon thosebis favour be reborn as venerable persons of high standing, freeinhabitants of his territory in the South,

who shall build temples of Kshitigarbha,

place his images in them, and worship him.

They shall obtain good harvests, constantdomestic peace, abundance and long life, renascence in a heaven, and constant divine
protection.

Their wishes shall be fulfilled, evil influences uselessly consuming theirresources shall be removed, evil dreams cut off, and they shall often meet with holynidänas,^H. Moreover, he, the Earth spirit himself, shall perpetually protect thevirtuous inhabitants of his region, if they have this sütra and Kshitigarbha's images
and if they read it well and make offerings to this Bodhisattva, so that they shallbe free from all great und small adversities connected with water, fire and robbery.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

IIThe Buddha answers that other spirits have greater
Brahma and all the devas
thatthe latter by worshipping Kshitigarbha and reading
shall Protect those persons;this sütra spontaneously shall escape the sea of difficulties and sufferings and shallin Shortfrom all evil matters.

divine power than he, the Earth spirit; that also Qakra,

experience the happiness of Nirväna.

Chapter XII introduces Avalokitegvara requesting Qäkyamuni to speak about
the wonderful blessings bestowed upon the living beings by Kshitigarbha, in Order

Devas, Nägas and the remaining of the eight classes to worship thisto cause theBodhisattva and thus obtain

felicity.

Then

the

Buddhapraises AvalokiteQvara's

karma in Jambudvipa, and his. great compassion with the living beings. If
or women, demons or spirits, and the living beings of the six
gati who are suffering punishments, on hearing Avalokiteqvara's name or on seeing
his shape shall have a streng longing for him and praise him, they shall always
great

Devas, Nägas, men

be reborn as

men or devas and obtain great felicity, to finally reach Buddhaship.

Then he dwells upon the great blessings caused by seeing Kshitigarbha's imagec
or hearing his name, especially when being followed by worship and offerings.
Finally, the Tathägata in the last chapter eulogizes Kshitigarbha's divine power,

compassion, wisdom, eloquence, and his indefatigable activity for thousands andtenthousands of kalpas, praised by all the Buddhas of the ten quarters.

Then hesolemnly intrusts him with the fates of all the living beings of the present and future,
to be savedby him by means of his divine power, by establishing the means of sal-vation, by manifesting himself among men in a limüless number of bodies, by breaking
the hells and causing the beings to be born in heaven and to obtain the highest felicity.

At the request of the Bodhisattva Akä^agarbha (j®^|^ "Womb of the Space",

litt.

"Receptacle of the Void") the Buddha enumerates the twenty eightblessings''-

which shall descend upon virtuous men and women of future ages, who shall see
Kshitigarbha's images, hear and read this sütra, make offerings to him and praise
and worship him. They shall be protected by all Devas and Nägas, assisted by spirits
and demons, respected by men. Their good "fruits" (results in the chain of causes andresults) shall daily increase, they shall gather holy, superior nidänas (^^JiS) andbodhi shall not retire from them (but on the contrary come nearer to them). They
shall have abundance of clothes and food, and be free from diseases, calamities
caused by water or fire, and robbery. Women shall be reborn as men er as daughtersof kings or ministers. They (men and women) shall have many new births in theheavens, and some of them shall become emperors or kings. They shall live in correct
mutual love and domestic happiness. All their wishes shall be fulfilled, all adversities removed, and the consequences of former (evil) deeds shall be taken awayfrom them for ever. They shall know their previous existences and their dwellingplaces of the past, and have no sufferings caused by former lives, but felicity due
1

Ch. XUl~p.^3a~.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

12

to the past.

They shall have peaceful and joyful dreams. They shall be praised byhave hearts filled with compassion, and become Buddhas in the end.
the Devas, Nägas, demons and spirits, who at present and in future

all holy persona,

As

to

name

times on hearing Kshitigarbha's

shallworship his images, er on hearing

original vow shall praise and worship him, they shall get scven blessings''-.
They shall quickly pass over the holy bhümis (the ten degrees of perfection) theirevil deeds shall be obliterated all Buddhas shall protect them. Bodhi shall not retire
from them their original power shall increase they shall have a complete knowledgeof their former existences; and in the end they shall reach Buddhaship.
Then all those present, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Devas, Nägas and the remainingof the eight classes (of beings), on hearing Qäkyamuni's words, eulogized Kshitigarbha's great divine power. A rain of flowers descended upon the Tathägata andthe Bodhisattva, and the whole crowd bowed, respectfully joined their hands and
bis

;

;

;

;

withdrew.

Thus this sütra affords füll details concerning Kshitigarbha's nature and theblessings bestowed by him.

We notice a striking resemblance with Avalokitefvara,

the other compassionate saviour of the living beings, who
this sütra devoted to his counterpart.

not forgotten even inis

We hear him requesting the Buddha to speak

about the wonderful blessings of Kshitigarbha, in order to cause the Devas, Nägas,demons andspirits

toworship him and thus obtain felicity.

The Buddha, before

doing so, praises Avalokitegvara himself, his great karma in Jambudvipa and his
great compassion with the living beings. He states that if Devas, Nägas, men or
women, demons or spirits, and the living beings of the six gati who are sufferingpunishments, on hearing Avalokitegvara's name or on seeing his shape shall havea strong longing for him and praise him, they shall always be born again as men
or devas and obtain great felicity,tili

they finally reach Buddhaship.

Another interesting point is the jonalc origin

of

this

Bodhisattva in two of

the four tales, and the filial picty which is the chief virtue displayed in both of them.

Arnodern Japanese author^, combining Kshitigarbha's female origin with his nameof "Womb of the Earth", supposes him to be a Mahäyänistic transformation of
the Vedic Earthgoddess Prtkivi.

Hepoints out that the "Secret Doctrine"

(i.

e.

the Yoga school) calls the Kshitigarbha of the Taizö mandara (i. e. the Mandala of
the World of Phenomena, opposite to the Kongo mandara, that of the World of Ideas)
the "Deva of the Earth", iÜl^or the "Spirit of the Earth",

who holds the Earth", ^tÜl;#3,

or the "Strong Earth-spirit",^iüljfüjl,or the "Spirit^s^itiJjjiili.

Further,

Ibidem, p. 23 b.

In the Tetsitgaku daijislio, ^•'Ji:;'cSli'?, or "Great Philosophical Dictionary" (ed. 1910),
pp. 1166 sqq., s. V. Jizö Bosatsu.
2^

We find the name J^SS, in the Ta jih hing, >vEI|x, or Mahävairocana sütra, treated below,

this Chapter,§ 5.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

13

among the twelve devas of the Outer Vajra section of the Taizö mandara Kshitigarbha
is placed on the lower side, the natural place of the Earth, opposite Brahma, who
represents Heaven.

It isvery probable, indeed, that some ancient Indian Earthgoddess, merciful productress of
sattvamany blessings, was the prototype of the Bodhi-"Womb of the Earth",§ 3.

The Siitra on the Ten Whcels.

The second sütra to be mentioned with regard to Kshitigarbha is the "Mahäyäna
Mahäsannipäta sütra on Kshitigarbha and the Ten Wheels", l^^itH^+ll^,(NANJÖ, nr64). The title of nr. 65 of NANJÖ's Catalogue, i^-)]M-\r^W:, an earlier
and shorter translation of the same sütra, is translated by NANJÖ as: "Mahävaipulya-sütra spoken by Buddha on the ten wheels", which NANJÖ explains to be"the wheels of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha". This seems to be a mistake, for welearn form the sütra that these wheels were turned by Qäkyamuni himself, and notby Kshitigarbha. The Tathägata compares his successive turning of the ten wheelsof the Law, thus filling with happiness the miserable, wicked, Buddhaless worlds,
to the turning of the worldly wheel by ten different Cakravaftis, who thus gave peaceand felicity to their hitherto miserable subjects. This idea is amply developed in thesecond chapter (of nr. 64), which therefore has no importance with regard to our
subject. As none of the following chapters throws light upon Kshitigarbha, the firstchapter, called the Preface, is the only part of the sütra, to be dealt with in this paper.

This Preface is the same as that of nr. 65

form of the latter.

;the only difference is the somewhat shorter

It is curious that the headings of the other chapters are all different

from those of nr. 64, and that there are 15 of them in nr. 65 and 8 in nr. 64. The
latter translation, written in A. D. 651

by the famous pilgrim HÜEN TSANG, agrees

with the Tibetan translation, and

much

is

longer (althöugh thenumber of thethan nr. 65, which was translated by an unknown author in the
Northern Liang dynasty (A. D. 397 439). The translators apparently allowed
themselves much liberty in dividing the sütras into chapters as well as in abbreviating
chapters

is less)—them, unless there were two different Sanskrit texts of the same kind.

But this isquite immaterial to us, for the Prefaces, the only parts of importance for our subject,

are about the same.

We read there how the Bhagavän on Mount föM^i^ {Kha-la-ti-ya'^) held agreat assembly of bhikshus

and innumerable Mahägravakas and Bodhisattvas,

towhom he announced the arrival of Kshitigarbha with all the Bodhisattvas related
to the latter. When the Buddha had spoken in praise of him, Kshitigarbha appeared,
accompanied by myriads of Bodhisattvas. They came from the South, and Kshiti^ Professor SYLVAIN L£VI had the kindness of giving me the sanscrit äquivalent of thesecharacters and explaining to me this name as apparently related to khalati, "bald", at the sametime pointing out that a mount. Khalatika is mentioned by Pänini and Ai;oka.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

14

garbha as well as all the others had assumed
theshapesofgrävakas

former's divine power.

by

means

After

of

the

having wor-

shipped and eulogized the Tathägata, and,flying in the air, having strewn flowers upon

him which changed into precious canopies,
they all sat down before the Buddha, to listen
to the Law. Then a Bodhisattva among thefrom his seat and asked
Cäkyamuni, from what Buddha land thisvirtuous man came, and what virtuous deeds
he had done. The Buddha answered with along praise of Kshitigarbha, enumerating all
the blessings, bestowed upon those who worshipped this Bodhisattva and invocated him,taking their refuge to him with their wholehearts. Further, he mentioned all the different shapes in which Kshitigarbha appearedin Order to convert and save the sentient
assembly

beings.

rose

Finally, after Kshitigarbha having

declared that he also in future times shall

A Japanese grave monument, probably from the end of the I7th or the firsthalf of the i8th Century, representing Jizöin the shape of a Bodhisattva and in thatof a priest with khakkhara and cintämani
(staff vyith metal rings and precious pearl).
Cf. Ch. I, S 3Fig. 2.

save the living beings, the Buddha in a long

him again.

The long list of
shapes which Kshitigarbha was said by the
Tathägata to assume in his virtuous work
contains all kinds of beings, from Brahma,
stanza praises

Civa, Yama, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Pratyeka-

buddhas,crävakas,tants of hell.

the Buddha.
cially inItis

Nägas, demons and spirits, to Pretas, animals, and inhabiremarkable that he appeared in the shape of a grävaka before

This may indicate that Kshitigarbha in India, like in China and espe-

Japan, used to be represented not only in the shape of a Bodhisattva but

also in that of a priest
in both shapes).

It is

(cf.

fig. 2,a Japanese gravemonument representing Jizö

also possible, however, that this passage of the sütra caused

the Chinese and Japanese Buddhists to represent

As to nr. 1457 of NANJÖ'S Catalogue,

him as a priest.

entitled:"Praise of the Dharmakäya,

uttered by the Buddha at the request of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha, (and making

part of) the Great Collective sütra (Mahäsannipäta sütra) consisting of a hundred

thousand gäthäs"(cf. nr. 61), this

only gives the stanzas in praise of the Dharma-

käya, without even mentioning Kshitigarbha's name.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
§ 4.

15

The Sütra on fhe mandalas of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas.

So far the Kshitigarbha of the pubHc doctrine
school, entitled^^;

now f oUows a sütra of the Yoga

Sütra spoken hy Buddha on the mandalas of the Eight Great Bodhi-

It is nr. 981 of NANJÖ'S Catalogue, and it was
betweenA.
D.
andtranslated
746
771 by the famous AMOGHAVAJRA i^'^^^WU
abbreviated into ^'^.), pupil of VAJRABODHI. According to NANJÖ its Sanscrit
The Buddha, staying one day on Mount Pötala intitle is Ashtamandalaka sütra.

sattvcs,i^MA-X^'M^^i^BM.

Avalokite^vara's palace, explained to myriads of Bodhisattvas the eight niaiidalasand the blessings caused by erecting them. If one relies on the very profound Law of
the Eight Great Bodhisattvas and erects these eight mandalas, all his crimes shall beobliterated and all his wishes shall be fulfilled. Then he enumerates these eight Bodhisattvas with their so called "secret words" (^^ i. e. their magic formulae, mantras)
their places in the mandala (which is apparently considered as consisting of eight
mandalas instead of forming one complex), the colours of their bodies, their attributes and their mudräs. Qäkyamuni is seated on a lotus in the centre, with Avalokitegvara at his right and Vajrapäni at his left hand. Behind him Akägagarbha is seated,having Maitreya at his right and Samantahhadra at his left hand. Before Qäkyamuni
Kshitigarbha is seated, with Sarvanivaranavishkambhl at his right and Manjugrl
at his left hand. Thus Äkäqagarbha and Kshitigarbha are placed opposite eachother,
as well as Padmapäni and Vajrapäni, Samantahhadra and Mafiju^ri, Maitreya andSarvanivaranavishkambhi. One mistake is made in the description, as the last-named
Bodhisattva is said to have his place before Mafijugri instead of before Padmapäni,
which is his logical place with respect to the form of the mandala. They are enumerated in the f ollowing order Avalokite(;vara, Maitreya, Akägagarbha, Samantahhadra,
Vajrapäni, Mafijugri, Sarvanivaranavishkambhi and Kshitigarbha^. The latter is
described as wearing a crown on his head and a necklace of gems. "His face isbright and happy, quiet and filled with compassion with all affectionate beings (i. e.
human beings subject to metempsychosis, pudgala). His left hand rests under his
navel, carrying an almsbowl on its palm his right hand closes its palm and is directed
downwards, the thumb pinching up the index. (This means that) he gives consolation and peace to all human beings" Wi:in^tfMMBM-B, MMlW^'M^Wt\a:;

His magic formula is '^'MM^M.^HM-^, of which characters the two first, as wellas the sixth and seventh, are to be combined in reconstructing the Sanscrit equivalent.

Professor SYLVAIN

LEVI kindly explained to me the three last characters, which

form the word svähä, the final benediction. EITEL^ gives this word also, and declares
it tobe "an exclamation, 'may the race be perpetuated', used at ancestral (Brahmanic^ Exactly the same and enumerated in the same order as the eight first Boddhisattvas oi
the list, found in the Mahävyutpatti, 23, cf. above, Ch. I, § i, p. 6.
^ Saiiskrii-Chinese Dictionary, s. v. svähä.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

14

THE

garbha as well as all the others had assumed
theshapesofgrävakas

former's divine power.

by

means

After

of

the

having wor-

shipped and eulogized the Tathägata, and,flying in the air, having strewn flowers upon

him which changed into precious canopies,
they all sat down before the Buddha, to listen
to the Law. Then a Bodhisattva among therose from his seat and asked
Cäkyamuni, from what Buddha land thisvirtuous man came, and what virtuous deeds
he had done. The Buddha answered with along praise of Kshitigarbha, enumerating all
the blessings, bestowed upon those who worshipped this Bodhisattva and invocated him,taking their refuge to him with their wholehearts. Further, he mentioned all the different shapes in which Kshitigarbha appearedin Order to convert and save the sentient

assembly

A Japanese grave monument, pro-bably from the end of the lyth or the firsthalf of the i8th Century, representing Jizöin the shape of a Bodhisattva and in thatof a priest with khakkhara and cintämani
(staff with metal rings and precious pearl).
Cf. Ch. I, § 3.

cially in

title

Aval

and

thel
oblit

satt\

their

man
bute

tegva

havi

Ksh

at hi

as Vi

Sarv

save the living beings, the Buddha in a longBodlstanza praises

him again.

remarkable that he appeared in the shape of a grävaka before
the Buddha. This may indicate that Kshitigarbha in India, like in China and espeIt

trani

abbr

declared that he also in future times shall

The long list of
shapes which Kshitigarbha was said by the
Tathägata to assume in his virtuous work
contains all kinds of beings, from Brahma,
Qiva, Yama, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas, crävakas, Nägas, demons and spirits, to Pretas, animals, and inhabi-tants of hell.

sattv

Finally, after Kshitigarbha having

beings.

Fig. 2.

scho

is

whic

rate(

Vajr
desc
brig

hurr

nav(

dow

Japan, used to be represented not only in the shape of a Bodhisattva but

latio

monument representing Jizö

3Si

also possible, however, that this passage of the sütra caused

His

also in that of a priest
in both shapes).

It is

(cf.

fig. 2,a Japanese grave

the Chinese and Japanese Buddhists to represent

him as a priest.

As to nr. 1457 of NANJÖ'S Catalogue, entitled: "Praise of the Dharmakäya,
uttered by the Buddha at the request of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha, (and making
part of) the Great Collective sütra (Mahäsannipäta sütra) consisting of a hundred
thousand gäthäs"(cf. nr. 61), this

as tl
Proi
forn
itto

only gives the stanzas in praise of the Dharma-

käya, without even mentioning Kshitigarbha's name.

theTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
§ 4.

15

The Sütra on the mandalas of thc Eight Great Bodhisattvas.

So far the Kshitigarbha of the public doctrine
school, entitled
sattvas,^^;now follows a sütra of the Yoga

Sütra spoken by Buddha on the mandalas of the Eight Great Bodhi-

i^MAi^^MS-^^BM.

It

is

nr.

981 of NANJÖ'S Catalogue, andtranslated between A. D. 746 and 771 by the

it

was

famous AMOGHAVAJRA i^'^^WU

According to NANJÖ its Sanscrit
Ashtamandalaka
sütra.
The
Buddha,staying
one day on Mount Pötala intitle
Avalokitegvara's palace, explained to myriads of Bodhisattvas the eight mandalasand the blessings caused by erecting them. If one relies on the very profound Law of
the Eight Great Bodhisattvas and erects these eight mandalas, all his crimes shall beobliterated and all his wishes shall be fulfilled. Then he enumerates these eight Bodhisattvas with their so called "secret words" (^ g" i. e. their magic formulae, mantras)
their places in the mandala (which is apparently considered as consisting of eight
mandalas instead of forming one complex), the colours of their bodies, their attributes and their mudräs. Qäkyaniuni is seated on a lotus in the centre, with Avalokitegvara at his right and Vajrapäni at his left hand. Behind hircvÄkägagarbha is seated,having Maitreya at his right and Samantahhadra at his left hand. Before Qäkyamuni
Kshitigarbha is seated, with Sarvanivaratiavishkambhi at his right and Manjugri
at his left hand. Thus Akä(;agarbha and Kshitigarbha are placed opposite eachother,
as well as Padmapäni and Vajrapäni, Samantahhadra and Mafijuqri, Maitreya andabbreviated into ^'^.), pupil of VAJRABODHI.
isI

Sarvanivaranavishkambhi. One mistake is made in the description, as the last-named
Bodhisattva is said to have his place before MafijuQri instead of before Padmapäni,

which is his logical place with respect to the form of the mandala. They are enumerated in the f ollowing order AvalokiteQvara, Maitreya, Äkägagarbha, Samantahhadra,
Vajrapäni, Mafijugri, Sarvanivaranavishkambhi and Kshitigarbha^. The latter is
described as wearing a crown on his head and a necklace of gems. "His face is:bright and happy, quiet and filled with compassion with all affectionate beings (i. e.

human beings subject to metempsychosis, pudgala). His left hand rests under his
navel, carrying an almsbowl on its palm;

his right hand closes its palm and is directed

downwards, the thumb pinching up the index.
lationand peaceto all(This means that) he gives conso-

human beings" {W:in^mfiMM^-M, MMlW^'^^Wi\a

His magic formula is ''^MM^^-^^M-M, of which characters the two first, as wellas the sixth and seventh, are to be combined in reconstructing the Sanscrit equivalent.

LEVI kindly explained to me the three last characters, which
form the word svähä, the final benediction. EITEL^ gives this word also, and declares

Professor SYLVAIN

be "an exclamation, 'may the race be perpetuated', used at ancestral (Brahmanic

it to

Exactly the same and enumerated in the same order as the eight first Boddhisattvas ofthe list, found in the Mahävyutpatti, 23, cf. above, Ch. I, § i, p. 6.
''^

Sanskrit-Chinese Dictionary

,

s.

v.

svähä.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i6

and Buddhist)

sacrifices".

Here

it

is,

final benediction of a magic formula.

as Professor

LEVI pointed out to me, theIn this sütra these magic formulae are calledta-ming, '^^^, mahä-vidyä, in NANJÖ nr. 880 mih-yen,^H» mantra. As to the fiveother characters, which are probably a transcription of Kshaharaja, this is accordingtoMr. LEVI mere abracadabra of the magician, which to try to explain would beThis is also the case with the first word of Kshitigarbha's magic formulaloss of time.
in

NANJÖ nr. 880: BMW.^^^M, Maharä svähä.
Kshitigarbha's colour is not mentioned here, but according to other works ofthe mystic doctrine it is white''' or white flesh colour^, white indicating the pure Bodhi

haart or symbolizing Kshitigarbha's being the source of all virtues, because white is
the root of

all colours.

As to the colours of the other Bodhisattvas mentioned in the sütra, that of Akä^agarbha is not given, but that of Maitreya, Samantabhadra, Mafijugri and Sarvanivaranavishkambhi as well as that of the Buddha himself, is gold-colour, that of
Avalokitegvara and Vajrapäni being red. Of the two last-mentioned Bodhisattvas theformer with his right hand probably makes the varadamudrä^, and he has the Buddha
Amitäyus in his crown; while the latter (Vajrapäni), who holds a vajra in his righthand (the left resting upon his thigh) wears the crown of the Five Buddhas. Maitreya,seated behind AvalokiteQvara, in the left hand carries a kundika, "M-^, the water-bowlof the Buddhist mendicant, while his right distributes fearlessness (i. e. makes theahhaya-nmdrä JS^^fP); in his cap a stüpa is seen. Äkäqagarbha, in his left
hand, which is resting upon his heart, keeping a precious object, with his right,,^Hi^sÄ- Samantabhadra, seatedleft
Akägagarbha's
hand,
holds
sword
in
his right hand, his left making theatavarada-mudrä; he wears the crown of the Five Buddhas. Maüjugri, seated before
sends out a stream of immeasurable treasures,

Vajrapäni, in the shape of a five-tufted boy, in his

left

hand

carriesa red lotus

flower in the midst of which is a fivefold (five-pointed) vajra, while his right makes
the varada-mudrä.

Sarvanivaranavishkambhi's left hand carries a "streamer which

grants all desires" (in.altfi), and his right makes the same mudrä as the two former

As to the Tathägata, his gold-coloured body shows the 32 lakshanas,and he is seated upon a lotus seat.
Bodhisattvas.

"If virtuous men or women receive and keep this Mandala sütra, all the obstacles

caused by their deeds shall be removed, and they soon shall testify (^) (experience)
the highest, correct Bodhi."

A praise of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, consisting of forty stanzas, form akind of addendum to the sütra.

Kshitigarbha is eulogized in the following words:^?EiHö$ffi, quoted in the Tetsugaku

2

IKi^lE, quoted ibidem.

daijisJio,

1.

1.

^ JSHSHEp: probably the varadamudrä (right hand resting on the right knee with the palm
upwards). In the hhiunispargannidrä the palm is held downwards.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

17^'Sr--,--''/',Z-'-'^^^hTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i8GRÜNWEDEL recognized Padmapäni (Avalokitegvara) and Vajrapäni by their attrisame as in the sütra. The Amitäyus figure in Padmacrown and the lotus flower in his left hand are sure signs of his identity;
yet his right hand is lying on his right knee with its palm downwards (bhümispar^abutes; their places are thepäni'smudrä), while the sütra probably describes this Bodhisattva as making the varada-

mudrä, in which the right hand is lying on the right knee with its palm upwards.
As to Vajrapäni, in the sütra he is said to hold a vajra in his right hand, while theleft is resting upon his thigh; he wears the "Five Buddhas crown". In the picture,
however, his right hand, resting upon his right knee, is held with its palm in front,
and the lotus in his left hand is crowned with a vajra. Thus we see that even these
two figures have different attributes and mudräs from those of the sütra, although
they are sure to be Padmapäni and Vajrapäni. For this reason we can neither denynor assert that these eight Bodhisattvas surrounding Qäkyamuni are the well-known
eight Bodhisattvas of the Yoga school and Lamaism; but we are inclined to believe
so. If it be right, the upper row must be formed by Maitreya, Äkäpagarbha andSamantabhadra, the lower one by Sarvanivaranavishkambhi, Kshitigarbha and
MafijuQri.

"Womb of the Space", he seems to be the counterpart"Womb of the Earth". Yet in the Mahävairocana sütra, to be

As to Akäcjagarbha,of Kshitigarbha,

treated next, their places in the mandala are not opposite each other, for the former
is said there

to be placed on the West side, the latter on the North side.

Akägagarbha—

was known in China as early as the later Tsin dynasty (A. D. 384 417), when asütra on him (Nanjö. nr. 68) was translated into Chinese. This work agrees witha Tibetan text, as well as nrs. 67 and 69, both devoted to the same Bodhisattva, andtranslated in the fifth and sixth (or in the beginning of the seventh) centuries. The
early date of nr. 67 (fifth Century) which treats of Äkägagarbha's dhäranl, is evidenceof the fact that magic formulae were used in Buddhism long before Asanga's time^.
,§ 5.

The Mahävairocana sütra.

The same eight Bodhisattvas are repeatedly mentioned in another sütra of thecommonly called Ta jeh hing,
BW:, or "Great Sun sütra". Its füll title is "Sütra on Mahävairocana's becoming a
Buddha and the supernatural formula called Yugandhara", -kMM.MM>^i^>W&li^11 (NANJÖ, nr. 530). It was translated in A. D. 724 by QUBHAKARASIMHA,
commonly mentioned as QUBHAKARA, which name was rendered WU-WEI, M^,
or SHEN WU-WEI, SiS®, "The Fearless One" or "The Virtuous and Fearless One" 2.
This was a gramana from the Nälanda monastery in Magadha, who lived A. D.
636 735, and who in A. D. 716 arrived in China, where he translated several works
Tantric school, namely in the Mahävairocana sütra,

^

—
^

Cf.

Waddell, Lamaism,

2

Cf.

NANJÖ, Appendix II, no. 154, p. 444.

p.

142; O.Z., I 2.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

19

Yoga school. He translated this sütra in collaboration with the Chinese priest
YIH-HING, -^J.
In the first chapter the Buddha in a large number of stanzas prescribes a manof thedala, in the third section of which the Eight Bodhisattvas are to be represented in

Kshitigarbha Mahäsattva is to be placed on the North side, seatedmagnificent
lotus seat. Great names are to be given to him, e. g. Ratnaon afäni ("Treasure-hand", %'^%^) and ''Holder of the Barth", ^itii (cf. above,
picture (p. 25 b).

and he must be surrounded by the highest saints. Äkä<;agarbha is to be
represented on the Näga (i. e. the West) side, clad in a white robe, carrying a sword,and spreading light.
In the second chapter^ the "true words"^ of many Bodhisattvas are given.
After Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Äkäcjagarbha, Sarvanivaranavishkambhi, AvalokiteQvara, Mahästhanapräpta, Tärä, and others, Kshitigarbha, Maiijugri and Vajrapäni§ 2, p. 186),

are mentioned.

In the third chapter^ Kshitigarbha
side of the mandala,isplaced on the Yaksha

(i.

e.

the North)and Äkägagarbha on the Näga side. The former is described ashaving a colour like that of a special flower, 5^^jiS^, and holding a lotus flower

he wears a necklace of precious stones. Akäqagarbha isagain clad in a white robe, and his body emits light. He also wears a precious
in hishand(cf.

fig. 4) ;necklace; in his hands he carries a certain object,iJIgfÖP.

In the fourth chapter^ the "true words" and the mudräs of the same Bodhisattvas

Äkä^agarbha are placed again on
the North and West sides. The former must be seated on a magnificent lotus seat,near which a large banner, Im, is to beerected. His name is Jina, "the Most Victorious
One", :^Ji^, and he must be surrounded by a numberless crowd of superior relatives,
are given, while in the fifth^ Kshitigarbha and

CHAPTER II.
KSHITIGARBHA'S CULT IN INDIA, TIBET AND TURKISTAN.
§ I.

In the well-known Chinese

Kshitigarbha in India.

work on India,

entitled

Ta-T'ang si-yuh-ki, :^)^

M^l£ (NANJÖ nr. 1503), or "Records on Western regions made under the Great T'ang
dynasty (A.D.

618—907)", and composedin

A.D. 646 by the famous Buddhistb—Ch^II, pp. 1631b.
Äe', magic formulae, by means of which special Buddhas or Bodhisattvas are to be
invocated. Kshitigarbha's "true words", given on p. 18 b of this chapter, begin with Naniu
Samantabuddhana, followed by %%\fkmm'M, ffitH n^lsS^m^lt^,«ÜMl^«^, mW^^B, andend with the benediction svähä.
1

^

S®

="

*
^

P. 21 b.
Pp. 9 sqq.

Pp. 17 sq.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

20

pilgrimHÜEN-TSANG,~^i/\Vi(A.D. 602

— 664), we do not read one word about

Kshitigarbha. Also the Nan-hai ki-kwei nei-f ah chw'en, '^M^^^'l^W, or "Traditions

on the Inner Law, by one who returned from the Southern Ocean to China", written
by an other famous pilgrim, I-TSING, ^'^ (A.D. 634 713), who in A.D. 671
Started from China and returned in A.D. 695 (cf. NANJÖ, App. II. nr. 149, p. 440),
does not mention Kshitigarbha. Evidently this Bodhisattva even in the seventh—Century of our era did not enjoy much worship in India.

On reflecting upon the facts, stated above, we arrive at the conclusion that Kshitigarbha was a Bodhisattva of secondary rank, whose cult was propagated by theauthors of the sütra on his Original Vow and of that on the Ten Wheels. As to thetime in which these sütras were written we only know the dates before which thistook place, namely those of their translation into Chinese. The sütra on the original

vow was translated at the end of tho seventh Century of our era, a'.d that on theten wheels, which agrees with a Tibetan text,

was translated in A.D. 651 by the sameHÜEN-TSANG, who in his work on India entirely ignored Kshitigarbha's worshipin that country. The other translation of the sütra on the ten wheels is much older,
namely from the Northern Liang dynasty (A.D. 397 439), but the name of the—translator is lost.

We should doubt as to the correctness of this early date,

not learn from the Chinese work. Fah-wcn shu-lin,

if

we didÜ^S^^ (NANJÖ, Catal. nr. 1482),

or "Pearl wood of the garden of the Law", a large Buddhist encyclopaedia compiled

668 (which we shall quote below), that this Bodhisattva was worshipped in
China, together with Avalokitegvara, Maitreya and Amitäbha, as early as the fifthin A. D.

Century of our era. This worship of Kshitigarbha was probably due to the spreadingof the sütra

on the ten wheels, translated in the beginning of that same Century.

We may conclude from this, that Kshitigarbha must have been known in India
before A.D. 400.

As to the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, we may compare this group with that of
the Eight Great Näga-kings of the Mahäyäna school, which liked to use the holy
number eight in selecting a group of superior beings from a whole class. I hitherto
found the term of "Eight Great Bodhisattvas" and the regulär enumeration of theseeight only in sütras of the Tantric school, but the fact that the Elurä caves containa group of eight Bodhisattvas surrounding Cäkyamuni seems to point to a general

But the Tantric school, at any rate, was the special propagatorand the Lamaistic church took it up accordingly. As the Yoga doctrine
was introduced into Indian Buddhism by ASANGA in the sixth Century of our era,
this was probably the time when this group of eight Bodhisattvas became prominent,
and amongst them Kshitigarbha. As neither HÜEN-TSANG, nor I-TSING mention
an independent cult of this Bodhisattva in India in the seventh Century, we may assume
that he was then only worshipped together with the seven others of the group. The
Mahäyänistic idea.
of this idea,

existence in that time of the esoteric cult of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas is clear

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

21

from the fact that it was introduced into
China in the eighth Century of our era. We

from the dates of translation of
the principal sütras in which they are menlearn thistioned.

The Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Tibet.

§ 2.

As to Tibet, we do not read in NANjO's
Catalogue about a Tibetan translation of theon the Original Vow, the principal
Kshitigarbha sütra. That on the Ten Wheels,
however, is found among the Tibetan texts.
Kshitigarbha evidently did not play such animportant part there as in China and Japan,
although he belonged to the Eight Great

sütra

Bodhisattvas.

The latter were worshipped in Tibet by
the Tantric school.

WADDELL states that

Mafijugri, Vajrapäni and AvalokiteQvara are

the so-called Three Lords of Lamaism, while

Maitreya is placed fourth on the list, foUowedby the other male Bodhisattvas, not so com-monly met with. The Chiefs of the latter are
Samantabhadra, Kshitigarbha, called in Tibetan Sayi snin-po or Matrix of the Earth',Äkägagarbha, Sarvanivaranavishkambhi, andfour others^.

At theInitiation into the Tantric

Bud-dhist priesthood of the Vajräcäryas in Tibet

the Guru, after having praised the Dharma,

continues:"Isalutethat

Sangha, whoisFig. 4. Japanese grave monument of a man
who died in Genroku 4 (A. D. 1691). Jizö

wearing the Bodhisatva crown and Standing
upon a lotus, in his left hand carrying alotus flower and with his right making theabhayanmdrä, which bestows fearlessness
upon the worshippers. This is the older way

and Maitreya, and Gagan
Ganja, and Samantabhadra and Vajrapäni
of representing Jizö. Cf. Ch. I, § 5.
and Manjughosha (i. e. Maiijuqri), and Sarvanivaranavishkambhi and Kshitigarbha and Khagarbha^. The last-mentioned
Bodhisattva is Äkägagarbha'' as to Gagan Ganja, added here to the group of eight

Avalokitegvara;

Bodhisattvas,^

I

do not know him.

Cf. above, p. 5.

Lamaism, pp. 354, 358.
^ Lamaism, p. 181, note3..
* Cf. GRÜNWEDEL, Myih. in Tibet und der Mongolei,
p. 141.
2

INTENTIONAL SECOND bAKUöu

ni.1

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

20

pilgrim

HUEN-TSANG,

v'.yj(A.D. 602

— 664), we do not read one word about

Kshitigarbha. Also the .Wiii-liai ki-ktici iici-jah clnc'cn, ffi\'li'-^h'i\^'ili\'-^ or "Traditions,

on the Inner Law, by one who returned from the Southern Ocean to China", written
by an other famous pilgrim, I-TSING, ^^fjf (A.D. 634 713), who in A.D. 671
Started from China and returned in A.D. 695 (cf. NANJÜ, App. II. nr. 149, p. 440),—

does not mention Kshitigarbha.

Evidently this Bodhisattva even in the seventhCentury of our era did not enjoy much worshipin India.

On reflecting upon the facts, stated above, we arrive at the conclusion that Kshitigarbha was a Bodhisattva of secondary rank, whose cult was propagated by theauthors of the sütra on his Original Vow and of that on the Ten Wheels. As to thetime in which these sütras were written we only know the dates bc/orc ifhich thistook place, namely those of their translation into Chinese. The sütra on the original

vow was translatec at the end of th^ seventh Century of our era, a* d that on theten wheels, which agrees with a Tibetan text,

was translated in A.D. 651 by the sameHÜEN-TSANG, who in his work on India entirely ignored Kshitigarbha's worshipin that country. The other translation of the sütra on the ten wheels is much older,
namely fromtranslator is lost.

—439) but the name of theshouldastothecorrectnessWe
doubtof this early date, if we did

the Northern Liang dynasty (A.D. 397,

not learn from the Chinese work tah-iicii shit-lin, il: ').\i!r^iW (NANJÖ, Catal. nr. 1482),
or "Pearl wood of the garden of the Law", a large Buddhist encyclopaedia compiledin A.

D. 668 (which we shall quote below), that this Bodhisattva was worshipped in

China, together with Avalokitecvara, Maitreya and Amitäbha, as early as the fifthCentury of our era. This worship of Kshitigarbha was probably due to the spreadingon the ten wheels, translated in the beginning of that same Century.
conclude from this, that Kshitigarbha must have been known in Indiaof the sütra

We maybefore A.D. 400.

As to the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, we may compare this group with that of
the Eight Great Näga-kings of the Mahäyäna school, which liked to use the holy
number eight in selecting a group of superior beings from a whole class. I hitherto
found the term of "Eight Great Bodhisattvas" and the regulär enumeration of theseeight only in sütras of the Tantric school, but the fact that the Elurä caves containa group of eight Bodhisattvas surrounding Qäkyamuni seems to point to a general

But the Tantric school, at any rate, was the special propagatorof this idea, and the Lamaistic church took it up accordingly. As the Yoga doctrine
Mahäyänistic idea.

was introduced into Indian Buddhism by ASANGA in the sixth Century of our era,
this was probably the time when this group of eight Bodhisattvas became prominent,
and amongst them Kshitigarbha. As neither HÜEN-TSANG, nor I-TSING mention
an independent cult of this Bodhisattva in India in the seventh Century, we may assume
that he was then only worshipped together with the seven others of the group. The
existence in that time of the esoteric cult of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas is clear

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

21

from the fact that it was introduced inlo
China in the eighth Century of our era. We

from the dates of translation of
the principal sütras in which they are menlearn thistioned.

The Eight Crcat Ilod/usaltvas

§ 2.

in

Tihcl.

As to Tibet, we do not read in NANJÜ's
Catalogue about a Tibetan translation of theVow, the principal
Kshitigarbha sütra. That on the Ten Wheels,

sütra

on

however,

Original

thefound among the Tibetan texts.

isKshitigarbha evidently did not play such animportant part there as in China and Japan,
althoughhebelongedtotheEight Great

Bodhisattvas.

The

latterwäre worshipped in Tibet by

the Tantric school.

WADDELL states thatand Avalokitegvara are
the so-called Three Lords of Lamaism, while
Maitreya is placed fourth on the list, followedby the other male Bodhisattvas, not so commonly met with. The chiefs of the latter are
Samantabhadra, Kshitigarbha. called in TibeMafijucrl, Vajrapäni

tan Savi süin-po or Matrix of the Earth',Akägagarbha, Sarvanivaranavishkambhi, andfour others-.

At theInitiation into the Tantric

Bud-dhist priesthood of the Vajräcäryas in Tibet

the Guru, after having praised the Dharma,

continues:"Isalutethat Sangha,

who

is

Fig. 4. Japanese grave monument of a man
who died in Genroku 4 (A. D. 1691». Jizö

wearing the Bodhisatva crown and Standing
upon a lotus, in his left hand carrying alotus flower and with his right making thewhich bestows fearlessness(ihlKiydiiini/iJ

and Maitreya, and Gagan
upon the worshippers. This is the older way
Garija, and Samantabhadra and Vajrapäni
of representing Jizö. Cf. Ch. I, § 5.
and Manjughosha (i. e. Manjucri), and Sarvanivaranavishkambhi and Kshitigarbha and Khagarbha-'. The last-mentioned
Bodhisattva is Akäcagarbha
as to Gagan Ganja, added here to the group of eight

Avalokitecjvara.

'

Bodhisattvas,
'

-

'
^

I

;

do not know him.

Cf. above, p. 5.
Lainaisw, pp. 354, 358.
Lamaism, p. 181, note 3.
Cf.

GRÜNWEDEL, Mytii.

111

Tilic/

inni ilrr

M„ii^n/n,

p. 141.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

22

The Order in which they are enumerated is thesame as above (Ch. I, § i, p. i8o, and §4, p. 189) but
Gagan Ganja has taken the place of Akägagarbha,
who has become the last of the list.

PANDER
as follows:

1

gives the Lamaistic list of Bodhisattvas

Mafijugri,

Vajrapäni,

Avakolitegvara,

Kshitigarbha,Sarvanivaranavishkanibhi,Äkä9agarbha,

Maitreya and Samantabhadra, but states that the first
three and Maitreya are the highest.

"The images ofthese eight Bodhisattvas", says he, "are often placed
Fig. 5. Kshitigarbha in Lamaism,
seated on a lotus, with the Bodhisatva crown on his head and a big
pearl in his right hand, the left
making the bhüynisparfamudrä. From
Pander, Das Pantheon des Hiäuktti,
p. 76, nr. 148. Cf. Ch. II, § 2.

The

in thetemples (of the Lamaistic church in China),

namely four at both sides
Qäkyamuni", and in a note he adds

divided into two sections,of the Standingthat theRoyal EthnographicalMuseumBerlinat

possesses a miniature bronze group of these eight

Bodhisattvas, arranged in this way around Cäkyamuni.

picture representing Kshitigarbha in

PANDER'S Pantheon^ shows him

seated on a lotus, with the Bodhisattva crown on his head and a big, round pearl(probably not, as PANDER thinks, a sun disk) in his right hand, while the left hand,with its palm outwards, is hanging down and leaning against the left knee {bhümi-

spargamudrä) (fig. 5). The pearl being Kshitigarbha's constant attribute, while thesun disk is never seen in his hands, the round object in his right hand is probably
a pearl.

Apart frorti the Eight Great Bodhisattvas we have to mention the "Six Muni",
the presidents of the six worlds of re-birth, who according toto be identical

WADDELL^

appearwith the six Jizö's of the Japanese. The idea of six different forms,

assumed by a saviour of the beings of the six gati, may have been transferred from
Cäkyamuni upon Kshitigarbha.
§ 3.
Prof.

Kshitigarbha in Turkistan.

RAPHAEL PETRUCCI, in one of his interesting papers on the resultsand Northern China"*, points out
Turkistan in the gth and lOth
centuries. This Bodhisattva appears in the shape of a priest, with a shaven head
and a sacerdotal robe, on two frescoes and on many painted banners of Twen-hwang,
where he is carrying the khakkhara and the cintämani, exactly similar to his commonestof the different scientific expeditions to Turkistanthat Kshitigarbha's cult

^
2
3
*

Arts

must have flourishedin—

Das Pantheon des Hutitktit, pp. 75 sqq., nrs. 145 152.
Nr. 148, p. 76.
L. 1., p. 345.
L'art boitddhiqite ev Extreme-Orient d' apres les decouvertes recentes, Gazette desSept. 1911, pp. 202 sqq.

Beaux

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
figures in Japan (cf. fig. i, in front of this paper,23

and fig. 2). He is also represented

as the Saviour of the beings of the six gati, in a beautiful picture, brought to London

An embroidery, from the same expedition, was said to represent Yamagoshi Amida with his attendant Bodhisattvas Kwannon and Seishi,by the STEIN expedition.

accompanied by Avalokite^vara andBehindAmitäbha'sback
two
priestsare visible, whom PETRUCCI
Mahästhänapräpta.
formerly supposed to be Kshitigarbha figures, as well as the priests surrounding thei.

e. Amitäbha rising from behind the mountains,

Dhyänibuddha in ESHIN's famous picture of Amida welcoming a very holy soul,accompanied by his twenty five Bodhisattvas. As I shall treat ESHIN'S picture inanother part of this paper ^, I may refer the reader to that passage. As to the two
priests accompanying Amitäbha rising from behind the mountains (or Qäkyamuni on
the Vulture Peak as Mr. PETRUCCI wrote me afterwards) in the embroidery from
Turkistan, Mr. PETRUCCI kindly informed me by letter that a further examination

STEIN expedition had changed his opinion. These inthem to be "the benignant and the malicious genius of theof the inscriptions of thescriptions explained

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas". If this be right, this embroidery does not form a link
between the two Japanese pictures, attributed to ESHIN sdzu (Yamagoshi Amida
with Kwannon and Seishi, and Amida with his twenty five Bodhisattvas welcoming
a holy soul), as PETRUCCI pointed out in his paper mentioned above.
The idea of a "malicious genius of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas" sounds very
queer, but it becomes clear if we take it in the sense of "menacing the evil demons".
The Japanese pantheon contains several specimens of these benignant and menacing
attendants, e. g. Fudö Myö-5's young assistants Kongara döji (benignant, joining
his hands in adoration or holding a lotus flower) and Seitaka döji (menacing, witha vajra in his left and a club in his right band). Also Jizö is sometimes accompaniedby two young priests, one of whom is called Shö-zen, ^^, or "Ruler of the good",
the other Shö-aku, ^':^, or "Ruler of the evil". The former is white and holds awhite lotus flower in his hand, while the latter is red and carries a vajra. The Emmyö
Jizö kyö'^, to be treated below^, instructs us that the former "tempers and rules
the Dharma nature", while the latter "takes away and suppresses ignorance". When
Mr. PETRUCCI wrote to me about the benignant and the malignant genius of the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the resemblance of this idea with that of the two young
assistants of Fudö and Jizö Struck me at once, It is remarkable, however, that thefeatures of both priests, represented behind Amitäbha (or Qäkyamuni) in the embroidery of Twenhwang, are benevolent like Jizö's face, although one of them is saidin the inscriptions to be a malignant genius (in the sense of menacing and suppressingof

1 Section III, Ch. III,§ 3 (Indö Jizö, the leader to Paradise). Cf. TAJIMA's Selected Relics
Japanese ari. Vol. IV, PI. VIII; Kokkwa, Vol. 232, PI. III.
- Iff'iIXifc^MüÄ^l^fi',
Bnssetsn Emmyö Jizö Bosatsn kyö, written by a Japanese of theseventeenth Century.
^ Section III, Ch. VI,§ 2.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

24

the evil demons). As this explanation of the two priests was given me by Mr. PETRUCCI

only as a provisory one, other inscriptions, found in the course of his studies, maychange his opinion and throw another light upon them. Therefore we have to await
his pubUcations on the paintings and inscriptions of the STEIN expedition, which

no doubt shall give many interesting details.
This is also the case with his discovery of Jizö's cult as the patron of the travellers,
the god of the roads, in Turkistan.

If he is right, thisconception, hithero considered

to be purely Japanese, has been borrowed from the continent as well as the otherideas about this Bodhisattva.

In his paper quoted above^ Jizö is said to be "recouvert

du chäle des voyageurs", but I must own that I want a more sufficient proof of
Jizö's quality of

god of the roads in Turkistan.

On considering, however, the lack

would not be surprising to find that also this conception has been introduced from abroad. As a matter of fact, Japanese tradition
closely connects this cult with that of the Six Jizö's, and their cult is, in PETRUCCI'S
opinion, found in Turkestan. The beings of the six gati surrounding Kshitigarbha
in the picture mentioned above, are, according to PETRUCCP, clear evidence ofthe fact, that the conception of the six Jizö's did not rise in Japan, but came fromthe continent. Although I am also inclined to believe in its foreign origin, yet I doof originality of the Japanese,it

not consider this picture a sufficient proof of this.

We do not see there the six shapes

into which Jizö divided himself to save the beings of the six gati, but

we only see—

him surrounded by them. Thus the idea of his being the saviour of all beings
an ideaisfound also in the main sütras on Jizö, treated in the first section of this paper—

expressed in the picture, but not the conception of the six shapes in which he saves them.

These
istic

six shapes,

however, are mentioned in the semi-Buddhistic, semi-Tao-

Sütra on the Ten Kings (of Hell)^, where the Buddha (Qäkyamuni) gives thenames, attributes and actions of the six shapes in which Ti-tsang shall appear in
future times. But these names are different from the oldest Japanese denominationsof the six Jizö's. Thus the latter must have been introduced into Japan by older
Chinese works, for it is not very likely that the same idea should have risen independently in both countries. Therefore, although in my opinion the picture from Turkistan does not prove the existence of the cult of the six Jizö's in that country,Ialso believe that it camefrom the continent instead of having originated in Japan.
Muni",
Moreover, the "Sixi. e. six forms of Qäkyamuni as the presidents of
the worlds, who according to WADDELL* are found in Tibet, seem also to point
to a foreign origin of the six Jizö's.

The six Jizö's, as well as Jizö's cult as the patron of the travellers and god of
the roads, shall be treated below in the third part of this paper, devoted to Japan 5.
1 L'art bouddhique en Extreme - Orient^ L. 1., p. 204.
p. 203.
treated in Sect. II, Ch. I, § i of this paper. « Cf. above, Ch. II, § 2, p. 22.

^

This sütra shall be=

Sect. III, Ch. II, § 5.

,

SECTION II.

TI-TSANG IN CHINA.
CHAPTER I.
SEMI-BUDDHIST, SEMI-TAOIST WORKS ON THE TEN KINGS OF HELL.

Taoism took up the Buddhist ideas on hell, but mixed them up with inventions of
The Buddhists and Taoists who liked to blend the two religions gave
its own.
to Shang Ti, the Taoist Emperor of Heaven, but under him they placed
supremacytheTi-tsang as the Lord of Hell. Thus the Saviour from Hell became its supreme
Ruler, and under his sway stood Ten Kings, namely Yama and nine others, unknown
to Indian Buddhism. The following paragraphs are devoted to works on this subject.
§ I.

The Sütra on the Ten Kings.

The füll title of this very interesting work is "Sütra on the Ten Kings, deliveredby Buddha, with regard to the conversion and the relations in previous states ofexistence of the Bodhisattva Ti-tsang", f^ig;ii!m^^p^jß.0||^-h5E|M- It was written

by TSANG-CHW'EN, f^jl], amonkof the Ta-shingts'ze-ngenmona.stetyi-XM^^^)
in Ts'ing-to-fu, |£^|>ji^, Sze-chw'en province. NANJÖ does not mention this author

which is sure to be the work of the priest himself instead of being atranslation from the sanscrit. This fact was stated already by the priest TSUNGKIEN, ^||£, who in the first half of the thirteenth Century revised and edited the
Shih men ching t'ung''-, and in the Japanese works Kokkyöshü^ and Küge dansö^.
I found these particulars inSEITAN's highly interesting paper on Jizö Bosatsu, where
we also read that this sütra is divided into five chapters, of which the first, i. e. theprelPace, is devoted to the evil deeds of mankind, the sufferings of the evil world, andthe different kinds of evil. In the three following chapters it is explained how man'sor the sütra,1

SF'JiElic.

Cf.

WYLIE, Notes on Chinese Literature, 2nd ed., p. 209.

#»ft, written by the priest UNSHO, 5S», who lived 1613— 1693.
' *#Ä^, written by the Buddhist priest TEININ, fSrS, who lived 1704—
1786.
2

Kokkwa,Nr. 159, Ch. III, p. 52. This paper, written by the Buddhist priest SEITAN,
Jizö Bosatsu keizö kö, ±l!lÄ^S?f^^5JC, "Research of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha's Images. " It is divided into four chapters, found in the nrs. 154, 156, 159 and 160 of
the Kokkwa.
*

?ra^,

is entitled:

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

26
three hwun and seven p'oh

(H^S-bH) the Yang and Yin souls^) err about on theand how their evil deeds are punished by the Ten Kings.
The fifth chapter treats of the faces of these Kings, expressing judgment anddetachment from worldly concerns.
In the fourth chapter Ti-tsang's boundless compassion, saving mankind fromall sufferings, and leading to a general conversion, is mentioned, as well as the Six
Ti-tsangs. The Buddha himself gives there the names, attributes, mudräs and actionsof the six shapes in which Ti-tsang shall appear in future times. We shall treat thembelow in a separate chapter on the Six Jizö's^. According to SEITAN both the Ten
Kings and the six Ti-tsangs were mentioned here for the first time, and the sütra
was written especially to introduce them into Buddhist litterature and cult. If this"five roads" (3lj^),

be true,

TSANG-CHW'EN by writing this sütra actually succeeded

these ideas in China.

In this country the Ten Kings became

spreadinginmuch more populär

than the six Ti-tsangs, in Japan, on the contrary, the Ten Kings are rarely, the six
Jizö's very often mentioned, represented

and worshipped.

This was, however, notdue to this sütra, which was evidently introduced into Japan four centuries after the

become known there. As it is very unlikely that the same idea indeit must have existed in China as early as theninth Century, the time at which it was introduced into Japan. If this is the casewith the six Jizö's, also the Ten Kings may be of older date, and SEITAN' s assertion
six Jizö's had

pendently arose in both countries,

much caution.
When reading about the hwun and the p^oh we need not doubt as to the natureof this sütra. It is, of course, Buddhism blended with Taoism. I regret very muchisto be accepted withthat I did not succeed in obtaining this sütra, for it must be an interesting specimenof this kind,and its influence seems to have been great.

Moreover,itisthe only

evidence of the existence of the idea concerning the six Ti-tsangs in China.
the Ten Kings,

I

As to

fortunately had the opportunity of reading a later work, evidently

based upon the sütra on the Ten Kings, so that I am able to give a more extensive

account of its Contents.

This work, which was kindly lent to me by Mr.

KRAMP,

shall be treated in the next paragraph.

"The Doctrinc of Repcntancc {practised in worship of) the Ten Merciful Kingsof the Dark Department.'^§ 2.

The author of this work, which is entitled Ts^ze-pei ming-fu shih-wang ch'anis "°t mentioned, nor the time in which it was written. We
book that the printing blocks were preserved in the Haichw'ang monastery, jfejllll^^.

/äA, ^^M/i^"i'i'iS;?i>
read at the end of the

DE GROOT, Ret. Syst. of China, Vol. IV, Gh. I, pp. i sqq.

1

Cf.

2

Sect. III, Ch. II, § 5.

'

WELLS WILLIAMS (Dict., p. ii6, s. v. |g) mentions a temple of this name, situated op-

posite Canton.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

One of the Ten Kings of Hell (tenChinese paintings on silk from the Sung or

Fig. 6.

Yuen dynasty, in the Daitokuji at Kyoto).
From the Kokkwa, Nr. 175.

This work is divided into three chapters.

27

One of the Ten Kings of Hell (tenChinese paintings on silk from the Sung or
Yuen dynasty, in the Daitokuji at Kyoto).
From the Kokkwa, Nr. 175.
Fig. 7.

It

opens with a picture, representing

Ti-tsang seated on a throne, in the shape of a ^rämana, with a large round halo

behind his shaven head, the urna between his eyebrows, and the khakkhara in his
right hand.

On either side of the throne Stands a young priest, also with a roundhands joined and directed towards Ti-tsang. These are his two foUowers.
On the left side "Father Horse", the usual horse-headed attendant of Hell, on theright side "Father Ox", his ox-headed counterpart, are standing, the former witha trident, the latter with a staff crowned with a lotus-flower. The Ten Kings of Hell,glory, his

INTtN lUNML öCO'-'i^iL/
I

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

26
three Jinitii and seven[^'uli(^^.'-Ül-Lll'ijll,

theYtiiv;,

andYiii souls') err

about on the( /i.jli), and how their evil deeds are punished by the Ten Kings.
The fifth chapter treats of the faces of these Kings, expressing judgment anddetachment from worldly concerns.
In the fourth chapter Ti-tsang's boundless compassion, saving mankind fromall sufferings, and leading to a general conversion, is mentioned, as well as the Six
Ti-ts(n!i;s. The Buddha himself gives there the names, attributes, mudräs and actionsof the six shapes in which Ti-tsang shall appear in future times. We shall treat thembelow in a separate chapter on the >'/a /i:ö's'-. According to SEITAN both the Ten
Kings and the six Ti-tsangs were mentioned here for the first time, and the sütra
was written especiaHy to introduce them into Buddhist litterature and cult. If tiiis"five roads"

be true,

TSANG-CHW'EN by writing this sütra actually succeeded

these ideas in China.

In this country the Ten Kings became

spreadinginmuch more populär

than the six Ti-tsangs, in Japan, on the contrary, the Ten Kings are rarely, the six

and worshipped. This was, however, notdue to this sütra, which was evidently introduced into Japan four centuries after thesix Jizö's had become known there. As it is very unlikely that the same idea independently arose in both countries, it must have existed in China as early as theninth Century, the time at which it was introduced into Japan. If this is the casewith the six Jizö's, also the Ten Kings may be of older date, and SEITAN's assertion

Jizö's very offen mentioned, represented

isto be acceptedwith much caution.

When reading about the/ih.'iiii

and the jh'iJi we need not doubt as to the nature

Buddhism blended with Tainsiu. I regret very muchthat I did not succeed in obtaining this sütra, for it must be an interesting specimenof this sütra.

of this kind,

It is,of course,

and its influence seems to have been great.

Moreover,itisthe only

evidence of the existence of the idea concerning the six Ti-tsangs in China.
the Ten Kings,

I

As to

fortunately had the opportunity of reading a later work, evidently

based upon the sütra on the Ten Kings, so that I am able to give a more extensive
This work, which was kindly lent to me by Mr.

account of its contents.

KRAMP,

shall be treated in the next paragraph.

"17ic Diiclrinc ni Rcpoiltnuc {pracHsci/ in „ors/n'p nf)

S 2.

i<i

Ihc

The author of this work, which is entitled^^M'i'Vi'i"\'~\'j3k'U:' '^ '^0^

fali,

llic

Icii Mcrcijitl Ki>igs

Dark Dcpartnicntr'J's'zc-pci iiiiii'^-iit s/iili-ucnii^ ch'aii-

mentioned, nor the time in which it was written.

We

read at the end of the book that the printing blocks were preserved in the Hai-

chw'ang monastery,
1

Cf.

("{;/

i'U^

DE GROOT, /vV/. Sys/. ni China, Vol. IV, Ch. I, pp. i sqq.

-

Sect. III, Ch. II,

2

WELLS WILLIAMS (Dict., p. 116, s. v.

posite Canton.

§ 5.
ijli'i'i)

mentions a temple of this name, situated op-

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

Fig. 6.

One of the Ten Kings of Hell (tenon sük from the Sung or

Cliinese paintings

Yuen dynasty,in the Daitokuji at Kyoto).

From the/v'/i7,',,(f,Nr. 175.

This work is divided into three chapters.

27

Fig. 7.

One of the Ten Kings of Hell(ten

Chinese paintings on silk from the Sung or
Yuen dynasty, in the Daitokuji at Kyoto).
From the Ki'kkuu^ Nr. 175.

It

opens with a picture, representing

Ti-tsang seated on a throne, in the shape of a crämana, with a large round halo

behind his shaven head, the urna between his eyebrows, and the khakkhara in his
right hand.

On either side of the throne Stands a young priest, also with a roundhands joined and directed towards Ti-tsang. These are his two foUowers.
On the left side "Father Horse", the usual horse-headed attendant of Hell, on theglory, hisright side

"Father Ox", his ox-headed counterpart, are Standing, the former witha trident, the latter with a staff crowned with a lotus-flower. The Ten Kings of Hell,THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

28

five on each side, are standing in the foreground, clad in the costumes of high dignitaries, with crowns on their head and audience tablets(hwuh) in their hands (because

according to the Taoists they go to the Palace of Heaven to report the deeds of mortals

supreme Emperor). In the middle, in the foreground, an animal is sitting,with split hoofs, long ears and a long, hairy tail.
to theIn the preface, which is not signed by the author, the latter states to have heardthat the blessing power (virtues) of the compassionate kings of the Dark Departmentisinexhaustibly vast and great, and that the mercy of Ti-tsang of theisinexhaustibly large and deep.

After having explained man's

Dark Palace

own actions to be

the causes of his rebirth in heaven or hell, he instructs his readers that all good anddeeds are carefully noted down under the rule of the Ten Kings and that everybody is rewarded or punished accordingly. For they look up to the compassionate

evil

Venerable of the Triratna and rely on the Tantra-ruler of the Darkness,^M^15[iwhose vow is solemn and great, namely not to become a Buddha before
all living beings of hell should have reached Perfect Enlightenment. As to the Ten
Kings, the explanation of their wonderful Repentance (i. e. the Doctrine of Repentance, practised under their sway and explained in this sütra) may release the living
beings from hell. Finally, the Saptabuddha (Vipagyi, Qikhi, ViQvabhü, Krakucanda, Kanakamuni, Kä^yapa and Qäkyamuni, i. e. the three last Buddhas of theformer kalpa and the four first ones of the Bhadra kalpa), as well as Maitreya,
Kshitigarbha räja Bodhisattva (Ti-tsang-wang P'u-sah)' and the Ten Bodhisattvakings of the Dark Department are invocated successively with the terrn paniu ("ho(Ti-tsang),

mage to").

'.

Each of the three chapters contains four invoca'tions, plä'ced at regulär' intervals.
All these twelve invocations are directed to ten Buddhas^, ten Bodhisättvas^, theTen Kings of Hell (also Bodhisattvas), and, finally, to five other Bodhisattvas^.
The names of the Ten Kings are as foUows: ^J|3i, Ts'in-kwang-wang,"Magnanimous King of Tsin". 2. ^^fCBi) Ch'u-kiang-wang, "King of the First
Stream (of Hades)". 3. 5Jc^ZE, Sung-Ti-wang, "King wKo is Sovereign of Sung".
1 Cäkyamuni,
Amitäbha, Maitreya, Amitäyus (Amitäbha's Sambhogakäya, cf. GRÜNWEDEL, Myth. des Buddh. in Tibet und der Mongolei, p. 118); the sixth, seventh and eighth

Buddhas are Bhaishajyaguru (the Medicin-master), Padmaprabha (under which name Qäriputra is to reappear as Buddha), and Mahäbhijnajiianabhibhu (:'cM^R, "Conqueror of allpervading wisdom, cf. EITEL, s. v.) As to the fifth, ninth and tenth Buddhas, their names are
writtenfollows: iSIS^tiW, ^fii^KW (Cäriprabhütaratna?) and Ü^ftaSEW (iQvaraas
bhijna räja?).
- Manjugri, Samantabhadra, Avälokitecjvara, Kshitigarbha, and the following six: 'MM^W'("Great Master of Knowledge of the Road [to Perfect Intelligence] " or who leads to the Light ofIntelligence) }feM>5?5 ("He who causes to melt away and stops calamity"), äi,#äiE ("The King
who lengthens life"), Ä?^S ("He who loosens oppressing knots"), ^Sl># ("The Emperor of
the Abundant Capital"), and ilüDt-i^ ("The Emperor of the Eastern Peak" [i. e. ^lü, T'ai shan]).
^ Maudgalyäyana and 29;^t0SS, "The four Bodhisattvas who undertake assistance (who
Support and assist) (?)".
.

,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
4.

fZL*gi»29

Wu-kwan-wang, "KingFive Officials"(the five senses:

mouth, nose and mind?).

5.

of

the

ears, eyes,

PUZE, Yen-lo-wang, "King Yama". 6. ^J^^, Pien-ch'ingwang, "King of Transformations". 7. |^jlj3E,
T'ai-shan-wang,

"King

of

.

Mount

T'ai".

8.Zji^3£, P'ing-teng-wang, "Impartial King".
9. ;SP'j^Ji,

Tu-shi-wang, "King of the Capital".

IG. HI^jE. Chwen-lun-wang "King who turns

the Wheel" (Cakravartiräja).

EDKINS^ says: "Ti-sang is often attendfrom whose
punishments he seeks to save mankind. Allof them, except Yama, have Chinese names.

ed by the ten kings ofhell,Some of them point to particular

localities,

as Pien-ch' eng or the city of K'ai-feng fu;

T'ai-shan is a mountain of Shan-tung. Others
refer to attributes, asp'ing-teng, *even', chwen-

wheel (of doctrine)'.
Criminals receiving punishments and attendants are also represented by small earthen orlun, the 'turner of thewooden'figures. The ten kings all stand whenin thef presenceof

Ti-tsang p'u-sah; but

Fig. 8.
Ti-tsang, in the shape of a priest,
riding on a tiger, with staff and almsbowl.

Small wooden image in the Leiden EthnographicalMuseum.

if

Tung-ngo-ti-Mün, a Taöist divinity, presides, they may sit, he being little superior•to them in rank. Most of the names of these ten kings are of Chinese origin and not

many centuries old."
As to Pien-ch' eng, this is Picn-ch'ing-wang, ^Jj^Hi, the sixth of the list given
above, whose name I translated into "King of Transformations". EDKINS apparently
consulted the Yuh lih^, where this name is written: "KJ^BE. "King of Pien-ch 'ing" 3.
Tien-chen, tl^^-l, was the name of K'ai-fung-fu, |?BJ^jß^, in the province of Ho-nan,
at the time of the Sui and the T'ang dynasties. It was called thus after the river Pienin the same province. But every where eise the name of this king is given as ^^i.
With regard to P'ing-teng-wang, ^^EE, whose name I translated into "Impartial King", I do not see which "attribute" is designated by this name.
Tung-ngo-ti-Mün must be Tung-yoh ti-kiün, ^^"^S, the "Ruler of the Eastern
Peak", i. e. T'ai-shan wang, ,^lij3i, the seventh of the ten kings, invocated in the
Chinese Buddhism, sec. ed. (1893), p. 246.
below, this Chapter, § 3.
^
is an old name of Sze-shui hien, "1>7j<fS, in the south of Shantung
WILLIAMS, Chin. Engl. dict. s. v. ?W, p. 688).
1

^

Cf.

^&

(cf.

WELLS

INTEN nUNAL btUUlNU CAr^-^ouni

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

28

five

on each side, are standing in the foreground, clad in the costumes of high digni-

taries,with crowns on their head and audience tablets (JilCIiIi) in their hands (because

according to the Taoists they go to the Palace of Heaven to report the deeds of mortals
to thesupreme Emperor).

In the middle, in the foreground, an animal

is sitting,with spht hoofs, long ears and a long, hairy tail.
In the preface, which is not signed by the author, the latter states to have heardthat the blessing power (virtues) of the compassionate kings of the Dark Departmentisinexhaustibly vast and great, and that the mercy of Ti-tsang of theisinexhaustibly large and deep.

After having explained man's

Dark Palace

own actions to be

the causes of his rebirth in heaven or hell, he instructs his readers that all good anddeeds are carefully noted down under the rule of the Ten Kings and that everybody is rewarded or punished accordingly. For they look up to the compassionate

evil

Venerable of the Triratna and rely on the Tantra-ruler of the Darkness, [i^ri-L-^^Ü(Ti-tsang), whose vow is solemn and great, namely not to become a Buddha before
all living

beings of hell should have reached Perfect Enlightenment.

As to the Ten

Kings, the explanation of their wonderful Repentance (i. e. the Doctrine of Repen-sway and explained in this sütra) may release the living
the Saptabuddha (Vipacyi, Qikhi, Vicvabhü, Krakucanda, Kanakamuni, Käcyapa and Qäkyamuni, i. e. the three last Buddhas of theformer kalpa and the four first ones of the Bhadra kalpa), as well as Maitreya,
Kshitigarbha räja Bodhisattva (Ti-tsang-wang P'u-sah) and the Ten Bodhisattvakings of the Dark Department are invocated successively with the term uniiiii ("ho-tance, practised under their

beings

from

hell.

Finally,

mage to").
Each of the three chapters contains four invocations, placed at regulär intervals.
All these twelve invocations are directed to ten Buddhas', ten Bodhisattvas-, theTen Kings of Hell (also Bodhisattvas), and, finally, to five other Bodhisattvas"'.
The names of the Ten Kings are as follows: ^hji
I s'iii-/;t^\ii!<^-„-(i!!'^,"Magnanimous King of Tsin". 2.
"Kingof the First('/i'it-ki(i!iii-n(in>^,Stream (of Hades)". 3.
Su)r^-Ti-,,\iii'^, "King wh.o is Sovereign of Sung".
\\-,

]'.

-f^/J-J'yjc'i'i'i"

|-^,

\-.,

Qäkyamuni, Amitäbha, Maitreya, Amitäyus (Amitäbha's Sambhogakäya, cf. GRÜN(Ii-s Uuddli.
Dl l'ihii undr Mosf^nhi^ p. 118); the sixth, seventh and eighth
Buddhas are Bhaishajyaguru (the Medicin-master), Padmaprabha (under which name Qäriputra is to reappear as Buddha), and Mahäbhijnajnanabhibhu (icMfel'j!/, "Conqueror of allpervading wisdom, cf. EITEL, s. v.). As to the fifth, ninth and tenth Buddhas, their names are
writtenfollows:
and f l/LJäJ-K'iii (I(;varaas^utfe^t KW, T^^t^'ü^ (Cäriprabhütaratna?)'

WEDEL, My/Ii.

</<bhijna räja?).
- Manjugri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitegvara, K^-Iiilf^dvhhii,
and the following six: iüi"! .fcfiili("Great Master of Knowledge of the Road |to Perfect Intelligence|" or who leads to the Light ofIntelligence), \fi!ä.'')i ("He who causes to melt away and stops calamity"), 'iü
V. ("The King
who lengthens Hfe"), %i%'ka ("He who loosens oppressing knots"), 'l'Mi^'i'i'i' ("The Emperor of
the Abundant Capital"), and iJii.';i:'i1? ("The Emperor of the Eastern Peak" [i.e. ,^i|ll, T'ai shan]).
^ Maudgalyäyana and PI^JcIID'^-Rt;,"The four Bodhisattvas who undertake assistance (who
Support and assist) (?)".
.;'.',

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
4.

f/i''B':t.

Wii-/ru-aii--uaiig,

Five Officials""King(the five senses:

mouth, nose and mind?).

29
of

the

ears, eyes,

5. |Äj|{|;;H,

Yoi-ln-"King Yama". 6. ||(Ä~H, Picii-clrim;"King of Transformations". 7. ^$^|I| J-^"King of Mount T'ai".
l''(ii-sli(iii-a'ün^,„^«1,',
av/y/i,',S.^fi^iJ?:!-', I''iiii:^-tciig-h-(iiii(,

9.

fti; i!j.

I{,"Impartial King".

Tu-s/ii-u(i!tg, "King of the Capital".

10. 'l'i^fit;H» Chiccn-litii-iCd Uli "King

who turns

Wheel" (Cakravartiräja).

the

EDKINS' says: "Ti-sang is often attendten kings of hell, from whose
punishments he seeks to save mankind. All
ed by thethem, except Yama, have Chinese names.
Some of them point to particular localities,ofas

I'icii-c'rLiii:;or the city of K'ai-feng fu;

T'ai-shan is a mountain of Shan-tung. Others
refer to attributes, as p'ing-tciig, 'even', ch.i'oi-

the 'turner of the wheel (of doctrine)'.

liDi,

Criminals receiving punishments and attendants are also represented by small earthen or

WOOden figures. The ten kings all stand whenin thepresence of Ti-tsang p'u-sah; but

Ti-tsang, in the shape of a priest,
riding on a tiger, with staff and almsbowl.

Fig. 8.

^mallwooden image
graphical

intheLeiden Ethno-

Museum,if

a Taoist divinity, presides, they may sit, he being little superior
to them in rank. Most of the names of these ten kings are of Chinese origin and not'ritiii^-U'^o-ti-kiiiu,

many centuries old."
As to Picn-cli'civ^, this is Picn-cl>'in'^-\.-o.nil, i^]R v., the sixth of the list given
above, whose name I translated into "King of Transformations". EDKINS apparently
consulted the Yiili Uli-, where this name is written: "{tM^-^, "King of Pien-ch'ing"^.
Ticn-cJicn, ^'t^''H'l, was the name of K'ai-fung-fu, üHJ-j/fj"» i"^ the province of Ho-nan,
at the time of the Sui and the T'ang dynasties. It was called thus after the river Pioi
in the same province. But everywhere eise the name of this king is given as Ij^fj^;?!-.whose name I translated into "ImWith regard to P-in'^-icng-aan<^, ^^-^'i^;
partial King", I do not see which "attribute" is designated by this name.
Titnii-ngt)-ti-kiini must be Tuii'^-yoh ti-ldiin, ]\i\}$.'\\i i\ the "Ruler of the Eastern|-',,

Peak", i. e. T'ai-shan icang,:^|il Ü, theseventh of the ten kings, invocated in the

Chinese BiuhlJiisiu, sec. ed. (1893), p. 246.
below, this Chapter, § 3.
^of Sze-shui hien, l>'Ki's, in the south of Shantung\^\i. is an old name
WILLIAMS, Chin. Engl. dict. s. v.
p. 688).
'-Cf.

il'vi,

(cf.

WELLS

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

30"Doctrinc of Rcpcntance" as Tung-yoh-ti P'u-sah or "The Bodhisattva Emperor of
the Eastern Peak."

EDKINS mentions him on p. 393 of the same work and statesthat this deity is worshipped in special temples as the ruler of the lower world.

"He(Tiing-yoh ta-ii, "The Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak") corresponds in attributes somewhat with Ti-tsang-wang p'u-sah, the Buddhist deHverer from hell.

Likethis Buddhist god, he rules only as a saviourand shares his authority with a large
group of inferior divinities." Thus we see how the Taoists ascribed the supreme ruleof Hades, attributed by the semi-Buddhist, semi-Taoist works to Ti-tsang-wang, to
one of the ten kings who stood under his sway.
Professor CHAVANNES in his highly interesting work on T'ai-shan^ explains thereason why the punishments of hell are represented in China in two kinds of Taoist
temples, namely in those of the Municipal Gods (Ch'ing-hwang viiao'^, J^^[5^^), and in
those of the god of T'ai-shan {Tung-yoh miao, ^^jH)- Buddhism chose thesecults to apply to them its own ideas on punishment and reward after death, because
the Municipal god has to control and judge the conduct of the inhabitants of his
city, and the god of Mount T'ai is the ruler of the dead. He not only guards his
worshippers from drought, earthquakes and inundations, and acts as mediator
between mankind and the Emperor of Heaven, but, being the ruler of the East, he isalso the source of life, to which the souls return after death. From the first centuriesof our era he was believed to rule the world of the dead, situated under his mountain,at the foot of which the souls were said to assemble on a little hill, called the Haoli shan, ^MUlTherefore it is no wonder that the Buddhists chose his shrines torepresent their punishments of hell, and that he either retained his rank of supreme
ruler of the Dark Department, or became at least one of the Ten Kings under Titsang's supremacy.
CHAVANNES gives in the same work^ a list of the Ten Kings, and explains thename of the Taoist deity Fung-tu ta-ti, ^^-)^'^, or "Great Emperor of the Abundant
Capital". Fung-tu is the Taoist name of a subterranean kingdom, where the souls of
the dead are judged. Its ruler is the supreme god of hell, whose ten attendants, presiding over the ten courts of justice, are called Shih sze ts'ao-kwan, ^'SlWi^' "Theten presiding judges". As to their names, CHAVANNES found these in a Tung-yoh
temple at Han-yang (Hu-pei province) and in a shrine of the goddess of T'ai-shan{niang niang miao, ^^^^f^') at Mukden. They are the same as those given above, andalso their order is the same only the first character of the fourth name, written J\,
in the Mukden shrine, was in the other temple ^i^, whereas in the list of the "Doctrine of Repentance" given above, this king is called {E'^HiCHAVANNES remarks that the kings of an even number are placed on the West;1

Le T'ai chan, Annales du Musee Guimet, Bibl. d'etudes, Tome XXI (1910), pp. issq.
DE GROOT, Petes annuelles ä Emoui, Vol. II, pp. 586 sqq.

^

Cf.

^

F. 95, nr 116.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

31

and those of an odd number on the East side, except nr 7 (T' ai-shan-wang)
whose place is in the West, and no. 6 {Pien-ch'ing-wang), who is set up on the eastern
Further, he refers to DUMOUTIER, Rituel funer airc des Annamites and toside.
G. W. CLARKE, The Yü-li or Precious Record'^ (i. e. the Yuh-li or "Calendar of
Jade", to be treated below, in the next paragraph), where the ten tribunals of hell
are described and represented in picture. I am sorry to be unable to consult theseside,

works, because they are lacking in the Leiden library; therefore we may only refer
the reader to the next paragraphs, where the contents of the Yuh-li and of a Japanesework on the Ten Kings are treated of shortly.
Three principal judges of hell were worshipped formerly in the San ts^ao miao,HWÄB» o"" "Temple of the Three Judges", annexed to that of Fung-tu on T'ai-shan^,but all the ten kings had their Images there. These three gods are, as CHAVANNES
observes, probably identical with the

San fah szc, H^i'Si worshipped in a buildingon the eastern side of the court before the Jih wang tien, -j-3i||(, or "Hall of the Ten
Kings", also found on T'ai-shan^. In this main shrine an enormous gilded Image ofFung-tu is seen, surrounded by two principal attendants and eight others with kwei
tablets (^) in their hands, apparently the ten kings under Fimg-tu's rule, two ofwhom seem to be of higher rank than the others.
Ti-tsang, the other Supreme Ruler of Hell,is

Near by, however, a shrine offound, the Ti-tsang tien, where he isworshipped in the shape of a Bodhisattva, seated with crossed legs and wearing
the five-pointed crown.

After this digression we

may return to the "Doctrine of Rcpcntance'\ The firstchapter successively prescribes the worship of all the Buddhas of the three worlds,
past, present and future, the worship of the Dharma and of the Sangha (among which

Mount THen t'ai, the seat of the Chinese and Japanese sects of thisname [in Japan Tendai] are mentioned), and of the Triratna collectively.

the priests ofIn the second chapter the performers of these rites of Repentance are ordered
to worship all the devas of the ten quarters,

who protect the Law, all the numberless"holy beings" (^) of the Taoistic church, as the "Black Warrior of the North Pole",
the "Genii(^) of Felicity, Imperial Favour and Long Life (ilSfl^^, Fuh, Luh andSheu, represented in thousands of pictures), the 28 "Houses" (the zodiacal constellations), theseven stars of the Great Bear, the heavenly sien, the divine generals, theFive Mountains and Four Rivers (Ul^H"®)' ^^^- ^^'^- After this interesting digression

on Taoistic territory the author returns to Buddhistic fields and prescribes theworship of the Triratna of the ten quarters and of all the "Holy beings" (H) of theDharmadhätu ('/i^)finally, after the fourth invocation of the second chapter,he promises Anuttara Samyaksambodhi to the constant, compassionate and patient

believers in^=;

Buddha's Law.

Journal of the China Branch of the R. A. S., N. S., vol. XXVIII, nr 2, pp. 234» CHAVANNES, 1. 1., p. iii, nr 172.
CHAVANNES, 1. 1., p. 97, nr 117.

—400.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

32

The third chapter is especially devoted to the Ten Kings, whose worship is prescribed after the f irst invocation
theirgovernment,is;that of the lower authorities of hell, resting under

mentioned in the second place.

Then all the numberless hells

themselves are treated of and all those present in the meeting are admonished to recite
together, with zealous hearts, the "True Words (tantras) that break the hells" (fljctili^,ÄH)' We read there how magic formulae consisting of secret words remove all
obstacles caused by former crimes.
firstThis and the "true words" at the end of thechapter as well as the name of Tantra-rulcr given to Ti-tsang, are evidence of

the author's belonging to the Tantric school, founded in China in A. D. 719 by Vajra-

bodhi and spread after 746 by his pupil Amoghavajra;
preached from 806 in Japan by Köbö Daishi.

itisthe Shingon doctrine

The ten tribunals of the Kings of hell are enumerated after the first invocation of thethird chapter (cf. fig.öand 7).

At the first tribunal, presided by the "MagnanimousKing of Ts'in", the officials of hell examine and discuss whether the soulsare guilty ornot, and with a clear knowledge of the f acts they decide the retributions of their deeds.
Then the souls pass before the second tribunal (of the "King of the first river"),
where the mirror of actions, placed upon a stand, brightly reflects all the crimes committed in ordinary

life.

Their cases having been made clear by questioning them,

they are judged accordingly.

Then they come before the third tribunal, presided bythe "King who is the sovereign of Sung", where the culprits are scalded and roasted"King of the five officials"),
their bodies are pierced by sharp knives, their bellies are cut open and their hearts
torn out, and they are beaten by Yakshas. At the fifth tribunal, where King Yamarules, those are sentenced who have committed the ten evils or the five refractory
deeds (^-M3lj^)) o^ have spoken false and spurious language and have deceived
and swindled others out of their valuable possessions. At the sixth tribunal, undertheswayofthe "King of Transformations", the relations of deeds being great in weightand number, the culprits are tortured by beating and their hands are fastened in
the long cangue. The superintendents of hell at the seventh tribunal (under the "Kingof T'ai shan") whip the criminals, who have injured (oppressed) and killed. At
the eighth tribunal, under the "Impartial King", the culprits are pushed by Yakshas, and weighed. At the ninth tribunal, under the "King of the Capital", Felicity
and Imperial Favour are clearly understood, crimes are difficult to be hidden, and allsorts of right and evil are brought to light by examination. Before Ihe tenth tribunal
by hot water and fire. At the fourth tribunal(of the(that of the Qakravarti räja), finally, all criminals are sentenced according to the

judgments of each court, and those who have committed the ten evils are sent upon
the three wicked paths. As to those who have performed the ten virtuous deeds, on
the contrary, their way of rebirth is quickly decided; they always hear the beautiful
Law and receive all kinds of joy.

Ten blessings are promised to those who in this religious meeting worship theTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

33

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The Ten Kings of Hell according to the Butsuzo zu'i,III,

p. 24.

Ten Kings and recite the Law of Repentance, to wit: they shall soon go to a holy
land {Mi%);their evil deeds shall be blotted out; all the Buddhas shall protect them;Bodhi shall not withdraw from them; their wisdom shall increase; they shall know
all

their

former lives; they shall be clever and eloquent; their felicity and long life

shall be vast and long;they shall obtain felicitous retributions in their future lives;and finally they shall become Buddhas.

As to Ti-tsang himself, he is praised in the beginning of the third chapter, where
we read the following. -iJ]^#^^^^:^m-MiÖ?ffie4-#l5^1I;ft^I^«5:iii!iM&%y mmim, mmm, ±mmmw.m^^. ^^wmmn, m.m^Mm'^, mimi- e.
"All the Buddhas devote compassionate thoughts to the living beings, andon their behalf explain the Wonderful Repentanca of the Ten Kings. We must now in-^j?i>trust cur fate to Ti-tsang, the Tantra-ruler of Darkness and Light, the compassionate

Venerable One, and worship him, the Great Master who exhorts (mankind) to virtuous
deeds, the Priest who leads to Light (intelligence), the Ruler of the Region of Darkness(Hades) the Saviour of the living beings. His khakkhara shakes and opens the doors of hell,,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

34

hts precious pcarl illumincs and (with its brilliant lustre) penetrates thc Dark Palace.

Hell then changes into Paradise; the hot water in the caldron turns into a lotus
pond; the hell of the sword trees and sword mountains becomes a precious wood;
the hell of the iron couches and copper pillars changes into lion seats; that of thesword wheels and fire cars into bright mirrors. The hell where the tongues are puUed
out and plowed turns into a place (of assembly) of priests, and that where molten
copper is swallowed changes into ( a place f illed with) elaine (an unctuous rieh liquor
skimmed from boiled butter or ghee). The hell of the iron quem and of the black
citadel turns into a World of Light and Brightness, that of the river of ashes and of
the cold ice changes into a pure, cool realm. The hell of the wolves and hyenas,
eagles and dogs turns into (a world of) virtuous friends, and that of the fire pit andthe roasting (of the criminals) changes into five-coloured lotus flowers. The hellof swords and weapons, where two stones are striking together, turns into (a placewith) golden dishes, and the hell where the bodies are sawn, dissected and nailed,changes into the precious chariot of a Tathägata. The iron-walled Räurava helUturns into a hall for reading sütras and preaching; the Ababa helP changes into apure, cool world, the Ahaha^ hell into a heavenly palace, the Atata* hell into a palacebrilliant with matii pearls. The eight cold and the eight hot hells change into pure,cool or pleasantly warm corridors; the nine pounding and the nine grinding hells
turn into palaces of sie7i with medicinal Utensils. The hell where the culprits are
skinned and their bones are scraped changes into an immeasurable, precious stüpa,
and the hell where the bowels and lungs are torn out turns into a pure fasting place.
All the hells, relying on the indication (announcement) of Buddha's light, change
into pureBuddha lands."

Also the beginning of the f irst chapter is devoted to Ti-tsang.

We read there thefollowing: "All the Buddhas think with compassion about the living beings, and on
their behalf explain the wonderf ul Repentance of the Ten Kings and the whole complex
of rites to be performed on the place of

ceremony, jü^|,|lf^.

We now must intrust

our fate to all the Buddhas. First we must worship the Tantra-ruler of the Darkness,
who rules the troublesome periods of birth and death in the region of Darkness (Hades),the inconstant and quick turning about on the six gati and the sinking down under
three

the

(evii)

roads",

mmmm-^M±,m'^m^^nmmMfv^-^mmf-:^

These interesting passages show us Ti-tsang as the Supreme Ruler of Hell,Standing above the Ten Kings and determining the fate of souls, but at the same timeas the compassionate priest, opening and illuminating Hell by means of his khakkhara

and his pearl, and changing Hell into Paradise. Thus Compassion rules even in the
BJl-i^ "crying".
The 4th of the 8 large hot hells.
The fourth of the 8 cold hells.
3 The fifth of the 8 cold hells.
* The third of the 8 cold hells.
1

2THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

35

realms of Darkness, just as we sometimes see Kwanyin (AvalokiteQvara) represented
in the midst of the kings of hell, with the lower officials of the dark region beneath,and the Supreme Ruler of Taoism, Shang-ti, throning above. Taoism and Buddhism
go hand in hand, as we also saw in the second chapter of the same work.
§ 3.

The Yuh-lih or "Calendar of Jade".

Another remarkable Chinese work on Ti-tsang and the Ten Kings, combining
Taoism with Buddhism, is the Yuh-lih, 3J!fg, or "Calendar of Jade". WYLIE^ men-work entitled Yuh-lih ch'ao-chw'en king-shi,tions a^M^^WÜ^f "Warning theage by documentary traditions of the calendar of jade", which he describes as "oneof thelower class of Taoist productions of recent times, giving a detailed accountand horrors of the invisible world, with a description of the courts
TAN CH'I, ^^, who professed to havemade an excursion into the regions of darkness, and brought back the account forthe benefit of his mundane contemporaries. The Buddhist doctrine of purgatory islargely transplanted into this publication". The Yuh-lih, filso called Ts'ze-ngenYuh-lih, ]^,@,]EM, "Jade calendar of mercy", is a reprint of the same work, datingfrom 1809; the copy I use is a later edition of 1870. We read there (on p. 14a) the
foUowing. "The book entitled "Yuh lih" was received from the Taoist TAN CH'I,
and his pupil
SHUH transmitted it". In the 26th year of the Kien-lung era(1761) it was recognized as an old book of the later Sung dynasty, and there arepassages in it which mention the year 1030 as falling in Tan Ch'i's life time.
After some pictures representing Shang-Ti throning as judge of the dead, surrounded by his officials, and virtuous souls rewarded with heavenly joy, while thewicked are tortured by the demons of hell, we see Ti-tsang^, in the robe of a priest,
with the urna on his forehead, wearing a five-pointed crown and with a round halo
behind his head. He rides on a tiger, and is escorted by his attendants, two young
priests, of whom one carries his master's khakkhara, whereas the other holds a long
streamer adorned with a lotus f lower. We read on the streamer: "The Tantra-rulerof the Darkness, King Ti-tsang the Bodhisattva,^'^^i.i'äM'SMM-" A boyleads the tiger with a cord. As to the tiger, a small wooden image of this Bodhisattva
in the Leiden Ethnographical Museum also represents Ti-tsang carried by this mightyof the mysteriesof the Ten Kings of hades, by a Taoist named

WUH

4

H

expeller of evil

demons (fig. 8).

Yuh lih is explained as follows^. "The Emperor of Jade
mercifuUy composed and proclaimed the Calendar of Jade (indicatinghow) the men and the women of the world by improving and repenting theirformer sins may atone for their evil actions. On the birthday of the Bodhisattva
The

origin of the(Shang-Ti)^

Notes on Chinese literature (2nd ed.),^P. 19 a.
P. 19 b.

^p. 223.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

36

Realm of Darkness, all the divine Lords
joined their palms and bowed and prayed (to him).

King Ti-tsang, the Tantra-rulerof the ten Palaces (of Hell)of theThe Bodhisattva displayed a great compassion and said: 'I wish to save the living
beings. Whenever this evening descends (i. e. on the evening of the thirtieth dayof the seventh month) I command that all the crimes of the evil spirits separately
be forgiven or extinguished, and that they depart and be born again on the six gati.
For what reason are there few who are virtuous and many who are wicked ? Seeing
the punishments ordained by the rulers of the Darkness I am in great sorrow. A
careful distinction and comparison ought to be made as to which crimes may berepented of. Those who in the world of light (on earth) have turned (from the evilpath) and on having been admonished have performed one or two virtuous deeds,
ought to be leniently considered having a chance of diminishing, substituting or
remitting their punishments."
After a discussion of the Ten Kings concerning good and evil retributions andforgiveness in case of repentance, Ti-tsang approved their words and on the third

day of the eighth month led them to the Emperor of Heaven in order to report theirdecision. Shang-Ti praised them and sanctioned the idea of forgiving repenting
sinners and causing

them to be reborn in felicity. He said that he would speedily

write down in a book of jade all the items reported to him, and make them known

on earth to the gods of the city walls and moats (the tutelar deities of the eitles)
and to those of the earth and the gate and the kitchen, that they might carry themout respectfully.

hell,Then follow detailed and illustrated descriptions of the ten courts of justice inthe names of the ten kings (^Jt3E, SlTSE, ^fc-ti, ^f.'glE, P^EXi^j-KMI,^(]J3£, ^pifJHl, '2p^3E, fSÜHi^) and of the hells belonging to their departments, thecrimes committed, the punishments imposed and the ways of obtaining forgiveness.

and vowing not to do evil again, cause redemption
from the hells and sometimes even regeneration in paradise or in blissful regions, if
performed on special days, nearly always the so-called "birthdays" of the different
Fasting, uttering repentancekings.

A list of festivals, most of which are birth days ofBuddhas, Bodhisattvas or gods,
givenonpp. 62 sq. The birthdays are the following. On the first, eighth and ninth
day of the first month Maitreya, King Yama (the fifth king) and Shang-Ti. On thefirst, second, eighth,
eighteenth and nineteenth day of the second month the firstking, the Earth god, the third and fourth king, and Kwanyin. On the first, eighthand twenty seventh day of the third month the second, sixth and seventh king. On
the first, eighth, fifteenth and seventeenth day of the fourth month the eighth andis^ Thus the names of the second, fourth and sixth kings are more or less different from thosementioned in the preceding work, where they are written: f>'JjI3:, fE'ö'i, and SfiK£, while
the eighth and ninth kings have changed names.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

37

Qäkyamuni and the tenth king. On the eleventh day of the fifth month
On the thirtieth day of the seventh month Ti-tsang.
oftheeighth
day
month
third
the Kitchengod. Further festivals are Kwanyin's
On the"completing the road" (ßS^jM.) on the nineteenth day of the sixth month, and Cäkyamuni's reaching Buddhaship, on the eighth day of the twelfth month, while on the
24th of the twelfth month the Kitchengods of every house ascend to give their reports
ninth king,the gods of city walls and moats.

about the good and evil deeds of the inmates to the Heavenly Emperor.^
On Ti-tsang's birthday, in the evening of which the Ullambana, the festival ofthe dead, which lasts the whole seventh month, comes to an end and the hell is closed,

vows are made to assist and save all lonely souls (for whom no relatives care).
On p. 49 b a female deity of hell is mentioned, a virtuous woman of the familyname Meng, called Meng P'o, ^'1^, or "Mother Meng". She lived in the early Han
dynasty, and after having read the Confucian books in her youth, she read the Buddhist sütras when being grown up.

She read all matters of the past, but did not carefor those of the future or of the present time.

She only exhorted the people to refrainfrom killing and to eat pure food (vegetables).

She reached the age of eighty one
and had the hair of a crane (i. e. white) and the face'of a youth. She wasappointed goddess of the Dark region by a decree of Shang-Ti. She bullt a "Tower oldrinking (regaling on) f orgetfulness' R|M,'S—'Ä» and mixed a liquor, resembling wineand combining the five tastes, sweet. bitte*', acrid, sour and salt. All souls whenreturning to the world drink this liquor, whicn causes them to forget all particularsof their former lives. It improves the functions of the organs of the virtuous andweakens those of the wicked. Giving knowledge of the retributions beforehand, it
causes mankind to feel repentance and become virtuous.
When this Yuh lih was read to the demons, they wept with gratitude for the
merciful forgiveness and vowed to follow its teachings when having reached theworld of light^. Then a multicoloured vapour covered the earth and Kwanyin descended, led by the Great Emperor; and the Ten Kings came out of their palaces
years,',

and respectfully stood in the vermilion avenues (the courtyards of their palaces),
bowing their heads. The Bodhisattva (Kwanyin) appeared in the majestic shapeofa demon with a scorched face, measuring six golden bodies, and uttered his

joy bpcause Shang-Ti had approved the proposal of Ti-tsang and the Ten Kings withregard to forgiving the repentant sinners and because he had mercifuUy promulgatedtheYuh lih. Kwan-yin predicted Buddhaship to those who should exhort mankind

to be virtuous and repentant, thus saving them from hell,

and then ascended, carried
The Ten Kings returned to the Dark Department and the Great Emperor
retired to his Palace, while his judges added Kwan-yin's golden words to the Yuh-lih.
Thus we see Kwan-yin, the counterpart of Ti-tsang as the compassionate saviour

by a cloud.

DE GROOT, Petes annuelles ä Emoui, Annales du Musee Guimet, XI, Vol. I, p. 30.

^

Cf.

'

P. 58 b.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

38
frort! hell,

applauding the doctrine of Forgiveness and Repentance, set up by Ti-tsang

and the Ten Kings. As in the preceding work, repentance is preached as the way tosalvation.

§ 4.

y4

Japanese work on the Ten Kings.

Although we do not find many traces of the belief in the Ten Kings of Hell inis one little Japanese book in my possession which proves its having
been adopted by the Nichiren sect. This work is entitled: Hokke jü-ö sandan eshö,i^i^l^'-^Üffl^l^^', or "Illustrated copy in praise of the Ten Kings of the Flower of theJapan, thereLaw". In the beginning of the book is stated that it was composed by NICHIRENDAISHI, the founder of the sect (A. D. 1222 1282); but the fact that it was edited
at Kyoto by the Gondaikögi HATANO NIKKYÖ, 1f ::fepf H^Mf? H |äc, of Hommanp,—^l^^i-, in the sixteenth year of Meiji (1883) renders the former statement very
dubious.

The book opens with a picture representing Qäkyamuni, after having explained
the Law, seated on a lotus, with the Ten Kings standing before him and six old priests

with round haloes standing at his sides. Their number reminds us of the Six Jizö's,
but they do not carry their attributes.

Two of them are folding their hands in prayer,

and one is carrying an almsbowl (pätra). The Ten Kings are standing on clouds
before a rock upon which Qäkyamuni is seated on the lotus. The work is divided
into tw^o chapters the first of which treats of the first six Kings, while the second
gives details about the remaining four Kings, as well as about the so-called Daihyaku
gosha (:;feÖ'^$)) the Ullamhana or festival of the dead, the Bodhi-masses to beheld, the six fasting days and Paradise, and the distribution of food to the Pretas.
The first chapter is divided into seven paragraphs. The first paragraph explains
the angry countenances of the Ten Kings. They are Buddhas of the past andBodhisattvas who, pitying the ordinary men involved in the endless sansära,
temporarily changed their harmonious, patient attitude into an angry appearance.
Thus they gradually receive the souls of the dead when going along the Road of the
Middle Darkness, r|'5f|"|t.r['i], Chü-u mei-an (i. e. the dark space between this worldand Hades), from the first seventh day tili the hundredth day, one year, three years

By considering the degree of their crimes they fix their future.
This is a divine and wonderful way of Converting men and leading them to the roadof salvation from the sansära by causing them to fear the consequences of crime.
The six following paragraphs show us the souls reaching the first King's tribunal
after their death.

on the 7th day after their death, that of the second on the i4th, that of the third on
the 2 ist, that of the fourth on the 28th, that of the fifth on the 35th and that of the

The four first paragraphs of the second chapter describe theiron the 49 th day, at the eighth on the looth day, at
he ninth on the first ann iversary of their death and at the tenth after three years.
sixth

on the 42nd.

arrival at the seventh tribunal

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

39

These are the days prescribed by the Buddhist church for fasting and masses for thedead, the former to be practised by their relatives, the latter, at the request of these
relatives, by Buddhist priests.

Fasting and praying to the King before whose tribunal

the soul arrives on each of those days is the most important duty of the family, forit

may diminish the severity of the King's judgment.
The second paragraphof the first chapter is illustrated with three pictures,

representing a person's death, his sorrowful wandering through the darkspace between
this World andHades, the Chü-u mei-an mentioned above, and his painful climbingof the steep, sharp-pointed Mountain of Death, Shide no yama, 5ß|iJ0llj, persecutedby the demons,

who already lurked for him in the Middle Darkness. From the top

which is 800 miles high, a hurricane blows in the face of the unhappy sufferers, who at last reach the tribunal of the "Magnanimous King of Ts'in",
Shin-kwö-ö'^, a manifestation of Fudö Myö-ö, ^;ßB33i. If the gravity of their crimes
is not yet fixed there, they are sent to the second King, the "King of the first river",Sho-kö-ö, /^l£^, a manifestation of ShakaNyorai {Qäkyamuni). To reach his
tribunal they have to cvoss th& Sanzugawa^,^){^]\\, or "River of the Three roads",of this mountain,

also

c&W&d Naiga^, or "What to do (no alternative) river." This river is forty yo Janas

broad.

It

may be crossed in three spots, which fact the author asserts to be the reasonof its name;but the "Three Roads", Sanzu, are often mentioned as the regions whereand sword. The
Upper ford is called Sensui-se, ^7XJS> or"Shoalofshallow water". Here the water does
not reach higher than the knees, and it is therefore the spot where those who only
committed slight crimes cross the river. The middle ford is called Kyödo, ^j^, or"Bridge-ford", because there is a bridge constructed of gold, silver and the othersof the seven precious materials*, only to be crossed by the virtuous. The lower ford,
finally, is named Göshin-do, ^^'^^ (or Göshin-se, ^^^), "Violent and deep ford";
only the wicked have to pass through the rapid, turbulent waves, attacked andbitten by poisonous snakes, smashed by heavy stones, dying and reviving, and hit
by the arrows of demon kings and Yakshas. Seven days and seven nights they arein the water, suffering immensely. Then they reach the shore, for the Jüö-kyö^,

the souls of the wicked are tormented: the regions of fire,

blood,^ ÄÄ'iE.
The names of the Kings are the same as those mentioned in the "Doctrine of
the wjonderful Repentance (practised in worship of) the Ten Merciful Kings" (above § 2),
except those of the fifth and tenth Kings, which are here B.'g'i andinstead offfi^i and Ifl&iE; they agree with those of the Bittsiizö zul, III, p. 24.

ÄülBm

^

Also pronounced Sözugawa.

^^M, cf. WELLS WILLIAMS, Chin. Dict. s. v. tf., p. 613: "The Buddhist river Styx, so

paper boats are burned sixty days after death to
Sixty days after death would be too lata!
GILES (Chin.-Engl. Dict. s. v. ^, no. 8121) mentions a SMif, "the No Alternative Bridge,
in Purgatory, which all departed spirits are forced to cross."* Saptaratna,-bg, Shichi-hö: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, rubies, amber (or corai,
diamand, emerald) and agate (or ammonite or coral).
called because the soul cannot help crossing it ;aid in the passage, otherwise

^

I.

e.

it

may be drowned".

the sütra mentioned above.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

40+

tF.|?» says:(Naiga)".

"On the second seventh day the criminals cross the 'What to do-river'

Driven and pulled on shore by ox-headed and other demons, they fall

into the hands of an old female demon, called Kcn-i-ba,^^|^, or "The old woman

who hangs up the clothes", who strips off their clothes and hands these over to the
Ken-i-ö, ^:^^, or "The old man who hangs up the clothes". This male demon sits
upon a tree on the branches of which he hangs the clothes. Thus the culprits haveto appear almost naked, wearing only a waistcloth, before the remaining nine kings.

Then they arrive at the second tribunal, and if the degree of their crimes is not yet fixed
there, they are despatched to the third King, called Sö-tai-5, ^^ZE> "King who is thesovereign of Sung" this is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Manjugri. On the way;

to his palace the souls

have to pass the so-called "Barrier of deeds" {Gyökwan,^^), guarded by a twelve-eyed, twelve-horned demon, whose eyes emit light like
flashes of lightning, and who breathes out flames. Their legs and arms are cut off
upon a wooden table; yet they arrive before the King.
The next judge, the "King of the five officials" (i. e. the five senses: ears, eyes,mouth, nose and mind), Gokwan-5, jSl'g'BE, is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva
Samantabhadra (Fugen). Before appearing before him on the 28th day after their
death, the souls have to pass the so-called Gyökö, |^vl» °^ "River of deeds". This river is

500 miles broad, and its water is hot and stinks. The sinners are driven into theriver by demons who beat them with sticks, and are then stung by poisonous insects
with iron beaks. After seven days they reach the opposite shore, where the "Kingof the five officials" resides. At his order they are weighed in the "Balance of deeds",

Gyö no hakari, |^0^s and although they are very light, the weight of their crimes
is so great that the very big stone which forms the counterbalance is raised like afeather. The demons "Ox-head" and "Horse-head", 4^i?f|, Gozu, and ,||3j|, Mezu,
point at the balance and angrily ask the culprits what this means. After having beenadmonished to repent their crimes they are sent to the fifth tribunal, that of King
Yania, who is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Jizö (i. e. Ti-tsang).

This is the first time we meet Jizö's name in this book. The author states that

Yama is called the "King who stops and reproves", Sokujö-ö, ,Ü,^ZE. This palace lies
yojanas deep under the earth in a seven-storied castle, sixty yojanas indiameter, surrounded by an iron wall, with an iron gate on all f our sides. On either
five hundred

surmounted by human heads, which see the conduct of mankind and report the crimes of the dead to King Yama. Then there isa separate building, called the "Building of Light", Kwömyö-in, j^^px» i" whichnine mirrors are placed, one on each of the eight sides and one in the centre. The
side of each gate a staff is planted,

central mirror

iscalled the Jöhari no kaganii,'^^^|g, "Mirror of pure rock crys-King Yama's face is very fierce and angry, and the f lashing lightof his eyes, as well as the terrible thunder of his voice, immensely frighten thesinners. He reminds them of their crimes and their lack of repentance, and saystal (sphätika)".

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

41

that they shall be thrown into hell.

The demons of hell seize them by the hair and
their
own
deeds
in
the
mirror,them
treating them most cruelly. On this 35thshow
day masses for the dead are to be said and sacrifices to King Yama are to be made.
For this is, so to speak, a turning point of Purgatory. The virtuous actions of thesouls are carefully examined here,

Buddhaship, their rebirthand Yama fixes their destiny as to their reachingamong men or in heaven, or their being despatched to

the Sixth King.

This

the "King of Transformations", Henjö-ö, ^jS!3i> 3- manifestation of
Before reaching his tribunal on the 42d day, the wicked souls have toisMaitreya.

pass the so-called "Place of the Iron balls", Tetsugwanjo,#Jc%^, a dry river bed,

800 miles broad and filled with round stones. These stones tremble and revolve andcollide with a thundering noise, at each collision emitting flashes like lightning.

The demons drive the sinners among these stones, which smash their bodies andBut they revive and are smashed again. This lasts for seven days andkill them.
seven nights, whereupon they reach the sixth tribunal. Here they have to choose
one of the "three roads at the foot of the two trees", ;^;^;^Hi^» and all who are
guilty take the evil road, persecuted by the demons with their -heavy clubs. Whenthey are still thinking to have chosen the good road, suddenly a stream of boilingcopper bursts forth and burns their bodies. Then the King says that they are liars
because they pretended to be innocent, while their choosing the wicked road is evidence of the contrary. Masses for the dead, said on this day, by pious children or
relatives, may relieve them from these sufferings. If the place where they are to
be born again

isnot yet fixed by this King, they are sent to the next one.

On the 49th day they arrive there, before the "King of Mount T'ai", Taisan-ö,^llji» a- manifestation of Yakushi Nyorai, ^^fji^, the Medical Tathägata, i. e.
Bhaishajyaguru^. But first they have to pass through the so-called Antetsusho, B^Mßff,
or "Place ofDarkness and Iron", a pitch-dark, narrow path, 500 miles long, with
They wound their bodies at the corners of the rocks, whichiron rocks on either side.

are sharp like swords, and when they advance, the rocks suddenly join and close thepassage;when they stop, the rocks open again. Thus they suffer immensely for sevendays and seven nights, tili they reach the seventh tribunal.
of the six

roads all the sinners shall enter.

This king decides which

There are six gates here, respectively

leading to Hell, the Pretas, the Animals, the Asuras, Men, and Heaven,MÄM, B^M. i^M^y AFbIM» ^^JitE-^^ M^^,:

Therefore masses for the dead are to be

Said on this 49th day, that they may enter upon a good road instead of upon an evil

one. If their places of regeneration are not yet fixed, however, they are despatched tothe eighth king.
Cf. GRÜNWEDEL, Mythologie des Buddhismus in Tibet und der Mongolei, p. 114, fig. 93.
Rokudö: jigokudö, gakidö, chikushödö, shuradö, ningendö, tenjödö. The Asuras are represented fighting with swords and bows.
"^

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

42
This king, whose courtisreached' on the looth day after death,"Impartial King", Hyödö-ö, '^'^:^'.-

isnamed theHe is a mShifestation of the Bodhisattva /fti'fl«-(Kwannon, i. e. Kwanyin, Avalokitecjvara). On the way to his tribunal a riverbed, called Tdsubyöscii, ^0li\\\, or "Mountain of Iron-ice", "500 miles broad, is tobe crossed. The ice there is not frozen water, but thick iron turned into ice {atsuki tctsu
HO köri nari). The limbs of the unhappy sinners are frozen, and a hurricane breaks
the ice with a thundering noise. Persecuted by the demons they go upon the ice,
which is 400 miles thick and suddenly giving way closes itself around their bodies.
Yet they arrive at the eighth tribunal at last and are severely addressed by the King.
Masses are to be said for themon this day to save them from an evil place of rebirth.

sc-(>i!

If this is

not yet fixed, they go to the ninth tribunal.

The ninth King, whose name is "King of the capital city",a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Daiscislii, '^^^.,
Kwannon the constant attendant of Amida (Amitäbha).

i.

e.

Toji-ö, ^|)r|j3£,

isMahästhänapräpta, with

Before his eyes they have toopen the so-called "Light-boxes", Ku'öiiiyö-bako, ^]\)\^'i, which emit fire when being
opened by guilty souls, and burn them. Then they are beaten by the demons andKing says: "Although the former Kings did not yet throw you into hell, youcame here only on account of the masses and sacrifices of the world of men (shaba,^v^). You are wicked people, for you did not think of me; but your wives andchildren are pious and virtuous. Owing to their celebrating this anniversary of yourdeath (iss/iüki,JS),^,) you are going to the tribunal of the third anniversary (insteadof being thrown into hell by me). Also the sufferings on the road thither seem
hard to bear. In order to reach Buddhaship without finishing the period of all theKings (i. e. without passing three years in Purgatory), one must become a devout
believer himself and masses must be said (by his relatives on behalf of his soul)".
The tenth King, to be reached on the third anniversary, is called Godö-rinden-ö'^,.?i-jiiltl^3"-) the "King of the turning of the wheel of the five roads" (i. e. the five gati:
those of the beings in hell, Pretas, animals, men and Devas if the Asuras are added, there
are six gati). He is a manifestation of ^äkyanuDii. Although the sufferings of Purgatory
the

—

;

are severe, they are like one drop of a great ocean in comparison to the sufferings ofHell. Only masses for the dead, iH^:, tsuizcn, may save the sinners from being throwninto hell after having reached the last King, and may cause them to be reborn in agood place. The others, if not becoming servants of Purgatory by special mercy of

the King, are sent to the hells.

Then follows a description of the different hells,

136 in number, and two pictures show the miseries of the eight great hells.

The twelfth paragraph of the second chapter gives a description and a pictureof the so-called Daibyakii gosha, J^i'^^^, or Great White Ox car, on which the believers and worshippers of the Hokkekyö (Saddharma pundarika sütra, especially worshipped by the Nichiren sect) shall drive to the Holy Mountain, 5^^" [Jj It is a great temple.

^

In the other texts he was called; ÜIhzE, the "King who turns the wheel", Cakravarti.

THETHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

43

It is 5000 yojana in diameter, andandstories,
glittering with silver.
37
it has golden wheels
The thirteenth paragraph treats of the Uliambana, the festival of the dead, celebrated in the seventh month, and"said to have found its origin in Maudgalyäyana's"on whefels, filled wifh holy beings and believers.

having tried in vain to relieve his mother's sufferings in the Preta world. Then follow,
in the last three paragraphs, particulars concerning masses, the six fasting days
(the 8th, I4th, i5th, 23d, 29th and 30th days of each month), two pictures of Paradise,and the distributing of food to the Pretas. Finally, a curious picture, found on p. 26of the second chapter, may be mentioned. It represents Taira Kiyomori's painful

death (1181) on account of his having lived in extravagance and having despised
the gods and the Buddhas.

In a fearful fever the mighty prime minister in vain seeks

refuge in cold water whichbecomes heated by his body. The ladies-in-waiting inthem out into the bath. An ox-headed
throughtheair, accompanied by another demon drawing
demon of hell approaches
the frightful car of fire, which shall carry the sinner to hell.
It is remarkable that Jizö is mentioned in this book, not as the ruler of the Ten
Kings and the Saviour from hell, but as Yama, the fifth of the Ten Kings himself.
Also the idea of the other Kings being manifestations, respectively of Fudö Myö-ö,
Cäkyamuni, Mänjugri, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Bhaishajyaguru, Avalokitegvara,
Mahasthänapräpta and again Qäkyamuni, is new to us. Jizö does not appear in thiswork except in the shape of Yama. It is clear that the Ten Kings reside in Purgatory
and not in the hells themselves, and that each of them may give a decisive judgment
if the virtues or crimes of a soul do not permit any doubt; otherwise they send it tovain run with buckets of water and pourthe next tribunal,

When comparing the list of the Ten Kings and their honchi (i. e. the Buddhas
or Bodhisattvas of whom they were thought to be manifestations) with those givenby the Butsuzö

zu'i

(III,

the tenth King's honchi,

we see that all the names^ agree except that ofwhich is called (^äkyamuni (like the second) in this work
p. 24)^,and Amitäbha in the Butsuzö
sible,

zu'i (cf. fig. 9).

more plauThus the list is as
Miroku, Yakushi nyorai, Kwannon,Thelatter indication is

because Kwannon and Seishi are the two preceding ones.

Fudö, Shaka, Monju, Fugen, Jizö,i. e. Acala, Qäkyamuni, Maüjugri, Samantabhadra, Kshitigarbha, Maitreya, Bhaishajyaguru, Avalokite<;vara, Mahasthänapräpta and Amitäbha.
The Butsuzö zul gives also the days after death on which the souls reach thedifferent tribunals, as we saw above, and the Lanca characters which form theirfollows:

Seishi and Amida nyorai,

names of the Ten Kings. As to thein A. D. 1690, with pictures of TOSA HIDENOBU, ±iäfii7>, and11:^, publishedtext of the Buddhist priest GIZAN, ^\\\.
It forms the basis of HOFFMANN's Pantheon vonmystic signs.

Moreover,ittries to explain the

Nippon, VON SIEBOLD's Nippon, V.
^ That of the seventh king, whom hecontracted to ic.

calls

iciUiE,isidentical to ^LÜiE, for

#

is

often

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

44

characters of the first name, ^j^, it explains the first as compassionate and familiär,

and the second as vast, immense, all pervading. In the same way the character 5fc
of the third name is explained as j^ andand 'J\^ arechief, venerable, whereas
simply the names of the Ts'in and Sung dynasties and are never found in the sense of"compassionate and familiär", "chief and venerable". Thus the explanations ofthese two names are mere invention of the author of the Butsuzö zui or of some older
writer foUowed by him. With regard to the second name, that of the "King of theFirst River", he is wrong in explaining this "first river" as the first of the "three fords",
H^^ It is apparently the first of the three rivers of Hades, the Sanzugawa itself,
and not the first of its three fords. After having crossed this river the souls arriveat this king's tribunal. The two other rivers of hell are the "River of deeds" (Gyökö)
between the third and the fourth tribunal, and the dry river bed called the "Place of
the Iron Balls" (Tetsugwanjo) between the fifth and the sixth tribunal.
The jJiL'g of the name of the fourth king are according to the Butsttzö zul ?fL^l],the five punishments, because they are "the chief punishments" this is mere nonsense again. The five senses (ears, eyes, mouth, nose and mind) are called "Thefive officials"; perhaps this king's name means "Ruler of the five senses".
Thus we see that the explanations of the Butsuzö zui with regard to these names
have no value at all. It calls e. g. the seventh king (the King of Mount T'ai) the heir
apparent (^ifc-j^) of King Yama! In other respects, however, it is a very good anduseful book for the study of Japanese Buddhism.

^

^

;

CHAPTER II.
TI-TSANG IN MAGIC AND DIVINATION.
§ I. "Rules 011 the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha", a Tantric work on Ti-tsang.
Ti-tsangisschool entitled:

the subject of a very short but interesting treatise of the Tantric^^

Rules on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha'', Ti-tsang P'u-sah i-kwei,

We read in the beginning of this little work that it was translated by QUBHAKARA, üiJ^jJOlt, from Central India, e. the well-known pramana, whose name wasrendered WU-WEI, the "Fearless one", or SHEN WU WEI, the "Virtuous andi.

Fearless one", andwhom we mentioned above^ as the translator of the Mahä-

vairocana sütra. If is not a Chinese counterfeit and if he actually translated these "Ruleson the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha",

this

was done between A. D. 716 and 735. The

Contents of this treatise are as foUows.

When Qäkyamuni explained the Law on Mount {^^i^IHj {Kha-la-ti-ya^, the^Kyoto Supplement of the Tripitaka, Bündle III, Catal. no. 112.

'

Ch. I, § 5Cf. above, sect. I, Ch.

'

ä

this

Sect.

name.

I,

I,

§ 3,

where I gave Professor SYLVAIN LßVI's explanation of

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

45

same place of assembly as in the Sütra on the TenWheels ^) to innumerable Bodhisattvas,
monks and nuns, Devas, Nägas, demons and spirits, a great Man 2, named Kshitigarbha, respectfuUy asked permission to explain some divine mantras for the benefit,of all living beings.

After having obtained this permission he recited three mantras,

which were so powerful, that even the Great Bodhisattvas lost their mind and theDevas, Nägas etc. ran away in a great fright and tumbled to the ground. Sun, moonand Stars lost their light, darkness covered the sky, and a rain of precious flowers
descended. "Even if one spoke for a whole kalpa about the power of these mantras
he would not be able to exhaust this subject". Then Kshitigarbha in the foUowing
terms explained the method of painting his (Kshitigarbha's) effigy. "Make an imageof a grävakä^, ^P^, clad in a kashaya, the end of which Covers his left Shoulder. Hisleft band should hold a flower

in füll bloom, his right hand should distribute fearless-

He must bee. make the Abhayamudrä, raised and showing its palm].
flower.
Again[nowfollows
image oflotus
aseconddescription]
theonaseatedthe Great Man, seated on a throne^, (must) wear a Celestial Cap and a kashaya,
ness

[i.

,

and carry a lotus flower in his left hand, the right (making a mudrä) like before
He must be seated on a lotus stand of nine layers."(i. e. the Abhayamudrä).

Then Kshitigarbha gave some mudrä-mantras, fp^, and finally explained thedoctrine (method) of bringing about one's wishes, jS^^^ifelicity and virtue, he must 70000 times perform the homa"^

MM of fering of Aka wood,>five cereals,i.

e.

jSJjIroyic.

one wants to get great{Zhm. ho-mo, Jap. goma),If

To see fulf illed his wishes with regard to theobtain a good harvest, one must perform the same ceremony withrice, fruits and flowers.

If one wants to render another felicitous, he must do thesame

In the same way thirty thousand honia
madness and other diseases, or for blotting out
evil, producing good, and for rebirth in Paradise. The same offerings, in each case,with earth taken from that man's furnace.
offerings are prescribed for curing

however, with other herbs, are to be made if one wishes to obtain a high rank, or
the fall of his enemies in all his births, or the ruin of a heterodox family possessing

supernatural power, or the return of a curse upon

evil,

its

wicked author's own

head,. etc. etc.

above, Sect.

Ch.

1

Cf.

2

±±; cf. MIURA KENSUKE'S Bukkyö iroha fiten, Vol. II, p. 175, s.v. ±±: "According

I.

I,

§ 3.

man of great faith, who has made a great vow; great of action, position,
wisdom; a man who cuts off great errors, completely testifies the Great Reason, and who shallcomplete a great karma and pass through great births." According to GILES, Dict.no. 10470:"A title for a Buddhist priest."^ The editor of the text doubts the genuineness of these and the following words.
^ Cf.
GRÜNWEDEL, Myth. des Buddh., p. 36: "Brandopfer (homa) wobei Senfsamen
to the Mahäyäna School a,eine wichtige Rolle spielt."

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

46
If
i.

e.

THE

one performs these ceremonies on the 8th, i4th and i5th days of the bright,

the first half, of the month,^ /]he is sure to have complete success.

^,We thus find Kshitigarbha, in the shape of a priest, seated upon a lotus, with aITbeingswhich

lotus flower in his left hand and with the right making the Abhayamudrä, worshipped

natoryby the Tantric school as a Bodhisattva of great magical power, who teaches theliving beings mantras and magical ceremonies.

know
tion

forms,§

2.

T

The süira on the divination practised by means of '''wooden wheels".

Knowledge of one's good and evil deeds in former existences may show one
the way to salvation. Divination being the means of obtaining this knowledge. Titsang, the saviour of the living beings, is the right Bodhisattva to explain the methods

at theof divination, necessary for attaining this aim.

livingof thethem

TThis idea forms the base of a remarkable sütra in the Chinese canon, No. 464
of NANJÖ's Catalogue. It is entitled "Sütra on the divinatory examination of the retri-butions of good and evil deeds", Chen ch'ah shen ngoh yeh pao king,t^^§^|^^|M-

We read in the beginning of this work, that it was translated by "The foreign gramana^-g^ (BODHIDlPA?) of theSui dynasty(A.D.589— 618)", Ff|^aJ'>P^^|i^^.
Some Japanese scholars, however, declare it to be a Chinese counterfeit*. Divination by means of sticks, prescribed in this sütra, is typically Chinese, and the two
genuine sütras on Ti-tsang's Original Vow and on the Ten Wheels, treated above*,refrain from mentioning this subject, so that we are also inclined to reject its Indian

A Chinese Buddhist priest — probably living at the time of the Sui dynasty

origin.

— may have invented

this divinationand haveselected Ti-tsang, the prominent

are us

The s^
betwe
deeds
rence:
futurfIof eac

and a
three

The monk

oppos

may intentionally have called himself "a foreign qramana", in order to cause thereaders to believe the foreign origin of his sütra, or he may for the same purpose have

one'ssaviour from hell, to be the patron and leading deity of its performers.

used the name of a really Indian priest. There is no other work translated by a priestof this

whee!

name.

In this work we read the following.

In a large assembly on the Ghridraküta a

Bodhisattva requested the Buddha to explain the means of saving the living beings,

born in the unhappy age, which the Tathägata had predicted when after his
entering Nirväna the Saddharma and the Saddharma pratirüpaka should be extinto be

The Buddha answers that the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha, present in thisassembly, shall explain this, and he praises Ti-tsang's original vow by the power ofwhich the latter can save the living beings.
guished.

The first half of the month is called the white or bright month, the latter being the blackor dark month.
^

2

3
*

NANJO, App. II, nr. 130, p. 433.
Tetsugaku daijisho, pp. 1166 sqq., s. v. Jizö Bosatsu.

Cf.

Sect.

I,

Gh.

I

on ea

I,

§§ 2 and 3.

cut a

deeds

the r

be US
past,

time;

to e\

meai
or

h

thref

the

(

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

47

Then the Buddha requests Ti-tsang to explain the means of saving the living
beings born in that unhappy age. Ti-tsang readily gives an extensive explanation,
which forms the bulk of the sütra. He prescribes the use of the "method of divinatory examination of the wooden wheels", TJv^^Bfi, to be practised in order toknow the good and evil deeds of one's former existences. He gives a minute description of the way in which such "wooden wheels" ought to be made, their sizes andforms,and how they ought to be thrown (in a turning motion).

These "wooden wheels" are small sticks, about the size of a little finger, Square
They are called wheels on accountat the centre and getting thinner towards both ends.

and also because the reliance upon the results of examining
them breaks and destroys the heterodox opinions and the net of doubt, in which theliving beings are entangled, and ttirns them towards the' Correct Road.
There are three kinds of these wheel observations. The first, in which ten wheels
are used, shows the differences between the good and evil deeds in former existences.
The second, in which three wheels are used, shows the great and small differences
between strength and weakness exhibited in times far and near in the collective
deeds of previous lives. The third, in which six wheels are used, shows the differences between the retributions received in the three worlds, present, past andof their turning motion,

future.

In the first method one of the tcn virtuous deeds should be written on one sideand the ten wicked deeds (three of the body: killing, theftandf our of the mouth
lying, boasting, abuse and ambiguous talkthree of the mind: covetousness, malice and scepticism) should be written on the
opposite side of each of the ten wheels. By throwing these wheels one may observe
one's good and evil deeds in former existences.
In the second method the characters for hody, mouth and thought must be written
on each of the three wheels, one on each, and on the four sides of the centre of eachwheel must be drawn: a coarse, long line and a thin, short line, a coarse, deep lateral
cut and a thin, shallow lateral cut, one line or cut on each side. To examine thedeeds of the body in previous lives one should throw the body- wheel; for those of
the mouth the mouth-wheel, and for those of the thought the thought-wheel should
be used. The coarse, long lines indicate the good deeds accumulated from times long
past, or increase of blessings; the thin, shallow lines the good deeds of recent
times, or the small good deeds. The coarse, deep cuts mean having got accustomed
to evil deeds from ages long past, or increase of them; and the thin, shallow cuts.
mean having refrained from virtuous actions recently, or not yet increasing evil,or heavy evil having been lightened by repentance.
In the third method, finally, the numbers i tili i8 should be written, one on
three sides of each of the six wheels. These numbers represent the "six roots" (7^;^^,
the Organs of Sensation: the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and thought); the "sixof each of the ten wheels,and adultery

;

:

;

:

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

48

atoms" (t^jS), the outward perceptions: form, sound, smell, taste, feeling and character; and the six vijnänas or forms of knowledge(7^|i|), forming together the i8
There are 189 kinds of observations according tomethod, which are all of them enumerated by Ti-tsang. The numbers which
turn up in three throws are to be added, and the result must be compared with thevedanäs {-\'AM\^)> sensations.
this

list

The first 160 give the retributions of the present world,
the retributions of the past, and the final 18 represent theof the 189 observations.

the next

11

indicate

retributions of the future.

Before performing these wheel divinations one ought to worship the Triratna,all

the Buddhas, the "Dharma repositories"(^Ü^) and the sages (^^) of the ten

quarters, and Ti-tsang, at the same time uttering wishes on behalf of the living beings.

Further, the perf ormer ought to make of ferings to Ti-tsang and to invocate his name

"Namu Ti-tsang P'u-sah Mohosahto (Bodhisattva Mahäsattva)" a thousand times,
and beseech him to protect the worshipper himself and all other living beings, toremove all obstacles and increase the worshipper's pure faith, etc. etc.
These elaborate prescriptions were, as we said above, probably invented bysome Chinese priest, for divination by means of wooden sticks is quite Chinese. The
fact that Ti-tsang was appointed by the Buddha to explain these matters, and thatspecial worship is to be paid to him by those who wish to practise this kind of divi-

nation, clearly proves his close connection with it and his divine patronage of the divi-

nationitselfand its performers.

CHAPTER III.
TI-TSANG AS A DEIFIED MONK.
§ I.

His cult on Mount Kiu-hwa in olden times.

The Sung kao seng chw'en^ or "Biographies of eminent Buddhist priests of theSung dynasty (A. D. 960—1127)", compiled in A. D. 988 by TSAN-NING,(later)^"^^f gives US a typically Chinese side of the Ti-tsang cult.
We read there^ that in the summer of the nineteenth year of the Ching yuen, ß{ 7^,era (A. D. 803) a holy Korean prince died on Mount Kiu-hwa, %,!](:, in Ngan-hwei province, at an age of 99 years. This devout ascetic, whose family name was KIN, ^,was a relative of the King of Silla, one of the ancient kingdoms of Korea. European
scholars who mention his cult, namely EDKINS' foUowed by YETTS and others, have
1

Sßiftift®,

NANJÖ, nr 1495,

Gh.

XX,

p.

9b— iia: JSm\]X^^\ii^k.ilS.^iämm,(tradition) of Ti-tsang, of the T'ang dynasty, of the Hwa-ch'ing monastery on
in Ch'i-district
2"Biography

Mount Kiu-hwa(Ngan-hwei province)".

NANJÖ, App. III, nr 46, p. 463.

—

Great Jap. Tripitaka of Leiden, nr 1495, Gh. XX, p. 9b iia.
Chinese Buddhisni, sec. ed., p. 265: "He is said to have become incarnate in a former
Siamese prince. He is worshipped specially in the South at Kiu-hwa, near Nanking."^*THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

49

confused the two characters of the name Silla, ^ff^» pronounced Sinlo in Chineseand Shinra or Shiragi in Japanese, with those indicating Siam, '^^, and declared

him to be a Siamese prince.
His priest-name was TI-TSANG, exactly written like the Bodhisattva's name,and as his body was gilded and enshrined after death, he was probably called "TheGolden Ti-tsang", KIN TI-TSANG. This may be the reason why later generations
believed his surname to be Kin.
After having arrived by sea, he went afoot to Mount Kiu-hwa and ascended to
There he tasted the water of a spring and thought it poisonous, whereits summit.
upon he sat down erect, without thinking. Suddenly a beautiful woman (the goddessof the mountain) appeared and bowed to him, at the same time presenting him somemedicine and saying: "I (Htt. [your] little child) did not know (you) I wish to causea spring to dash forth, in order to atone for my fault." After these words she disappeared, and on his left and right side fountains bubbled up. Then he understoodthat she was the goddess of the mountain, who had made him the valuable present;of a bubbling well.

As to the mountain, LI POH, the famous poet who formedthe club of the "SixIdlersof the Bamboo Bush", wandered about there in theT'ien-pao era (A.D. 742

and calleditthe "Mountain of Nine Flowers" (Kiu-hwa).

deity of this mountain to be a woman.

—756)

Tradition declared the"Its peak", says the author of the biography,

covered with clouds and mist, and seldom it discloses its top".
TI-TSANG, in order to obtain "sütras of the four great classes", \^Jc^W-., descended the mountain and went to Nan-ling, where a devout man copied them forhim. Then he took them and returned to his hermitage.
"is often

In the beginning of the Tsi-teh era (A. D. 756—758) theeiders of the village at

the foot of the mountain visited the recluse and found him sitting in his cave dwelling,with his eyes closed.

In a tripod with a broken foot there was some white earth,which he used to mix with a little rice and boil it. This was his food.

The eiders were moved by these signs of a painfully ascetic life and constructed
for him a dhyäna-house, which within a few years became a great sanctuary,

ftJ^^,
Chang
Kung-yen, who ruled this land, out of reverence for Ti-tsang's high fame had an old
Hwa-ch'ing sze.

In the beginning of the Kien-chung era (A. D. 780

—

784)

tablet placed in that temple.

His fame penetrated even to his native country, and Korean people
Visit him.

came toHis miraculous power was so great, that in times of bad crops he turned

earth into food for the starving population.

It is

no wonder that they worshipped

him as a holy being.
In the Summer of the igth year of the Ching-yuen era (A. D. 803) he suddenly

and bade them farewell. Then he went away, they did not know
But they heard the mountains resounding, the rocks roUing down, whilecalled his pupils

where.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

50

the beating of bells and hoarse, neighing voices increased the alarming noise.

Theyfound him sitting with bis legs crossed, in which attitude he had died, after a longlife of99 years.

His corpse was left in the box, in which they had found him sitting,and after three years the box was opened in order to put the body up in a dagoba.
His face was exactly the same as during his life, and when they raised him, his rattlingbones made a sound like that of a golden chain. Then they erected a small dagoba
for him, that he might be seated there in peace and rest.

§ 2.

The same cult at the fresent day.

These details, found in an ancient text from the tenth Century, agree remarkably
well with the facts of the present day.

We learn from an interesting paper of PERCE-VAL YETTS^ on the disposal of Buddhist dead in China, that the corpses of holy
Dhyäna posture, were often placed in an earthenware
sometimes in a wooden box), which was then closed hermeticallyand kept in a corner of one of the temple buildings or buried. After three years theceremony of opening the receptacle took place, and if the body proved to be undecayed, a subscription was raised for the gilding and enshrining of the relic. Thiswas done not only in the past, but it happens even at the present day. If the deceased
is not suf f iciently emaciated by his severe ascetism, the viscera are taken out
otherwise this is omitted. Around the body charcoal and wadding are packed, and, according to some accounts, salt is added. Sometimes the body is even smoked! As to thegilding of the undecayed corpse YETTS says: "Before gold-leaf is applied the bodyis varnished, and any weak spots may be built up with a composition of clay or putty
and powdered sandal-wood". The names given to these bodies are "Dried abbot",
ascetic priests, sitting in thetub {kang)

^

(or

;

i^^Pt^, or, more reverentially, "Sien of the carnal body", l^^^-fllj, or simply "Sien",e. Rishi, as the Buddhists use the Taoistic word sien to denote their own holy per-i.

sonages.

In the same way Ti-tsang's body was gilded and enshrined in a dagoba on the

Now and again it was said
Mount Kiu-hwa, which is one of the four principal

mountain, where it soon attracted crowds of pilgrims.
toemit light.

This temple onsanctuaries of the Chinese Buddhists,It

isyearly visited by about 30 000 pilgrims 2.

contains four or five so-called "dried priests", whose corpses have been preparedlike that of Ti-tsang himself.

The latter is seated, of course, in the main shrine, called

the "Precious Hall of the Carnal Body»".
1 W. PERCEVAL YETTS, Disposal of Buddhist dead in China.
J. R. A. S., July 191 1,
699—725.
pp.
2 YETTS, 1.
"Mount Kiu-hwa is a group of hüls in Anhui, about 30 miles due]., p. 710.
south of a small town on the River Yangtse, called Ta-t'ung, iciS,, and nearly twice that distanceeast of the capital of the province."
3 YETTS, ibidem.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

51

We find the same tradition about the "Golden Ti-tsang" mentioned in the
Kiang-nan t'ung-chi'^ or "General Memoirs concerning Kiang-nan", a work composed
in A. D. 1684. We read there that his family name was KIN and that his own namewas K'IAO-KIOH, ^^, "Lofty intelligence". His pupils buried him in the midstof Mount Kiu-hwa. From time to time he emitted a light like fire, for which reason
this mountain was called "The Mountain ränge of the Divine Light", Shen-kwang

pfit^-

ling,

When reflecting upon the above facts we arrive at the conclusion that thispriestwas considered to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva of the same name,and that the great number of pilgrims who from olden times visited his shrine proves
the intensity of the Bodhisattva Ti-tsang's worship from the eighth Century down
to the present day.

CHAPTER IV.
TI-TSANG IN AMITÄBHA'S HEAVEN AND IN HELL, ACCORDING TO

CHINESE LEGENDS.
§ I.

Ti-tsang in Paradise (Sukhävatl).

The T'ai-p'ing kwang ki ^C^^tlS» or "Ample writings of the T'ai-p'ing era (A. D.
976 983), compiled at that time and republished about A. D. 1566, contains twointeresting legends concerning Ti-tsang in Sukhävati and in hell.

—

The first (Ch. 100, ^^H, p. 5) runs as follows. In the fifth year of the T'ien-pao(i. e. A. D. 746) an official, Li Sze-yuen by name, diedsuddenly, but as his breast remained warm he was not buried. This lasted for 21 days,
when at last he revived at night. He said to the inmates of his house: "Thirty Buddhist priests have accompanied me hither; therefore please prepare food for themand give them ten thousand strings of cash. As his father was a rieh man, he did
what his son asked and had food prepared and paper money (mock-money) cut
for the thirty (imaginary) priests. The food was placed before the house, and Li
Sze-yuen addressed the invisible priests, thanking them for their escort and inviting
them to consume the food. After a while, when he supposed them to have finishedtheir meal, he had five thousand pieces of paper money burned in the court-yard.
Further, he prepared food and wine and meat for two persons and said: "By yourfavour I was released from hell and could return to the world of men. Therefore
I am very grateful to you."After these words he again had five thousand pieces of
paper money burned. Then he went to bed, and when he awoke the next morning
he was the same as before.

era of the T'ang dynasty

1 JltSii-^., composed in A. D.
1684 by CHANG KIU-CHING, ^k%3i, and others, Kiangnan is the collective name of Kiang-su and Ngan-hwei provinces.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

THE

He related that he had been seized and led to a certain place, where two officials
King Yama spoke to him and to two others, who had arrived there at the sametime. The two officials said that, if they paid five million cash as a bribe (bribery evenin hell!), they would be released and sent back to the world of men. The two others
did not answer, but he, Sze-yuen, promised to pay the money, much to the delightof the two officials. Then there came other officers of hell who said to the threemen: "Two of you are sure to be seized", and led them to King Yama's palace, thegates of which were guarded by severe guardians. The King himself sat behind abamboo blind and they heard him condemning a man of high rank, who stood in
audience before him, because he had not done a single good deed during his life.
After having heard the report of his officers about the three men, the King said:"As two of them must be seized, they have to draw lots", and he threw three piecesof silk down to them. After having opened them they saw that on those taken by thetwo others the characters "^^ were written, whereas the one chosen by Sze-yuen
did not show any writing. The King, seeing the result of the lots, decided that Szeyuen should be returned to the world of men, while the two others should remain
in hell. Then Sze-yuen left Yama's palace through the eastern gate, and was led byseveral hundreds of Buddhist priests, carrying flags and a canopy, to the Bodhisattva
Ti-tsang's palace, which entirely consisted of the seven precious things {sapta ratna:

assem

52

of

gold, silver, lapis lazuli etc.).

condu

T

heaveinot v(

Sze-yiwesterof hisdepeni
staff

y

realm

residhinwh1priestTi-tsang, a priest, clad in a magnificent sacerdotal

on a beautiful couch. The surrounding men introduced Sze-yuen
to him, while all the priests were reading a sütra aloud. As Sze-yuen was moved
to tears by this holy text, Ti-tsang praised his devotion and ordered him to relate
to the people on earth what he had seen in hell, and to exhort them to improve theirconduct and to become virtuous. He, Sze-yuen himself, henceforth also ought tolead a constantly virtuous life, in which case he should be able to return to the Pure
Land (Sukhävatt), the Paradise where he was at this moment. Then Ti-tsang ordered
the priests to lead him back to the world of men. Thus he returned, escorted by
Ti-tsang's pupils, and revived at night. The meal and the mock money, mentioned
above, were presented by him to those priests and to the two officials of hell, who had

his glrobe, sat there

caused him to be released.

after

image

world

to his

mona
prove

when

allow

who

After having strictly fasted and offered for seven days, however, he died again,

but revived at daybreak.

of th«

Now he told that he had been summoned to Ti-tsang's

palace and had been scolded by him because he had not spread his knowledge about
hell among mankind. Ti-tsang had even been about to beat him with his staff (thekhakkhara, Ti-tsang's emblem), but when he asked forgiveness Ti-tsang had released
him.
Then by severe fasting Sze-yuen purified himself, and all the inmates of his housetook only one meal that day, abstaining from breakfast and supper. Thenceforth
he always kept his promise to Ti-tsang, and whenever there were many people

'.

with

and
was
had l
the E

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

53

assembled he spoke to them about hell in order to cause them to improve theirconduct.

This interesting legend shows us Ti-tsang residing as a king in Amitäbha's
heaven, which is apparently supposed to be situated east of King Yama's palace andnot very far from hell. It is stränge that the "Western Paradise" was reached by

Sze-yuen after having left Yama's palace through the eastern instead of through thewestern gate. Another curious fact is his being released from hell not on accountof his virtues

but by means of bribery, which reminds us of the Japanese proverb:"Jigoku no sata mo kane shidai", i'liM.(Q'i'P'{k h'^^'Mi "Even the judgments of hell
depend on money". As to Ti-tsang's shape, he is described here as a priest with astaff which apparently was his common shape. His connection with King Yama's
realm is not mentioned, nor do we read about his saving the souls from hell. His
residing in Amitäbha's heaven, however, shows his nature of leader to this paradiseinwhich function he is called Indö Jizö^ in Japan.

§ 2.

Ti-tsang in Hell.

Thesecondtale, foundinthesamework (Ch. ioo,pp^^, p.6), relates of a Buddhist
priest of a monastery, called Shing-yeh-sze, I^H^^j"; . This monk, whose name was Ts'i-chi,W^» was fond of intercourse with people of high rank, which he could easily obtain byknowledge of medical science and all kinds of sorcery. In the fifth year
D. 746) he feil ill and died, but revived on the second day
after his death. Then he left the monastery and moved to Tung-Shen-ting-sze^,^IpÄ^j where he erected a magnificent chapel and, after having made seven Buddha
images of a man's length, dedicated and placed them in this chapel. He entirely stopped
his greatof the T'ien-pao era (A.

commandments. This was due, said he,to his having been in the World of Darkness. The soul of a maid-servant of his former
monastery before King Yama's tribunal had accused him of having killed her. This

worldly intercourse and strictly kept theproved to be a mistake, however, as he on the contrary had in vain opposed the abbot

when the latter was about to kill the woman. Then King Yama acquitted him and
As to the abbot and the other monk
who had slandered the maid-servant because she refused to have sexual intercoursewith him, those two culprits according to Yama's officers could not yet be fetched
and led before his throne, as their time had not yet come and their störe of felicity
allowed him to return to the world of men.

was still too large.

When Ts'i-chi went out of the gate of Yama's palace, a priest who with a horse
had been standing near Yama's throne accompanied him and said: "I am Ti-tsang,the Bodhisattva.

It is a very lucky thing, that you have been acquitted.

After having^^I^Sfeäg, "Jizö who leads (to Paradise)", to be treated in Sect. III, Ch. III, § 3.

^

"The Eastern Dhyäna monastery."THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

54
returned to the world ofTHE1

men you ought to keep the commandments. You mustand retire to a quiet monastery, Thereyou must make and dedicate seven Buddha Images of a man's length, and if you havenot enough money, you may as well paint them". Thereupon Ts'i-chi revived
and acted in agreement with Ti-tsang's exhortation.
When reflecting upon this legend we find Ti-tsang, although standing near
Yama's throne, yet playing a rather passive part in hell. It is Yama who rules there
as the supreme judge of the dead, and who summons them before his tribunal as
far as their karma does not protect them; for against this he is powerless. Neither
in this legend nor in the other the Ten Kings are mentioned, and Ti-tsang is

Fah-y't

apparently not considered to have the prominent position of "Tantra Ruler of Hell",and A

ascribed to him in the sütras devoted to these Ten Kings^.

to havstop intercourse with people of high rank,

This is evidence of theof theJapan

Jizö lthe ciabsence of Taoistic as well as of Tantric influenae in these legends, which thereforenese

are sure to give the older conceptions of hell and of Ti-tsang himself. As to the horse,(and cled by him in the Dark World, this may be a survival of Hayagriva's shape,

hewhich isperhaps also the reason of the Chinese belief in the horse-headed "Father Horse" 2,
who with the ox-headed "Father Ox" belongs to King Yama's well-known retainers.
Hut also the horse-headed Kinnaras, musicians in Kuvera's Service, may, as DE

GROOT^ supposes, be the prototypes of this "Father Horse". With regard to Titsang leading a horse we may mention a modern Chinese painting in the possession of
the Ethnographical Museum at Leiden, where in the centre of the Taoist and Buddhist
deities of hella benevolent Bodhisattva, probably Ti-tsang,isrepresented with ahorse.

;

foi

work

chapt(

above

this V)

work
Sung,
the

fi

from

A work of later date, the Kü-shi chw'en* or "Traditions about retired scholars",
relates

how a devout Buddhist, who during the Wan-lih era (A. D. 1573

lived in T'ai-hwo, Kiang-si province, and used to spare thelife— 1619).

the niarebiof even the smallest

insects, feil ill and dreamt that he went to hell and there saw Ti-tsang P'u-sah in the1"LoftyPalace of Darkness". After his recovery he "released"^ a very large numberof animals (i. e. he bought them on the market and presented them to a Buddhist
temple, that they might be kept there at his expense and live in peace). On his death-

whict
this

bed he saw himself already in Amitäbha's Pure Land and beheld this Dhyänibuddha's
divine shape, as well as Kwanyin, his principal Bodhisattva.

1

belieb

this
1

Cf.

above, Sect.

II,

Gh.

.S§S, or .P|lf¥,

596, note 2.
* fä±h, written in1775 by P'ENG TSI-TS'ING,
by WYLIE, Notes on Chinese Literature, 2nd ed., pp. 214 sq.
^

L.

1.,

p.

BWM- The same author is mentioned*

JJt'fc,

the

:

arres

I.

"General Horse", names given to him in Amoy, cf. DE GROOT, Petes
annuelles ä Emoui, Annales du Musee Guimet XII, Seconde Partie, p. 596.
2

j

here.

common term for this act of devotion.

bear
to

hi

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

55

CHAPTER V.

HISTORY OF THE TI-TSANG CULT IN CHINA.
§ I.

Statements of a modern Japanese author.

One of the oldest passages about Ti-tsang's worship in China is found in the
Fah-yuen chu-lin, 'l^^^'^i^ (Nanjö'sCatalogue, Nr. 1482), or "Pearl-grove of the garden

Law" (a large encyclopaedia compiled in A. D. 668), if we may believe theJapanese author who in the Tetsugaku daijisho wrote an interesting article onof theJizö Bosatsu^. This modern scholar states that according to the Fah-yuen chu-lin
the cult of Ti-tsang, together with that of Kwan-yin (Avalokiteqvara) Maitreya,

and Amitäbha, was widely spread among the Chinese people. I regret very muchto have sought in vain in this immense work for the passage referred to by this Japanese author, who, following the detestablecustom of the Chinese and JapaneseEuropean)someauthors,
does not give the number of the chapter in which(and ofhe found this valuable information. In the T'ai-p'ing kwang ki, the interesting
work of the tenth Century which contains the two legends given in the preceding
chapter 2, I found a similar passage. If the Fah-yuen chu-lin actually contains theabove statement, we may be sure that the T'ai-pHng kwang ki has borrowed it fromthis work, as it is exactly the same. In that case the value of the words of the latterwork is considerably increased. They are as follows: "From the time of the Tsin,Sung, Liang, Chin, Ts'in and Chao dynasties (the so-called Six Courts, of which only
the first four are mentioned in the hsts of dynasties and stated to cover the timefrom A. D. 265 tili 589) the cases of those who were saved by invocating and reciting
the names of Kwanyin, Ti-tsang, Maitreya and Amitäbha were so many that theyarebeyond description",^WM^M^mU^^, liÜit, WWi, mtmf^Mm%M

The author wrote these words at the end of a legend concerning Kwan-yin,
which so closely resembles some Jizö tales to be treated below* (in the section of
paper devoted to Japan), that we deem it interesting enough to be mentioned

this

here.

It

runs as follows.

In the Eastern Wei dynasty (A. D. 530—549) a man called Sun King-teh, a devout

believer in Buddha's doctrine, had made a wooden image of Kwan-yin and worshipped

Afterwards, however, he became a robber and wasThen he was daily beaten with sticks and whipped, so that he could not
bear the pain any longer, when one night he dreamt that a Buddhist priest cameto him and advised him to recite a thousand times Kwanyin's holy name. Whenfrom morning tili night.

thisarrested.

^
^

^
*

Pp. II 66 sqq.
above, Sect. II, Ch. IV.
T'ai-pHng kwang ki, Ch. iii,
Sect. III, Ch. III, § 4.
Cf.

MMrV,

Ilfll, p.

5-

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

THE B

he was condemned to death and led to the place of execution, he remembered the
dream and invocated Kwanyin a thousand times. And lo!, the swords wäre broken
on his neck one after the other without wounding him in the least. This miracle wasannounced to the King, who acquitted him, at the advice of his Prime Minister. Whenthe man came home, he saw that his Kwanyin image had three sword cuts; it had
been his Substitute and received the blows in his place! On hearing the matter, theKing was filled with admiration for Kwanyin' s divine power, and had the Kwanyin
sütra copied and read by the people. At the author's time this sütra was still called

Chinese56

after this king.

Chinesewantedsoul ofSp(

oldest"little ol(

NANJÖ
eminenThis miracle of the broken swords

may have caused the Japanese tradition

jö a.-

about Nichiren's miraculous escape from capital punishment inA. D. 1271. The image

Indianreceiving the blows as a Substitute for its worshipper became also a favourite subject

was int

Japanese legends, both with regard to Kwanyin and to Jizö.
The Japanese author, mentioned above^, also states that in the Yuen-kia era(A. D. 424454) (Sung dynasty) Ti-tsang was much worshipped in the neighbour-

divine iof—hood of the "Capital of Wu", i. e. Nanking.

It is a pity that we do not know, whichhim
thisinformation.
Chinese work afforded
valuableHe also states that HWASHING, ^S,the "PaintingSage", also called HWA-POH,^l£fg, the "Painting Senior",
i. e. CHANG SENG-YIU,^{fMx, the famous painter of the sixth Century A. D.,^ was

the first to introduce Ti-tsang P'u-sah's painted image into the Chinese world of—and that this took place in the T'ien-kien era (A. D. 502 520) of the Liangdynasty. Then, the Sütra on the wooden wheels, treated above^, although probablya Chinese work instead of having been translated from the Sanscrit, during the Sui
dynasty (A. D. 589 618) may have increased the spreading of Ti-tsang's cult in
the Middle Kingdom. Further, in the T'ang dynasty the sütra on the Ten Wheels'^,that on Ti-tsang's Original Vow^, and the Tantric Mahävairocana-sütra^, respectivelytranslated in A. D. 651, 695
700 and 724, caused his worship to flourish more andmore. In the Ming and Ts'ing dynasties, finally, it spread all over China, and Ti-tsang
became, next to Kwan-yin, the mightiest Buddhist deity of populär religion. Chinesepriests as CHI-SÜH, ^M, LING-YAO, ^:)^, and others propagated his cult by transart,——lating sütras relating to him.

Ti-tsang's cult at the time of the Sui dynasty {A. D. 581§ 2.

So far the Japanese author of the article on Jizö.

—618).

Let us now look at the few

passages we found in Chinese literature itself. Literature is a mirror of religion. The
1

Tetsugaku daijisho, 1. 1.
GILES, Biographical Dictionary, no. 99.

2

Cf.

3

Sect. II, Ch. II, § 2.
Sect. I, Ch. I, § 3.

*
•'

Sect.

I,

'^

Sect.

I,

Ch. I, § 2.
Ch. I, § 5.

Cf.

below, this Chapter, § 3.

]

of Shen

there aanswenand inof thesemmthe sev

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

57

Chinese authors hardly mentioned a Bodhisattva who obtained a prominent place inChinese Buddhism, Japanese literature, on the contrary, abounds with him. If wewanted clear evidence of the fact that Buddhism never penetrated so deeply intosoul of the people in

China as it did in Japan, this would be sufficient.

Speaking about the passage of the Fah-yuen chu-lin we called it "one of theoldest" references on Ti-tsang's worship in China, because we found an other, alittle older, also in the Chinese Tripitaka,

namely in the Suh Kao seng chw'en, ^j^ff^^,

NANJÖ, Nr. 1493, or "Supplement of the Traditions about (i. e. Biographies of)eminent Buddhist priests", written about A. D. 645 667 by the priest TAO-SÜEN,—jfi a"-We read there^ that in the second year of the Jen-sheu era (A. D. 602) the

Indian priest JNATISENA, [ff]|^^i:, from Magadha visited the Emperor SUI-WEN and

was interrogated by the Emperor as follows: "At the present day pagodas manifesting
are erected everywhere in all departments, but especially in those
divine power,of Shell {^!ij\\, in the West of Honan) and Ts'ao (^ j^, in the Southwest of Shantung)S^,

many felicitous omens. Whoisthe cause of this?"answered: "As to the Shen department,

itisthere are

The Indian priest

the Bodhisattva Ti-tsang oi Hien-shu,

and in Ts'ao department it \s Akägagarhha of Kwang-hwa". The' terms "Hien-shu",
ip"",
are apparently local names, denoting special cults^iflj-, and "Kwang-hwa",^

ofthesetwoBodhisattvas. ^i'äm^MIfmW, WKr.'>H^^#:Qo\^^'H'\i^Mi'äM^'M> ^M^'^{^fm'^M%-m^XM^ ^B,

This passage shows their importance even in

the seventh Century.

§ 3.

Ti-tsang's cult in the eighth Century A. D.

As to the T'ang dynasty(A. D. 618—906), the Yiu-yang tsah

tsu,

M[^^|4,an interesting work of the eighth Century, contains the following passage.
latethere are"Of

among the Buddhist paintings two representing T'ien-tsang P'u-sah

If one sees them from a close distance and in a clear light,
and looks at them attentively, (he sees that) their eyes are brilliant as if they emit

and Ti-tsang P'u-sah.

Some say that if one prepares a colour by mixing ts'eng -ts'ing with pih-yü,
when seen from a close distance, are brilliant.
Often also the eyes of priests, gods and demons on wall-paintings follow the people
and move their pupils. Thus they are very correct." jäf^Äff'^'^H^^iiliU^^olight.

the eyes (painted with this mixture),

T'ien-tsang P'u-sah, the Bodhisattva "Receptacle
bably another, less correct translationof(womb)

Akägagarbha,of the Sky",

is

pro-

"Womb of the Space".

The famous poet LI POH, one of the "Six Idlers of the Bamboo brook" and of
the "Eight Immortais of the Winecup"^, who lived at the time of the T'ang dynasty

XXXVI, pp. 6. sq.

^

Ch.

"

GILES, Biogr.

Dict.,

Nr. 1181,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

58(A. D. 700—762), praised Ti-tsangof the fourteenth Century

1.

in a poem quoted in a Buddhist work of the end

We read there the following.

"LI POH made the follow-

ing praise of Ti-tsang P'u-sah:"The original heart
It is

pure,

it

is

ätman) is like the empty Space,

This pa

nothing.

of Yih-i

one burns away lewdness, anger and foolishness,
It is fully enlightened and appears as a Buddha.

sentedGives insight in the truth

picture.

not a false tradition,isand resewipes away like snow all diseases,
And makes the soul bright like the pure, cool sky.

as the(brought

Praising this sea of virtuous actions,I

5

year ofThat Ti-tsang's holy effigy, painted in five colours,

For everThe

we menIt gives

(the

If

It

THE B(

shu-linproclaim this to^ far generations."

shippedbelieve

As
These words would not have been written,

Long-iiii
ifthe belief in Ti-tsang's blessing

power had not penetrated deeply into the hearts of Li Poh and his contetnporaries.
In one of the chapters of the great Encyclopaedia entitled K'in-ting ku-kin
t'u-shu tsih-ch'iiig* many praises are found of images, tnostly painted or embroidered,

the eigl

Chine sinumeroat pres«

representing Qäkyamuni, Vairocana, Bhaishajyaguru (Yoh-shi, the Medicine-Master),Two of these panegyrics are devoted toAmitäbha, Avalokite^vara (Kwanyin), etc.
Ti-tsang.

In the first passage, written by LIANG SUH, '^i"^, of the T'ang dynasty, "SecretTh(

Books," ^.^, are quoted and an embroidery representing our Boddhisattva ismentioned. This was made on behalf of the soul of a deceased parent. "Fasting,beating one's breast and siao siang (/J-»)jif the sacrifice to a parent at the end of one

witness(year)", said somebody, "is hao {^t,"Ge
Yung-cprovinci,

filialbut not po (^, recompense).
one must think of Ti-tsang."

piety),

If

one considers po to be meritorious work (JJj),
The second passage, written by MUH YUEN^, treats of an embroidery, also re-

or

Th

^^^,

T'ai-hw

by a lady on behalf of the soul of a deceased woman. This woman then appeared toher in a dream and said that the Bodhisattva now protected her soul. This happenedin the sixth year of the Ching-yuen era (A. D. 790).

Shao-slpresenting Ti-tsang, which was made and offered to the Ngan kwoh monastery,

repairecthis tentime.
^

Fuh-fah km-t'ang pien, Wti^'i^'M, writtenby the Buddhist priest SINAnother poem on Ti-tsang is found in

in A. D. 1391

T'AI, iC>#; Ch. VIII, p. 13 (LI POH'S biography).
Ch. 28 of Li Poh's collected poems.
2 Litt, "for the sake of".
2 The second and fourth lines rhyme (wxih-fiih) as well as the sixth, eighth and tenth (chw'en,,

t'ien,süen).
MS-S-^lffl '?*/& (compiled in 1725), Sect. wMl":, Nr. 91, (f (ÜÄiiS-^r., pp.

=SR.

4b and 7a.

A
1

S

2

7"

3

n

heading*C

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

59

The Fah-yen shu-lin, the Buddhist encyclopaedia, compiled in A. D. 668, which
we mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, is quoted in the same Ku-kin t'u-shu^.
It gives

the following details about a Ti-tsang figure painted byCHANG SENG-YIU^.

was preserved in the Fah-tsü monastery, ^ilrl^-, situated at the wallof Yih-cheu, ^'M (the old name for the capital of Sze ch'uen). Ti-tsang was represented sitting, with his legs hanging down. In the seventh month of the second
year of the Lin-teh era (A. D. 665) a monk of this monastery made a copy of thispicture. This copy emitted light, which alternately appeared and was extinguished,
and resembled a golden ring. All the copies made from it emitted about the same lightas the original painting. The next month the Emperor sent for a copy, which was
brought into the Palace and worshipped. "At present", says the author of the Fah-yen
shu-lin (A. D. 668), "all the paintings (i. e. the copies of this picture) drawn and worThis painting

and outside the capital by priests and laymen, emit light thus people
believe and know that Buddha's power is unmeasurable".
As to the Buddhist sculptures in the caves of Yun-kang (near Ta-t'ong fu),Long-men (near Ho-nan fu) and Kong-hien (Ho-nan province) (from the fifth tothe eighth centuries), represented in CHAVANNES's Mission archeologique dans laChine septentrionale, Sect. II, there may be several Ti-tsang figures between thosenumerous Bodhisattvas. Professor CHAVANNES, however, kindly informed me thatat present without inscriptions it is impossible to determine them.

shipped inside

§ 4.

;

Ti-tsang's worship from the tenth to the eighteenth Century.

The fourth year of the K'ai-pao era of the Northern Sung dynasty (A. D. 971)
witnessed the erection of a "Ti-tsang temple" {Ti-tsang sze) in Hwo-nan village,H^in^, P'o-yang district, WMiWi'^, in Jao-cheu-fu, $k')^\M> a prefecture of Kiang-si
province. We learn this from a work of the eighteenth Century, the Kiang-si t'ung-chi^or "General Memoirs concerning Kiang-si", composed in the tenth year of theYung-ching era (A. D. 1732).
The same work* mentions another "Ti-tsang temple" (Ti-tsang sze), situated inT'ai-hwo district, ^fnSS, Kih-ngan prefecture, "pj^j^. This sanctuary was built in the—1098) and the Buddha-hall was
11 18). There was a pagoda behind
Ching-hwo era (A. D.
this temple, in which a relic, namely a tooth of Buddha, was preserved in the author's

Shao-shing era of the Sung dynasty (A. D. 1094

im —repaired" in thetime.

A third shrineof thesame name was found in Ch'ang-ngan village, -g^Same section nr. 93, -W^nSttW^— p- 14b.
The famous painter of the sixth Century mentioned above, this Chapter, §1.
^ ÖlMitjg, composed in
1732 by T'AO CH'ING, ^^fS., and others. Ch. 113, p. 2, ander the^,^heading Jao-cheu-fu.
*

Ch. 112, p. 5, under the heading Kih-ngan-fu.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

6o

THE BC

Ch'ung-jen district, ^iZL'^,, Fu-cheu prefecture, ^tm^ü^» also in Kiang-si province^.

napäniThis temple was erected in A. D. 1566.

As to thFinally, a fourth Jizö sanctuary, called Ti-tsang yuen, Hjl^l^c,

ismentioned insame work as existing in those days outside the Tsin-hien, j^^, gate of Shengch'ing, ^^, in Nan-ch'ang prefecture 2. It was renewed, says the author, by the
the

cana

süi

describc'

Buddhist priest Ting-hwui^.

We

These passages are evidence of a flourishing Ti-tsang cult in Kiang-si province

from the tenth Century down to the eighteenth.

A similar work, the Yun-nan t'ung-chi^ or "General Memoirs concerning Yunnan", composed in A. D. 1691, states that there was a Ti-tsang temple {Ti-tsangsze) east of the castle of Lin-ngan-fu,^^J]^in Yun-nan province.
The Kwang-tung i'ung-chi^ or "General Memoirs concerning Kwang-tung",
composed about the same time, speaks about a Ti-tsang shrine of the same name,,provinc«of pilgrED
day ofmonth,

Bodhisa^S\-^, Ku-leu township, "^^^, Shun-teh prefecture,
Kwang-tungprovince.
^WiMt
We read in the Shan-si Pung-chi^ or "General Memoirs concerning Shan-si",composed in A. D. 1682, about a very devout Buddhist priest, called YIH-TS'I, whoat the time of the Ming dynasty was abbot of the Ti-tsang ngan, Üil^^, or "Ti-tsang
cottage" (i.e. temple or monastery) at Ta-t'ung, ^(p), in the prefecture of the same

Devas

name, in Shan-si province.
The other T'ung-chi do not speak of Ti-tsang sanctuaries, but looking on the
map we see that the provinces mentioned above are situated in the Southeast, Southwest, centre, and extreme North of China, which proves that Ti-tsang's cult was spreadover thsituated in Kin-teu village,inallover the country.

(

occupie(with hehonouron theinstruct

is

the

f

On

or halls

priatedOne of the names, given to this Bodhisattva by the Tantric school, was Ratnapäni or "Treasurehand", ^^, which name was also applied by some Japanese
authors to one of the Six Jizö's'. We find him mentioned under this title, whichindicates his being a giver of treasures to mankind, in a work of the end of the sixteenth Century, the Shan-t'ang sze-k'ao^. We read there: "The Bodhisattva Rat-

Nyorai,

Amitäbthe ha)"T

mistak<not Sia^^^*

Ibidem, Ch. 112, p. 14.
^^JU, the name of the capital of Kiang-si and of the prefecture in which it is situated.
Ch. III, p. 3, under the heading Nan-ch'ang-fu.

ÄÜMig, composed in A. D. 1691 by WU TSZE-SIU, ^glt, and others. Ch. XIX, p. 29,

under the heading Lin-ngan-fu.
" ÜJÜa^e, composed in the K'ang-hi era (A. D. 1662— 1723) by HÖH YUH-LIN, tPSÜS,and others. Ch. XXV, p. 5, under the heading Shun-teh-fu.
" UiHäi^>, composed in A. D. 1682 by KIANG NAN-LING, jli^i?, and others.
Ch. XXV,P-

the usi"1

and P'itake tl:

some
1

j

2

S

3

C

4

;

=

I

IS'

Cf. below, sect. III, Ch. II,§5 (the Six Jizö's).

\\i^^^, an extensive thesaurus, in 228 books, compiled by P'ENG TA-YIH, fi;^S-, whocompleted it in A. D. 1595. Cf. WYLIE, Notes on Chin. literature, sec. ed., p. 187. The passage
referred to is found in Ch. Süt, Nr i, p. 7.

il8

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

6i'^^^^^^^MmJ^-

napäni sends innumerable flowers forth from his hands,"
As to this designation of Kshitigarbha we may refer the reader to the Mahävairotreated above^, where acaiia sütra,described

mandalaof the Eight Great Bodhisattvas

isand our Bodhisattva is called Ratnapäni and "Holder of the Earth".

§ 5.

Ti-tsang's worship in the nineteenth Century

and at the present day.

We have seen above^, that the Ti-tsang cult on Mount Kiu-hwa in Anhwei
province flourished from olden times

down to the present day, and that thousandsof pilgrims yearly visit this sanctuary.

EDKINS^, who in accordance with thewords of the Yuh-li^ states that the birthday of Ti-tsang, i. e. the day of his special festival, is the 30th day of the seventhmonth, in his chapter devoted to Buddhist images and image worship mentions ourBodhisattva as follows. "The interval between the hall of the Four great kings of thea Buddhist temple Compound), and that of Shakyamuni, is occasionallyoccupied by another hall. Kwan-yin of the Southern sea may be seen here pictured
with her usual attendants. Behind, looking northwards, is often found a scene inhonour of Ti-tsang Bodhisattva. He is surrounded with cloudand rock carving,on the abutments of which are seen the ten kings of hell. They all listen to the
instructions of this Bodhisattva, who seeks to save mankind from the punishments
over the infliction of which they preside. The Hindoo god 'Yama' (Yen-lo-wang)
Devas

(in

them".
On another page of the same chapter ^ he says: "The other 'chapels' {tien, ^)or halls are erected on the side of or behind the central structure. They are appropriated to Yo-shi Fo [i. e. Yoh-shi Fuh, the "Medicine-Master", in Japan Yakushiisthe fifth ofwhose sanscrit name is Bhaishajyaguru], 0-mi-to Fo [i. e. 0-mi-to Fuh,
Other names occur, such as
the hall of the thousand Buddhas, etc., but these are the most common.""Ti-tsang is represented by the priests as the son of a king of Siam [this is atnistake, as we stated above the ancient texts give Silla, one of the kingdoms of Korea,
not Siam]. He has a füll round countenance of mild aspect, with a lotus-leaf crown,
the usual head furniture of a Bodhisattva.""The figures on his right and left are sometimes Muh-kien-lien (Maudgalyayana)
and P'ang-kü-shi, disciples of C^äkyamuni Buddha. Elsewhere Min-kung and Min-tsi
take this position. The former was a Chinese who gave the land at Kiu-hwa, the hillsome miles west of Nanking, on which is erected a large monastery in honour of
Nyorai,

Amitäbha], Ti-tsang p'u-sah, and the ten kings of hell.

;

Ch.

1

Sect.

^

Sect. II, Ch. III,

I,

I,

§ 5.

§§ 1 and 2.

Chinese Buddhism, sec. ed. (1893),* Above, Sect. II, Ch. I,
§ 3.
^

'

P. 245.

«

L.

1.,

p.

254.

p. 209,242.
.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

62

Ti-tsang. Min-tsi is his son.

Two other disciples, who act as 'servants' of the Bodhi-

sattva (shi-che), are also represented by two other smaller figures".

With regard to the Pi-yün szc, a temple twelve miles west of Peking, with ahall of five hundred Lohans (Arhats), EDKINS says:"In another court are represen-

Mountain scenery, clouds, bridges, lakes, as well as men
and other living beings, are represented in clay. The five principal Bodhisattvas
preside, and especially Ti-tsang. Good Buddhists are seen crossing a bridge withhappy faces. Bad men are pushed by demons into a. place of torture below. Various
cruel punishments are represented. Everything is in carefully tnoulded and coloured
clay. Kwan-yin is associated with Ti-tsang in presiding the side halls. Along with thethree other divinities, Wen-shii (Mafijugri), P'ii-hien (Samantabhadra) and Tashi-chi (Mahästhänapräpta), they preside with equal honour in the centre hall. On
the coloured rock-work, the tortures of the wicked and the happiness of the goodtations of the future State.

are mixed, to indicate the results of Buddhist teaching as imparted by the five divine
instructors."same author's description of the monasteries on the sacred Island of
P'u-to, forming, as he says, "a connecting link with the lama Buddhism of Thibet
and Mongolia", we read that "on the four sides of a small pagoda stone images are
In theplaced of the four great Bodhisattvas, to each of whom one of the four Clementsisassigned.

Ti-tsang, under whose Jurisdiction hell is supposed to be, presides overearth (Kwan-yin over water, Samantabhadra over fire, and Mafijucjri over air (wind)."^As to redemption, EDKINS says the following. "Each Buddha and Bodhisattva
is aredeemer.

I

notice here Ti-tsang-wang p'u-sah.

He is called Yeu-ming-kiau-chu[i. e. Yiu-ming Kiao-chu,^^I-Vfi^], 'Teacher of the unseen world'. Füll of benevolence
andgrace towards mankind, he opens a path for self-reformation and pardon of sins".
With regard to this title of Ti-tsang we may refer the reader to our paragraph on the"Dodrine of Repentance"^, where we translated it into "Tantra-ruler of the Darkness(i. e. Hades)", as the character f>c is often used to designate the sanscrit word tantra,
and the influence of the Tantric school is evident in the Chinese works on this subject.
CHAVANNES, in his work on T'ai-shan quoted above^ with regard to the Ten
Kings, mentions a Ti-tsang tien, iliiHc^, or "Hall of Ti-tsang" on Mount T'ai. There
an image of our Bodhisattva is seen of which we spoke already before, seated withcrossed legs and wearing the five-pointed crown. The central point of this crown
is red, the two outer ones blue, and the two others green.

With regard to another celebrated sanctuary visited by many pilgrims, the sacred
Island of P'u t'o shan, ^P'tlll» mainly devoted to the cult of Kwan-yin, we may also
refer to1

L.

BOERSCHMANN's very interesting work entitled Die Baukunst und reli1.,

p. 265.

Above, sect. II, Ch. I, § 2.
3 Above, sect. II, Ch. I,§ 2.
2

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

62

Ti-tsang. Min-tsi is his son.

Two other disciples, who act as 'servants' of the Bodhi-

sattva {shi-che), are also represented by two other smaller figures".

With regard to the Pi-yün szc, a temple twelve miles west of Peking, with ahall of five hundred Lohans (Arhats), EDKINS says: "In another court are representations of the future State. Mountain scenery, clouds, bridges, lakes, as well as men
and other living beings, are represented in clay. The five principal Bodhisattvas
preside, and especially Ti-tsang. Good Buddhists are seen crossing a bridge withhappy faces. Bad men are pushed by demons into a. place of torture below. Various
cruel punishtnents are represented. Everything is in carefully moulded and coloured
clay. Kwan-yin is associated with Ti-tsang in presiding the side halls. Along with thethree other divinities, Wen-shu (Manju^ri), P'u-hien (Samantabhadra) and Tashi-chi (Mahästhänapräpta), they preside with equal honour in the centre hall. On
the coloured rock-work, the tortures of the wicked and the happiness of the goodare mixed, to indicate the results of Buddhist teaching as imparted by the five divine
instructors."

In the same author's description of the monasteries on the sacred island of"a connecting link with the lama Buddhism of Thibet
and Mongolia", we read that "on the four sides of a small pagoda stone images areplaced of the four great Bodhisattvas, to each of whom one of the four elements
is assigned.
Ti-tsang, under whose Jurisdiction hell is supposed to be, presides overP'u-io, forming, as he says,

carth (Kwan-yin over water, Samantabhadra over fire, and Manjugri over air (wind)."^As to redemption, EDKINS says the following. "Each Buddha and Bodhisattva
is

He is called Yeu-ming-kiau-chu
unseenworld'. Füll of benevolence
Yiu-ming Kiao-chu, ^'J.i-fxz}i]> 'Teacher of thea redeemer.

[i. e.

I

notice here Ti-tsang-wang p'u-sah.

andgrace towards mankind, he opens a path for self-reformation andpardon of sins".
With regard to this title of Ti-tsang we may refer the reader to our paragraph on the"Dodrine of Repentance"^, where we translated it into "Tantra-ruler of the Darkness(i. e. Hades)", as the character fj( is often used to designate the sanscrit word tantra,
and the influence of the Tantric school is evident in the Chinese works on this subject.

CHAVANNES, in his work on T'ai-shan quoted above^ with regard to the Ten
Kings, mentions a Ti-tsang tien, iili^icMjCi o"^ "Hall of Ti-tsang" on Mount T'ai. There

an image of our Bodhisattva is seen of which we spoke already before, seated withcrossed legs and wearing the five-pointed crown. The central point of this crown
is red, the two outer ones blue, and the two others green.
With regard to another celebrated sanctuary visited by many pilgrims, the sacredisland of P'u t'o shan, tj'P'Elil» niainly devoted to the cult of Kwan-yin, we may also
refer to BOERSCHMANN's very interesting work entitled Die Baukunst und reli1

L.

1.,

p. 265.

Above, sect. II, Ch. I, § 2.
3 Above, sect. II, Ch. I,§ 2.
2

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
Chinesen, T. I, P'u t'o shan.

giöse Kultur deror"Temple63

Rainof theof theLaw"i,In describing the Fah-yü-sze,l^^ty,

BOERSCHMANN states that the eastern

Below he is seated in a glass shrine,
wearing a travelling dress and carrying an almsbowl in his left band, the khakkhara(to open the doors of hell, as the priests say, in accordance with what we havebell tower is dedicated to Ti-tsang-wang p'u-sah.

read above in the "Doctrine of Repentance"^) in his right. Before the shrine a small
porcelain
in

child

Kwan-yin, as the giver of children, j^-J-lliia, with a little
her arms, is placed. Thus both the principal saviours of the souls from
image

of

hell are worshipped together,as is very often the case in China.

On the upper floor

tower another gilded image of Ti-tsang is placed, also in a glass shrine; hereof thehe sits in meditation, with his legs crossed and his hands resting upon each other,with their palms upwards.

Instead of the travelling garb he wears here a rieh sacer-

As BOERSCHMANN does not mention a crown, Ti-tsang is probably

dotal robe.

represented in both Images as a priest with a shaven head.

On p. 123 of the same work a Ti-tsang Kwan-yin is mentioned (Nr. 10, ±t&^|l8.^),"Hall of the Law" of the Fah-yü-sze, wearing the five-pointed crown and a(sacerdotal) garment. He is seated in meditation, in the same attitude as the Ti-tsang

in theUpper floor of the tower. At his right and left side Stands a little attendant,of theone with his hands joined in adoration, the other with his hands folded before hisbreast (cf. nrs 4 and 5). These two boys remind us of Jizö's two little satellites, men-tioned above ^.

combined;

it

It is

curious that this figure wears thenames of the two Saviours

appears to be "Kwan-yin in Ti-tsang's function",

quality of saviouri.

e.

in his special

from hell.

BOERSCHMANN devotes his f ourth chapter to the religious life in the Fah-yü-sze
and on the island. The third and last part of his description of a service celebrated
on behalf of sailors from Amoy is interesting with regard to our subject, because
it isa ceremony in honour of Ti-tsang*.

It began at half past six P. M.

table stood a small shrine under a big, richly adorned canopy.

On a SquareIn this shrine Ti-tsang

was seated, wearing the Bodhisattva crown and accompanied by two attendants.
Four lights stood on the corners of the table, and also a Bodhisattva crown lay onit.

On two long tables food was placed for the hungry spirits, as well as two lights.

The ceremony, which took place after long prayers, singing and kotows of the seven

was an Imitation of Ti-tsang's saving the souls from the punishments ofhell.
The leading priest took the Bodhisattva crown from the table and placed iton his head. Then he sat down on a chair, which stood on a podium behind a tablebearing two lights, some sacred emblems and books. Thus he represented Ti-tsang

priests,1

Ch. 4,

p. 56.

2

Above,

sect.

I,

*

Sect.

Ch.

II,

'

P. 155-

I,

Ch.
§ 3.

II,

§ 2, p.

9.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

64

supreme Judge of Hell, at whose tribunal the sins of the deceased
were examined, and whose great mercy saved many of them. If BOERSCHMANN
did not State 1 that it was on the i5th of January, we would believe, judging by the foodofferings to the spirits and the lights which showed them the way, that it was in theseventh month, when the Ullambana, the festival of the dead is celebrated, and thegates of hell are opened. Especially the evening of the thirtieth of this month, Ti-tsang's
birthday^, when hell is closed, would be appropriate for such a ceremony. Now it
was probably celebrated on behalf of the souls of some deceased fishermen.
We learn from the above facts that Ti-tsang still ranks next to Kwan-yin in
Buddhist worship, and that in many temples special halls or buildings are devoted
to him as well as to the ten kings of hell. He is often connected with Kwan-yin, hishimself, as thecounterpart, both being saviours of the living beings.

He is represented either asa Bodhisattva, with a crown on his head, or as a priest, his ordinary shape in Japan.
His images are, however, not placed along the road to protect the travellers, as itis the custom in the latter country. There he has become a prominent deity in daily
as we shall try to

life,

1

P. 167.

2

Cf. theshow in the third section of this paper.

Yuh lih, above, Sect. II, Ch. I, § 3, p. 35.

SECTION III.

JIZÖ IN JAPAN.
CHAPTER I.

THE NARA PERIOD (710—794).
§

I.

Höryüji.

Although Jizö's cult was very rare in those early days, a few traces of it are
mentioned. The oldest Jizö Image of Japan is found in the Shöryö-in, SMßS,

to be

a building belonging to the famous Höryüji, "^ü^^, at Nara.

Tradition says that

this image was presented by the King^ of Kudara as a tribute to the Emperor Bidatsu
in the sixth year of this Emperor's reign (A. D. 577),
five

years old.^

It iswhenShötoku Taishi was only

a standing figure of coloured sandal wood. Jizö is represented

Standing on a lotus, without any attribute.

No halo surrounds his shaven head, but

the urna on his forehead and his long ears are tokens of his divinity.
isHis left hand

held before his breast, showing its open palm, while the right hand hangs down,

alsowith its palm to the front.

"the mudrä of fearlessness",

The attitude of the left hand is the abhayamudrä,
UMSPH ("the mudrä which distributes fearlessness"),that of the right hand is the varadaniudrä, "the mudrä of blessings", probably translated into JffeMlEiPP or"mudrä which distributes the objects of desire"^ (Fig. 10).
§ 2.

Shötoku Taishi (572

Shötoku Taishi.

—621) was said to have erected a Jizödö (chapel)

in theCompound of Tengyö-in, ^W^, mTennöji, X^^, a village in Settsu province. The,^

King S?9;this name seems to be a mistake, for the Synchronismes chinois by

MATTHIAS

TCHANG do not mention it, and give for 554—597 the name S£^,3E.
2

Cf.

Kokkwa, Nr. 156 (May 1903), p. 230; Nr. 159, p. 47. The Buddhist priest SEITAN
image and gives a picture of it in the Kokkwa, Nr. 159 (August 1903). Cf.

describes thisSect. II,
ä

Ch.

I,

§

I,

p. 25,

note 4.

SEITAN calls the mudrä made by this

Jizö

the

P^it^EP,"themudrä of answering

As to the abhayamudrä, this is to be distinguished from the "preaching" mudrä,
in which the hand is also raised with its open palm to the front, but with the top of the index
and that of the thumb joined. Cf. BRANDES, Tijdschrift voor Ind. Taal, Land en Volkenkimde,Vol. XL VIII (1906), p. 56, PI. I WADDELL, Lamaism, p. 337. As to the Jizö images cf. below,
the heart".

;

Ch. IV, § 7 (Jizö represented in art).

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

66

author of the Setsuyö gundan^,MI^^M, a work written in

1698, States this fact and adds that this Jizö was called IndöJizö,^l^SÜä^, or "Jizö who leadsor Mitsu-kane Jizö,(the souls to paradise)"

HM, "Three-bells Jizö", because in thewas rung three times
andarrivedat the cemetery.
when funeral processions passed it
The chapel was, however, probably of a much later date thanauthor's time the bell of this chapelthat ascribed toitby the tradition.
§

3.

Ki no moto.

The famous Jöshinji, W^^, a Jizö shrine in Ki no motoÖmi province, is mentioned in several works
It was erected by the Emperor Temmu (673686) in A. D. 674
and the fame of the miraculous power, reihen, M.^, of this Jizö
spread all over the country. The image was said to havebeen made by the Indian patriarch Nägärjuna, f|^, and tohave floated ashore in A. D. 673, on the coast of Naniwa(an ancient district of Settsu province, in the centre of which
the present Osaka is situated). Every night it diffused agolden light, and Jizö himself appeared to the Emperor Temmu
in a dream and said: "For the sake of all living beings I appear
in different shapes and going to the six gatis I save theliving beings from the sufferings of punishment.
If menFig. 10. Jizö of Höryüji
at Nara (6 th Century),
and women recite my name and worship me or paint or
making the ahhayaniiidrä
carve my effigy and off er this (to a temple), they shall notwith his left and the varadamitdrä with his rightfall upon the three wicked roads (those of animals, pretas andhand. Kokkwa Nr. 159,
beings in hell), but they shall obtain most beautiful rewards
p. 47.
(fruits). To-day I arrived at the Naniwa coast." After thisdream the Emperor ordered SOREN HÖSHF, )li1^il;?i$i|i, of Yakushiji, Ü&Üi^, toseek the image, and this priest actually found it. It was about six shaku long, andit spread a golden light.
It was placed in a sanctuary, specially erected for it by Orderof the Emperor, which was called Tökakuzan Kinköji, ^I^Ul^^^fc^ ("Templeof the Golden Lustre"). All the officials worshipped the image, and from all sides
men and women flocked to the temple. In the third month of the next year Soren
höshi on his way to Hakusan passed the village of Ki no moto, 7|C / :^, in Ömi province. He saw a purple cloud rising over the lonely woods and hills, a sign of theyfC /* if., a village in

—

1

2

OKADA

"Collected tales of the South of Settsu province", written in Genroku 11 (1698) byl^fflS?j£. Ch. XII, p. 37.
In 680 this priest by order of the Emperor Temmu built Yakushiji because the Empress

KEISHI,

was ill.

,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
holiness of the spot.

67

When the Emperor heard this, he ordered the priest to transfer

the Jizö shrine and the image from Naniwa to Ki no moto,and to call the sanctuary"Temple of Pure Belief". In 812 Köbö Daishi offered here a sectionof the Jizökyö (i. e. the Sütra on the Original Vow of Kshitigarbha, mentioned above),which he had copied especially for this purpose, and with the assistance of the Bodhisattva he killed a poisonous dragon which infested the neighbourhood and hurt
the people. The Emperor Daigo (898930) held a religious meeting here and commanded the name of the temple to be changed into Chökisan Jdshinji, ^WiA\W\%^"Temple of Long Prayers and Pure Belief". In A. D. 1335 ASHIKAGA TAKAUJI,
the first Shögun of the Ashikaga's, a very devout believer in Jizö, repeatedly sent
messengers to this temple to pray for peace in the empire. The same Shögun in A. D.
1338 had the buildings repaired and presented ricefields producing 800 koku riceto the sanctuary, which was deeply venerated also by the following Shöguns. Whenin 1573 a fire had destroyed the temple, TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI had a little shrine
built for the image, and afterwards, when he had risen to the highest power, he erecteda large temple on the spot. Such great men were among the worshippers of thisJizö. We learn these facts from the Garan kaiki ki^, lllBM^Ä^eS, -or "Records ofthe founding of Buddhist temples", written in A. D. 1689, at which time the shrine
was still in high favour. Even at the present day it is visited by many pilgrims.Another work, entitled Jizö Bosatsu reikenki^, Ülii'S^^ffi.^lE, or "Records ofthe manifestations of the divine power of the Bodhisattva Jizö" (1684), relates
that the Emperor Shömu (724748), on hearing the miraculous power of this image,
twice visited the temple, and that Kashiwagi Yoshikazu in 992 prayed to this Jizö,
offering a written petition to him, and that he daily visited his shrine for three years.
Asai Sukemasa in 1516 prayed to this Bodhisattva that he might become the mostpowerful man of Ömi, and actually succeeded in occupying half of this province,
as well as three districts of Mino. All the glory of the Asai family was attributedby them to Jizö's divine assistance, and three generations, Sukemasa himself (1495
to 1546), Hisemasa, his son (15241573), and Nagamasa, his grandson (15451573),
daily visited this shrine. As to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he built the large temple, mentioned above, in 1576, because he owed his recovery from a severe disease to thisJizö, who t^ad heard the prayers of his vassals. The latter had come to the shrineof Ki no moto to pray there for their master's recovery, as no medicine could eure him.
In 1076 the whole province of Ömi was infested by insects which ate the young
rice plants and were about to entirely destroy the crops, when the lord of Ömi orderedJdshinji or

—

—

—

—

1

Written in 1689 by the Buddhist priest DÖ-ON,

2

Cf.

YOSHIDA TÖGO'S Geographical Dictionary,chimei jisho (1907),^

I,

iiffl.

Ch. VI,l'/ffDIiffi,

p. 45.

:^0?t:ilfi«Slfi-,

Dai Nihon

p. 567.

Written by two monks of the Miidera monastery in Ömi, called JITSU-EI, KSJ, and

RYOKWAN, SSI. There is no preface of the authors, and the date is not known, but this edition
was printed in 1684. Probably it v/as written about the same time.

Ch. IV, pp. 25 sqq.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

68

to deprecate the evil in all

Buddhist and Shintö temples of the province, The night

after the arrival of this order at Ki no moto, the abbot of Jöshinji had a divine dream,in which Jizö appeared to him and said: "Perform a goma-offering^ and let the men
and women of the village assemble and recite my invocation^ ('Namu Jizö Daibosatsu')
a million times." The abbot communicated this dream to the lord of Ömi, who atonce ordered all the men and women of the whole province to recite Jizö's holyname. Suddenly all the insects disappeared, and an abundant harvest was obtained.
Again, in 1087, the Bodhisattva appeared in a dream to Kaburagi Sadatoyo, an inhabitant of Kaga province, who suddenly had become dumb and whom no physician
could eure. After having stayed in the temple at Ki no moto for seven days, strictly
fasting and ardently praying to Jizö, he received the divine revelation that he should
be cured if he became a monk. He immediately followed the advice and remainedin the temple, filled with belief in Jizö's mighty power, which actually caused him

to recover at once.

A third work, the Jizö Bosatsu ryakushü^, J^Öi^^l^^'J^^, or "Collection of(tales of) divine assistance of the Bodhisattva Jizö" (1691), relates how in 1663
a picture of Jizö was obtained in this temple by a man from Tsuruga in Echizen,

whose blind child could not be cured by the prayers of Buddhist priests or yamabushi, and who therefore took the boy to Ki no moto and ardently prayed to theBodhisattva. He went home, pasted the picture to a pillar of his house and worshipped it. The next morning the child could see. The grateful father from thattime made a yearly pilgrimage to Ki no moto. Two years later another child was
cured from blindness after having prayed with its father in this temple for sevennights.

Easy birth, a blessing very often bestowed by Jizö upon his female believers,
was obtained by a young woman from Sone village, Ömi province, whose two former
children had soon died and who for the third time was pregnant for thirteen months (!),
Her husband sent a Substitute as a pilgrim to Jizö son of Ki
no moto, in order to pray for an easy confinement for his wife and for a strong andhealthy child. No sooner the pilgrim came home than the woman easily gave birth
to a beautiful, healthy son. The parents afterwards took the child to Ki no moto,to worship the Bodhisattva and to thank him with tears. When they were spending
suffering immensely.

the night in the sanctuary, Jizö appeared to both of them in their dreams and pro-

mised them a long life for their child, if they would practise compassion. Thus wesee him described here as a giver of easy birth, heaüh and long life, and in the former

he drives away the demons of disease and calamity.

tales

^

^M, goma, the homa (Chin. hu-mo) offering mentioned above (Sect. II, Ch. II, § i,p. 286) , in the

Ti-tsang P'u-sah i-kwei, a treatise of the Tantric school.

It isa burning offering.

^SU, högö, "precious name".

^

Composed in 1691 by the Buddhist priest JÖ-E, WM- Ch. III, pp. 14, 21.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

69

§

4.

Iwafune.

A very ancient Jizö shrine is the Iwafune Jizödö, ^^i'^W.^, on the top of
Mount Iwafune ("Rock-ship") in Tsuka district, Shimotsuke province.

We read in

the history about the founding of the temple^, that under the reign of Könin Tennö,—780), a Buddhist priest, called Guzeibö-Myögwan, ^L^
from
Höki
province,
in consequence of a divine dream went to this mountain
^B30,

in

de Höki era (A. D. 770

and worshipped a living Jizö,^MOM^, there. This story

is told in the Jizö Bosatsu

Myögwan was a peaceful and sincere priest, who lived
Höki
province.
For many years he had been a devout believer;Acil4,in Jizö and every morning at daybreak he opened the window looking out to theSouth and recited Jizö 's holy name, with almost closed eyes and quieting his heart,in the hope that the Bodhisattva might appear. For it was his greatest wish to worship Jizö's living shape, ^M(D^^, instead of a picture or a wooden image whichwere only made by human hands. But he always looked out in vain the Bodhisattva
did not descend. Then somebody said to him: "Höman daibosatsu, ^ffi;^^^ofMount Kamado, m.\i\, in Tsukushi (Kyüshü) is said to be a manifestation ^ of Jizö.
Therefore Jizö's shade is sure to appear there at daybreak of the i8th and 24th ofthe month, to relate his saving of living beings to the Great Bodhisattva." Thesewords caused Myögwan to go to Mount Kamado and to spend several nights
in the temple there, praying to be allowed to worship the living Jizö. One night astately woman appeared to him in a dream and, stretching her hand towards the Hast,
spoke as follows: "If you want to worship the living Jizö, go to Mount Iwafune
reihen ki^, mentioned above.
atDaisen,in;,

Then she vanished. When
Myögwan arrived at the foot of Iwafune, the dusk was falling and he was hospitably
received by a Buddhist priest, who lived in a lonely dwelling far from the mountainvillage. This man told him that Jizö was sure to appear on the top of the mountainon the iSth and 24th of the month. If Myögwan stayed here a few days, hecould worship the Bodhisattva on the iSth. During these days he observed thatthe priest was called Jizö bö*, and that he assisted the people in all kinds of work.
During the night he heard old men and women, knocking at the door and calling
Jizö bö, whom they begged to assist them the next day in ploughing or thatchinga roof or digging a well, and the good priest always consented. He saw him actuallyengaged in all this work during daytime. In the morning of the iSth the mysterious
priest led him up the mountain and pointing to a peak he said: "That peak is Mount
Iwafune. Go there, and joining your hands look up to the top of the mountain withinShimotsuke; there the Bodhisattva shall appear."Engl, l*|B.
Ch. IX, p. 21.
^ Go suishaku,
litt, "a trace dropped down" (by a deity) ; opp. honchi, :^Ä, thedeity who manifests herseif in a different shape and with a different name (her go suishaku).
1

==

^S^,

*

Priest Jizö.

.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

70

a heart filled with devotion; then Jizö's shadow is sure to appear." After these words
he vanished behind the top, and Myögwan reverently sat down on the spot which hehad indicated, joined his palms and partially closed his eyes, but carefully watched
the top. After a while a golden Jiz5 arose from behind the top, standing upon a big
rock which resembled a ship, and spreading a hundredfold light to all sides, also
illumining Myögwan himself. When the vision had disappeared, the host returned
to his guest and said: "To-day your prayer has been fulfilled; now you can return
to your native village." Thus they descended together, and on the way the priest
in a wonderfully subtile way explained the Law to Myögwan, whom he bade farewell at the foot of the mountain, giving him some rice for the journey.

This rice

proved to be divine, for one gö of it was sufficient to fill a big kettle when it wascooked.

He distributed it to beggars and assisted starving people, and all who saw

and heard it thought it a miracle. They asked for the remaining rice and wore it
as amulets, convinced of its miraculous power. Thus this rice had at once become
a holy relic (shari^, '^^'J); its grains spread light. Afterwards the mysterious priest

was sought in vain on the mountain; he had vanished (he was, of course, Jizö himself).

We learn from this tale how the mountain goddess of Kamado, a Shintö deity, inancient times was declared by the Buddhists to be a Bodhisattva, a manifestationof Jizö.

She was apparently a female deity, like Asama, the goddess of the Fuji, for

Myögwan in the shape of a stately woman. In the oldest stories
about his original vow also Jizö himself was a woman, as we stated above (Sect. I,
she appeared to§ 2). We further learn that the i8th and 24th days of the month are
special days of worship in the Jizö cult. The 24th especially is a great day in thisCh. I,

Many festivals of Jizö temples are celebrated on thisand of the months the seventh is most frequently mentioned because it is thetime of the Uliambana, the festival of the dead. The idea of praying to see a "living
Buddha or Bodhisattva" is found even in the oldest tales, and they mostly appeared
from behind a mountain top, golden figures spreading a beautiful light amidst fivecoloured clouds: the morning sun rising in all its glory from behind the mountains.
Especially Amida, i. e. Amitäbha, the "Eternal Light", is often represented in picture,rising between two mountain tops, accompanied by his attendant Bodhisattvas,
Kwannon and Seishi (Avalokite^vara and Mahästhämapräpta)Jizö manifesting himself in the shape of a human priest and assisting old people
and women agrees well with the sütras treated above, which enumerate the various
shapes he assumes to convert the living beings and the numerous blessings which
he bestows upon those who believe in him. As to the divine rice, used as amulets,
this reminds us of the rice grains (wrapped in paper stamped with the name of thetemple), brought home by pilgrims from sacred places like the top of Mount Fuji.
respect, as we shall see below.

day,

l.

garlra(litt.

body).

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

71

We do not read in this passage, when the Jizö shrine on Mount Iwafune was
erected, but the early datementioned in the story seems to indicate the great anti-

quity of this cult.

§ 5.

Gyögi Bosatsu.

Some ancient Jizö images wäre ascribed to GYÖGI BOSATSU, ^T^^^ (670
to 749), the famous Korean priest, who was the first to combine Buddhism withand to preach the Ryöbu-Shintö doctrine, in order to break the resistance
The image of Inazumi kokubo Jizö, ^I^^^J^lli^,in the temple Tököji, !^jfe^, in Tököji village, Koma district, Kai province, wasShintö

of the Shintöists against Buddhism.

Said to be the work of Gyögi,

who carved it when regulating the water after a great

inundation in this province, and worshipped it on Shinohara no oka, where he erecteda shrine forit,called Höjöji,Ü^^. The image was removed to Kamijö in the

MINAMOTO NO YOSHIMITSU, WM^, and in the
Eiroku era (1558— 1569) TAKEDA SHINGENS Äfflfg;^, a very devout believer
Jireki era (1065—1068), by

in Jizö, placed it in Tököji where it was still in

day.2

These

details arefound in the Kai-koku shi^,passage states that ASANO NAGAMASA,
in-law, presentedof Tököji.

five

In 17101814 and probably even at the present^H^iS, which in anotheri^^^^ (1546— 1610), Hideyoshi's brother-bags (tawara) of unhulledrice

fmonii) to the Jizö shrine

YANAGIZAWA YOSHISATO, WW^S. (1687—1745), presented

a hundred pieces of white silver and a large quantity of timber to this temple andhad a new building erected, after having allowed the whole province to contributemoney for it.
Another Jizö image, ascribed to GYÖGI, towards the close of the seventeenthCentury was in the possession of a certain Mori Jizaemon in Inotsu, Awa province.

He had inherited it from his father, and it had been in his family from olden times.
was his mamon honzon, ^;$L^, or guardian god, and the connection of this image
with the family was so strong, that stränge matters happened in his house as soon
It

as he

had lent it out to a priest of a neighbouring temple.

When offerings wereplaced before the butsudan (Buddhist shrine in a private house), numberless ants

appeared, nobody knew from where, and ate the offerings; and also the meshihitsu(a wooden vessel

with a lip, used for keeping boiled rice) swarmed with ants. The

same plague infested the temple where the image was at that time, and it did notstop before the idol was returned. Afterwards, when Jizaemon had presented it toanother priest, the latter soon returned it, for night after night the so-called makura-^^—^ I. e. Takeda Harunobu,(15211573)- The Takeda family were daimyö descendfrom Minamoto Yoshimitsu. Harunobu shaved his head in 1551, and took the name of
Shingen; but he continued fighting to the last.
2 Cf. YOSHIDA TÖGO'S Dai Nihon chimei jisho, Vol. II, p.
2464.
3 "Annais of the Province of Kai", written in 1814 by MATSUDAIRA SADAYOSHI, i&W•^m.. Ch. XLIV, -^m%, Nr. 7, p. i.

ingTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

72

kaeshi^, ttjS, or "turning the pillow" prevented him from sleeping, his pillow being
turned and moved by a mysterious power. Jizö ordered him in dreams to restore
his image to Jizaemon's house,and no offerings or prayers could soothe the Bodhi-

sattva's anger; on the contrary, a host of ants again appeared in the houses of Jizae-

mon and the priest, tili the image was back in its old home.^
An earthen Jizö made byGYÖGI is mentioned in the Kyö-warabe^, mS» a workof the seventeenth Century.
itThis image was called Hara-obi (BE^) no Jizö, because

was believed to give easy birth to pregnant women. The latter wore a hara-obi

or belly-band when praying to this Jizö as well as ordinarily during her pregnancy.

A third work of the seventeenth Century, the Setsuyö gundan, mentioned above*,teils

US that the principal idol of the Jizö-dö (chapel) at Anryümachi, Sumiyoshi

was a stone Jizö made by GYÖGI BOSATSU. The people
callled this image Kubikire Jizö, "^®ife|^, or "Jizö whose head was cut off", because
the priest Junrei, ll^jfiS, when being attacked by robbers at night, was assisted andsaved by this Jizö. The next morning he saw that the head of the image lay on the
district,

Settsu province

ground and that its blood had flown (we often read about "living Images" whichbled when being wounded).^
These images, worshipped in the seventeenth Century, were, of course, ascribedto GYÖGI only because they were very old and because the believers liked to connect
with them a holy name from the remotest antiquity. The founder of Ryöbu Shintö
may actually have propagated the Jizö cult, which in the seventh Century flourishedin China. As to the Jizö shrine which he was said to have erected in Kai province,
we may mention a curious passage from the Nihon shokoku füdoki^, H^^^Mris^,or "Records of customs and geography of all the provinces of Japan", according
to which the Gyömanji temple, ^fffi^, in Tsuru district, Kai province, was the place
where ILLA, HM, a Korean from Pekche, "^^ (Kudara), practised the doctrine

Shögun Jizö in the I4th year of the reign of the Emperor Bidatsu (A. D. 585),
This lila is mentioned in the Nihongi'', which states that he was summoned to Japanby the Emperor in order to give advice with regard to Korean politics, and that
he was killed in Japan by his own followers. We shall treat of this passage below
with respect to Shögun Jizö, but we thought it interesting to compare it here withof

^ The pillow is turned in such a way, that in the morning one finds himself l3ring in an
opposite direction from that in which he lay down in the evening.
2 Kwösekishü,
Ch. II,«iSÄ, written in 1692 by the Shingon priest MUJINZÖ,

%MM.

p. 4.
3 Written by NAKAYAMA KIUN,
tfUlSÄ, and printed in 1658; quoted in the Kinsei
bungei sösho, »Rlft^StfSÄtf, printed in 1910 by the Kokusho kankö kwai, ®#?ljfr#. Ch. I,

p. 296.
*

Sect. III, Ch. I, § 2, p. 66.

5Gh. XIII, p. 27.

6

Quoted by SEITAN, Kokkwa Nr. 160, p. 66.

'

Ch. XX, Kokushi taikei Vol. I, p. 354 (A. D. 583);

ASTON'S translation, Vol. II, pp.97 sqq.

NG.

^HE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

73

about an ancient Jizö cult in Kai province. It seems that theworship
was introduced into this province at a rather early date, which
Bodhisattva's
the other tradition

was exaggerated afterwards by the fervent believers of the sixteenth Century,
when his cult appears to have greatly flourished in this part of the country. They
fact

even pretended that the small image of the Jizö temple in Jizödö village, Yatsushiro
district, was one of the three Jizö images, made by MONONOBE MORIYA,%^^M,

who in A. D. 587 was killed in the battle at Mount Shigisen against the army of
the Soga family. He was said to have made these images under the reign of theE;mpress Suiko (A.D. 593628), i.e. after his death!^ The absurdity of this traditionis clear not only from the incorrectness of the date, but especially from the fact thatMoriya was the strong adversary of Buddhism, whose fall enabled the Soga's to—propagate this foreign doctrine. Such false traditions were probably based, however,upon the comparative antiquity§

6.

of Jizö's cult in this province.

The ancient

books.

We must acknowledge that none of the Jizö images and sanctuaries, treatedin this chapter, arementioned in the Kojiki, Nihongi, Shoku Nihongi, Nihon köki

and the other ancient annals of Japan. The Fusö ryakki (about A. D. 1150)

is

the

work in which we found Jizö's name. The ancient "Füdoki", likethe Bungo füdoki, Izumo füdoki etc. (the Nihon shokoku füdoki is apparently acounterfeit of later date), the Ryö-i-ki, the Zenka hiki and the Engishiki are all
firsthistoricalsilent with regard to this subject, as well as the"monogatari" like the Utsubo, Genji,,

Konjaku and Eigwa monogatari. This is strong evidence of Jizö's obscurity until
the twelfth Century of our age. Yet the names of Köbö Daishi and Jikaku Daishi
are connected with several ancient Jizö sanctuaries, as we shall see in the next chapter.
1 Kaikokushi,

Ch. LXXVI, ffi^^, Nr. 4,

p. 7.

CHAPTER II.

THE HEIANPERIOD (794—858).
§I.

Mibu-dera.

The celebrated Jizö temple in Mibu, $^, in the South of the Shijö, V^\tk, district
J:^^, or Hödöji, tRI^^ ("Temple of the PreciousorStreamer")
Shinjökwö-in, t^W^^ ("Temple of the Pure Light of the Heart"),perhaps dates from this time. We read in the Garan kaiki ki (1689)^, mentioned
above, that it was unknown, when this shrinewas erected, but that there was an Imageof KANSHIN RISSHI, MÄ#6i|i (687—763) in the hall, which caused the authorof the work to think that this priest might have established the temple. KANSHIN
was a Chinese bonze who in A. D. 754 arrived in Japan and founded the Ritsu or
Kairitsu (i. e. Vinaya) sect. He erected so-called Kaidan or Vinaya-altars, but
we do not read of temples founded by him. The first date fixed by the author of
the Garan kaiki ki is the Shöryaku era (A. D. 990994), at the time of the Emperor
Ichijö, when Bishop KWAIKEN, '{liSf^#, Kwaiken Sözu, became abbot of thistemple. We learn from the same passage, that at the author 's time (1689) a yearly
festival was celebrated in this sanctuary, which lasted from the i4th to the 24th dayof the 3rd month. At these occasions theatrical Performances were given, representing King Emma, the King of Hell, punishing the sinners, or Jizö Son saving theliving beings. This was done to lead upon the right path those among the thousandsof visitors, men and women, old and young, who did not yet believe in Jizö's powerfulofKyoto, called Mibu-dera,—

compassion.

The Jizö Bosaisii reihen ki (1684)^, quoted above ^, relates how in the Kenkyüera (A. D. 11 90
11 98) Taira no Toshihira, f^^, a warrior, worshipped Jizö in this—temple. In spite of wind or rain, cold or heat he carried out his great vow of passing

two thousand nights in the shrine. During the last of these nights he dreamt thata priest, clad in a black robe, appeared from behind the curtain hanging before theCh. IV, p. 29.
Ch. XIV, p. 3.
' Sect. III, Ch. I,§ 3, p. 67.
1
2

rHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

75

Image, and presented him with a linen bag of white rice fhakumai, ÖtI^/ He condream to be a sign of Jizö's high favour and went home rejoiced. At

sidered thisKamakura, the famous YORITOMO, suspected Toshihirasome rebellious plot and despatched soldiers to arrest him and to take him to
Kamakura. This was done and Yoritomo was about to condemn him to death, whena priest in a black garment appeared to him in a dream and in a loud and threatening
voice f orbade him to kill Toshihira. The priest said that he lived in Mibu-dera at Kyoto
and that he was well-known to Toshihira, whom he could ask about him. The next
day Yoritomo summoned Toshihira and asked him about the matter, whereupon
the latter told him how he had passed two thousand nights in Mibu-dera and how
a priest in a black robe had given him a bag of white rice. This made such an impression upon Yoritomo, who understood that the priest was the Bodhisattva himself,that he at once acquitted Toshihira. Yoritomo had a devout belief in Jizö, as weshall see below. Whoever heard the story was convinced that the Bodhisattva's
divine assistance had saved Toshihira's life, and his worship spread all the more.
The Taiheiki'^, ^k^lS, relates how in A. D. 1340 Jizö of Mibu saved the lifeof one of Nitta Yoshisuke's rebels by delivering himself into the hands of the soldiers
as a Substitute for the man who had taken refuge into his temple. The Bodhisattva
assumed the shape of a priest and gave him his rosary in exchange of his sword.
When the soldiers came they saw the man, with a rosary in his hands and reading
a sütra, but outside they found the priest with the bloody sword, bound him andthrew him into prison. But the next morning the priest had disappeared and a divine
odour was evidence of a deity having been there instead of a mortal. When the
Jizö shrine was opened, they saw that the image was bound with ropes, and filledwith repentance they became monks at once.
The Jizö Bosatsu riyaku shü^ (1691) teils us how Jizö of Mibu protected his
worshippers against fire, by warning them in dreams against it, so that they werethat time the Shögun ofofable to extinguishitin time.

The Mibu-dera engi, i^^fl«^, or "History of the founding of the Mibu
temple"3, which states that in A. D. 1005 the principal idol of this shrine, a Jizö image,was erected (apparently in the place of an older one), gives a story about Jizö's
merciful assistance of a poor maid-servant in Kyoto, who always ardently worshipped
him. One night she had to sew a silken cloth for a newly born baby fubugi), which
her master intended to present to his relatives the next day. She zealously worked

deep in the night, but when

was ready she burned the silk while ironing it.
In despair she prayed to Jizö for help. Although it was very cold she scooped water

tili

it

from the well and after having cleaned herseif (in a religious sense, mizugori, 7iÜ^M)
Written about A. D. 1382; Ch. XXIV, p. 14.
Ch. I, p. 9.
' An old book, explained and edited in Genroku
15 (1702).
1

2

Ch. T,

p. 17.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

76

she turned her face to Mibu and worshipped Jizö, praying to hitn with all her heart,tili

she was nearly dead with cold and weariness. The next morning, when her mastercame and asked her about the cloth, she trembled with fear and looked at the fatal
Spot. But behold, the silk was more beautiful than ever, and not a Single trace of
the incident was to be seen. Her master thanked and praised her, but she herseif
thanked Jizö for his divine assistance, and from that moment adored him morethan ever.

We further read in this work^ that sand from the Compound of the Mibu temple
from olden times was believed to be an excellent mamori (charm) for obtaining
easy birth, after incantations (kaji) had been made over it. If a woman applied
it to her body, she was sure to have an easy birth, and after her delivery she brought
the sand back to the temple. A woman who had suffered for three days without
being able to give birth to her child, suddenly feit better and was delivered of ahealthy
babe when keeping in her hand some sand from Mibu which had been sent for in
the meanwhile.

§

2.

Kdhö Daishi.

Several ancient Jizö images were attributed to KÖBÖ DAISHI (774—835), whoin 806 introduced the Yoga doctrine into Japan under the name of Shingon or "TrueWords" ( Mantras, fantras), after having studied in China for two years. Three of the Six
Jizö'sof MountKöya, Köbö's holy mountain inKii province, were said to be hiswork:
thatoiKe-ö-in, <KH%, Jürin-in, +^1?^, and Yama no dö, llj®^. Thejizöof Ke-ö-in
was called Kotsumi (yfcfa) no Jizö or "Jizö who piled up the wood", because he had
cut wood and piled it up on behalf of the old woman in whose house he stood. She
was ill and could not foUow the command of the chief of the village, who in A. D. 1270
ordered the villagers to cut wood for making salt at the foot of Mount Katsuragi.
She complained that the wooden Jizö image, to which she used to make offeringsin the morning and at night, did not cut the wood for her. Then she feil asleep andin her dream saw a small priest go out of the house and return after a while. "Oldmother", said he, "I have done the work for you." When she awoke, she actually
saw the firewood piled up as high as the roof, and the hands and feet of the image
were covered with mud, a sign that it had acted as her Substitute. ^The Jizö of Jürin-in (the name of this temple was apparently derived from the
Sütra on the Ten Wheels, mentioned above^) appeared in the shape of a small priest
at the bed of the abbot when thieves were about to kill him, and saved the priest
by terrifying the thieves. Another time the abbot ordered the servant of the temple
to rake away the snow in the garden early in the morning, because Jizö every morning

rose early and went out to save the living beings; thus the snow had to be swept
1

Ch. T, p. 20.

2

Kwösekishü (1692), Ch. I, p. 2 a.

3Sect. I, Ch. I, § 3, p. 13.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

77

away beforehand. The servant obeyed, but one day he uttered the wish that Jizö
might for once do the work himself. And behold, the next morning there was nosnow in the garden, and the snowy footprints on the verandah of the Jizö hall leading into the innermost of the room where the image stood were clear evidence ofthe fact that Jizö himself had raked away the snow. Hence the Bodhisattva wascalled Yuki-kaki (SM) Ji^ö, "the Snow-raking Jizö".i
As to the Jizö of the Yania no dö, a poor priest, who passed night after nightin this chapel and prayed to become rieh, dreamt that Jizö Bosatsu gave him a "Pearlwhich grants all desires".^ And he became rieh, but at the same time wicked andextravagant. Then Jizö again appeared to him in a dream and took back the precious
pearl, whereupon he became poor like before. This caused repentance and wisdom
to arise in his heart, and finally his fame spread far and wide.^
The Käya no shiori*, iftif© L^ ^, or "Guide of Köya" mentions three other
Jizö's on this mountain, One of them, called Indö Jizö, ^I^JÖi^, or "Jizö wholeads (the souls to Paradise)", was made by Köbö Daishi, that Jizö might lead theliving beings after their death to the Pure Land (Sukhävati). When Köbö died, thisimage rolled its pupils with sorrow. Even at the present time all funeral processions
on Köya-san stop before this idol and pray to Jizö to lead the dead to the Pure Land;
then they continue their way to the burial place. The two other Jizö's are called
Kazutori (M^) Ji^ö or "Counting Jizö", because he counts the times the believers
Visit

the Inner shrine (Oku-in) and thereby judges the degree of their belief 5,

andDokumi (^^) Jizö or Ambai-mi (IS^^) no Jizö, i. e. "Jizö who tastes the foodwhether it is not poisonous", because he is said to daily test the offerings brought
to theancestral hall.®

Köbö Daishi was also said to have made the Jizö image of Tokuseiji, ^|R^,in

Sumiyoshi

priest of thisto

district,

Awa province. When in the Eiroku era (1558— 1569) the

temple was ordered by the governor of the province to bring a letter

Kyoto, he laid the letter-box (fumi-bako) before the image and supplicated Jizö

to assisthim, as the very bad condition of the mountain roads and the roughnessof the sea as well as thebusy time (it was towards the close of the year) made theAfter this prayer he feit asleep. How great

Order extremely difficult to be fulfilled.

was his astonishment, when the next morning another letter, the answer from Kyoto,
was in the box instead of that of the governor. This was the work of Jizö, and witha heart filled with gratitude and admiration for the Bodhisattva's power the priest
took the letter to his lord. The same night a priest had arrived in Kyoto at the house
Kwösekishü, Ch. I, p. 2.
Nyo-i höju, MM^^, cintämani.
^ Kwösekishü, 1. c.
" Written in 1895 by IMURA MAKOTO,' L. c,p. 75.
« L. c,p. 85.
1

2

^WÄ^

;

p. 68.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

78
of Miyoshi Nagatoshi, tothe letterTwoof Awa.

whom the letter was addressed, and after having delivered

had departed with the answer!

This priest was Jizö himself!^other Jizö images, ascribed to Köbö, were found in the same province

That of Mujinsan Jizöji, M'^lllilÖl^^, in the village of Yatake, :?^5^, wasa very small idol, only one siin eight bu in length. The great Shintö god of Kumanoin theshape of an old man appeared to Köbö and gave him a sacred piece of wood,that he might carve an image and place it on this spot.

Spot were filled withm

For both the wood and the(M', Chin. ling, power of manif estation),

so that they should

Then Kükai made a Jizö image
As the divine power of this idol wasgive peace to the realm and felicity to the people.

and erected a temple for it on that very spot.
manifest by its fulfilling all prayers offered up to it, great crowds of pilgrims flocked
to the temple. Afterwards the abbot of the shrine, Jöyü, ^^, by name, in consequence of a divine revelation in a dream made a larger Jizö image and placed
the small one in its chest.^ He also made images of Amida and Yakushi Nyorai,
and erected shrines of the Great Shintö gods of Kumano and Ise whom he appointed
patron deities of the Buddhist temple. This story is an interesting specimen of theclever way in which the Buddhist priests blended Shintöism with their own doctrine.^
Rikköji, jtil^, in Awa province, also called Jizö-in, Öill^I^, was said to havebeen built by order of the Emperor Shömu (A. D. 724 749), who had a Jizö image
made to pray to it, that the Crownprincess might have an easy birth. This image wascalled Koyasu ('f^) no Jizö or "Easy birth Jizö". Afterwards Köbö Daishi visited
the shrine and made a bigger image, which became the principal idol of the temple.*
We read the following in the engi or history of the erection of Köfukusan—

Chödenji, jfeiiigllj^E0TF, in Chödenji village, litaka

district, Iseprovince.

In oldentimes there lived in this village a rieh man, Renkö by name, who for many years

had been a devout believer in Jizö Bosatsu, but to his great regrethad neither a wooden
image nor a picture of the Bodhisattva. On the 24th day of the yth month (a day
especially sacred to Jizö, as we remarked above^) of A. D. 770 he saw a divine red
light in the direction of Kamikawa village. He went there and discovered that thelight came from a withered tree floating on the water and carried by the tide to
Kawakami bridge. As he considered it to be a sacredtree, he had it brought to his
house and placed in a Buddhist domestic chapel, where he worshipped it. Afterwards, in the third month of A. D. 796, Köbö Daishi on his way to the Great Shrineof Ise, visited Renkö and saw the withered tree. He carved it into a Jizö image, butwhen he had finished the Upper part of its body and began to carve its loins and legs,
the idol bled heavily. "It is a living Bodhisattva," exclaimed the Daishi with fright,
Kwösekishü, Ch. I, p. i b.
This was often done with small Jizö images, as^ Garan kaiki ki (1689), Ch. VII, p. 2.
* Garan kaiki ki, Ch. VII, p.
7.
^ Sect. III, Ch. I,§ 4, p. 70.
^-

we shall see below.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

79

and imtnediately stopped carving. For thisreason its lower part was, even in the seventeenth Century, an old withered piece of wood,with oystershells sticking to it.^

One of the oldest Jizö images of Japan is
Umoregi (ÖItK, i. e. wood buried
earth)
theJizö, so named because it wasin

the so-called

dug out of the earth (Fig. ii).
idol of Jürin-in,

Ten Wheels"2, aM^^,

Kwöryüji,This is the+^|%, the "Temple of thechapel belonging toa large Buddhist temple

littleUzumasa, Kyoto. This image is represented in the Kokkwa^, where its history, datingfrom A. D.1230, is quoted. The traditions of
the temple as well as the Miyako meisho zue*,M^'ßJxM'^, or "Pictures of famous placesin

Capital" ascribe it to Köbö Daishi.

in theIt

carries the precious pearl in its left hand, while

the right one hangs down with the open palmin front.

This is according to the Japanese

text the ahhayamudrä,

and both attribute andmudräare common to the ancient Jizö images
Köbö. Also SEITAN {Kokkwa
Nr. 159, p. 46) calls it a second form of theascribed toahhayamudrä, but in my opinion it is thevaradamudrä, in> which the hand is held down
instead of being raised.

Further,

its

style

seems to indicate that at any rate it does notbelong to a period later than the Fujiwara time(from the middle of the ninth to the last quarterof the eleventh Century).

Seiyöeakki,^^%MZ, "Miscellaneous records

1

on Ise province", Vol. V, p. 54. A manuscript written
by YAMANAKA HYÖSUKE. lÜ^ÄSÜ, in A. D. 1656.
2

Cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. II, § 2, p. 76.

Nr. 156, p. 230 (the Japanese text; there
are mistakes in the English text).
* Written in 1786 by AKISATO RITÖ, $iWM&.
"

Umoregi Jizö of Jürin-in, in Kwöryüji at
Kyoto (9th Cent.), with pearl and varadamudrä).

Fig. II.

Kokkwa Nr. 156, PI. VII.

IIV I L-Il I IV^Ilf^L. V^l— V/W/l'

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

78
of Miyoshi Nagatoshi, towhom the letter was addressed, and after having delivered

the letter had departed with the answer!

Two other Jizö images,of Av/a.

This priest was Jizö himself!'

ascribed to Köbö, were found in theThat of Mitjinsan Ji:i~'ii. M4ll\\\i^M':i-,same province
wasin the village of Yatake, '^<.i^,a very sniall idol, only one siiii eight Im in length. The great Shintö god of Kumanoin theshape of an old man appeared to Köbö and gave him a sacred piece of wood,that he might carve an image and place

Spot were filled with rci

iton this spot. For both the wood and the{''M, Chin. /;»;'. power of manifestation), so that they should

Then Kükai made a Jizö image
and erected a temple for it on that very spot. As the divine power of this idol was
manifest by its fulfilling all prayers offered up to it, great crowds of pilgrims flocked
to the temple. Afterwards the abbot of the shrine, Jöyü, 'Äi.'4'i, by name, in consequence of a divine revelation in a dream made a larger Jizö image and placed
the small one in its ehest.'- He also made images of Amida and Yakushi Nyorai,
and erected shrines of the Great Shintö gods of Kumano and Ise whom he appointed
patron deities of the Buddhist temple. This story is an interesting specimen of thegive peace to the realm and felicity to the people.

clever way in which the Buddhist priests blended Shintöism with their own doctrine."'Rikköji.

>/lir. .'/,

in

Awa province, also called y/;ö-/»,been built by order of the Emperor Shömu (A. D. 724—

iljiifgcl'/i;,

was said to have749), who had a Jizö image

made to pray to it, that the Crownprincegs might have an casy hirth. This image wascalled KdViisii ( f'ii) im Jizü or "Easy birth Jiz5". Afterwards Köbö Daishi visited
the shrine and made a bi^ger image, which became the principal idol of the temple.

We read the following in the(

hi'dciiji,:)ti|ii'ii|ll''i'I'l[ri

.'i',

in

c}i;j;ior history of the erection of Köhtkiisdit

Chödenji village, litaka

district, Iseprovince.

In oldenman, Renkö by name, who for many years
had been a devout believer in Jizö Bosatsu, but to his great regret had neither a wooden
image nor a picture of the Bodhisattva. On the 24th day of the 7th month (a day
especially sacred to Jizö, as we remarked above"') of A. D. 770 he saw a divine red
light in the direction of Kamikawa village. He went there and discovered that thelight came from a with^red tree floating on the water and carried by the tide to
Kawakami bridge. As he considered it to be a sacredtree, he had it brought to his
house and placed in a Buddhist domestic chapel, where he worshipped it. Afterwards, in the third month of A. D. 796, Köbö Daishi on his way to the Great Shrineof Ise, visited Renkö and saw the withered tree. He carved it into a Jizö image, butwhen he had finished the upper part of its body and began to carve its loins and legs,
times there lived in this village a rieh

the idol bled heavily. "It is a living Bodhisattva," exclaimed the Daishi with fright,
I

'
'

'-

/v\.v-.vA/s//r(, Ch. I, p. ib.
This was offen done with small Jizö images, as(juivu kaiki ki (1689), Ch. VII, p. 2.
Carui! kaiki ki, Ch. VII, p. 7.
Sect. III, Ch. I, sj 4, p. 70.

we shall see below.

iTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

79

For

immediately stopped carving.

;ind

eason

this

lower part was, even in the seven-its

leenth Century, an old withered piece of wood,
vvitlioystershells sticking toit.^

One of the oldest Jizö Images of Japan is
ilie

in

so-called l'nuircgi (i'Mv, i.e. wood buried

the earth) Jizö, so

named because it wasThisdug out of the earth (Fig. ii).
Jürin-in,idol of"l'fjniF/li,

Ten Wheels"-, aK'iiörvüji,

thechapel belonging toHttle/Ä"|l% .'jS

the

is

"Temple of thea large Buddhist temple

Uzumasa, Kyoto. This image is represented in the Kokkaur; where its history, datingfrom A. D. 1230, is quoted. The traditions of
the temple as well as the Mivaku iiicishd zucor "Pictures of famous places
fil'^ß'?li"il'fr,
in

',

in

the Capital" ascribe

itto Köbö Daishi.

Itcarries the precious pearl in its left hand, while

the right one hangs down with theThisin front.

isopen palm

according to the Japanese

text the ahluiyauuidnl,

and both attribute andiiuidrä&ve common to the ancient Jizö images

ascribed toKöbö.

Nr. 159, p. 46) calls
ahliüvaiiiiidrä,

Also
it

but inSEITAN(Kökh-.raa second form of the

my opinion it isthevaradamudrä, in which the hand is held down
instead ofbeing raised.

Further,

its

style

seems to indicate that at any rate it does notbelong to a period later than the Fujiwara time(from the middle of the ninth to the last quärter
eleventh Century).

of theSciyO Kukki, ^>l>äi'!i'.,ill, "Miscellaneous recörds'

on Iseprovince", Vol. V, p. 54. A manuscript written
by YAMANAKA HYÖSUKE, lü t|' Kitt, in A. D. 1656.
-

Cf.

above, Sect. III, Ch. II,ij2,

p. 76.

Nr. 156, p. 230 (the Japanese text;
are mistakes in the English text).
'

there

Written in 1786 by AKISATO RITO, fv'P.Sftß.

Umoregi Jizö of Jürin-in, in Kwöryüji at
Kyoto (gth cent.), with pearl and varadamudrä).

Fig. II.

Kokkwa Nr. 156, PI. VII.

J

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

8o

We read in the history of this image, mentioned above, thatin a hollow Bodhi tree in the wood,it

was discovered

which gave forth a stränge sound when Struckand emitted a brilliant light on the ten fast-days.^ As the people considered it thework of foxes or tanuki^, a woodcutter cut the tree and found the image, which
was something more than three shaku long. The axe having hit its abdomen andelbow, the woodcutter prostrated himself on the ground and asked forgiveness forhis evil deed.

His fright changed into joy, however, when the Bodhisattva appeared

to him in a dream and praised him for having caused theimage to appear, because

had come into this world to save the living beings (instead
Thus he mended the idol, which had a majestic and beautiful face,and placed it in a special chapel, called Jürin-in, at the rear of Kwöryüji. The fameof its divine power soon spread and attracted large crowds of pilgrims, tili it suddenly
disappeared in A.D. 1150, eleven days before a big fire destroyed the whole Kwöryü
temple. In the next five years the sound of wood-cutting was heard in the Southwest, and a brilliant light shone over the woods at night. At last a man who wasgathering fuel heard a voice calling from under the earth, and began to dig on the
spot tili he found the image. He carried it home and worshipped it, but it was not
repaired before Jizö had in dreams admonished the monk who had placed it in ashrine, to heal his painful wounds. When this monk in A. D. 1179 sent it to a makerof Buddhist images, a priest of Kwöryüji heard this and bought it. Thus it returned
to its former sanctuary, where it is still at the present day. A man, who in A. D. 1221
had Stolen it, brought it back two years later. He came at night and left it at theeastern gate of Kwöryüji, with a wooden placard on which he had written the following words: "I wished to make this image my chief idol, but in a dream it said to me:he, the Bodhisattva,of being hidden).

'Take me back to the Kwöryü temple, for I have made a strong vow to live there.'

For this reason I present the image to this temple."
The Jizö image of Emmyöji, 5^-^^, in Konishimi (/h®M) village, Nishikibe(SSp15) district, Kawachi province, a stone idol ascribed to Köbö Daishi, was famousfor giving easy birth and for curing the sick. This Jizö severely punished sacrilege,
for a man who had eaten some of the fishes ffunaj of the little pond in the temple
Compound, soon after suffered from leprosy which caused his death. The name
Em?nyöji seems to indicate that this was an Emmyö Jizö, a "Lengthener of Life",
but if this was the case, the image dated from the lyth Century instead of from the+^0^
jü saijitsu: the following days of the month: i, 8, 14, 15, 18, 23, 24, 28, 29 and 30.
These days are mentioned in the Sütra on the Original Vow of Kshitigarbha and in that on the
Ten Kings, as the days on which the officials of Hades (Siä^^'g', godö no meikwan) fix
the degrees of punishment of the dead. Therefore they are days of saikai (^jfi, religious purification by abstaining from certain articles of food and from all uncleanliness) shöjin {^'M,abstaining from animal food) or of reading sütras.
religious purification- Cf my paper on the Fox and the Badger in Japanese folklore, Transactions of the Asiatic
Society of Japan, Vol. XXXVI, Part. III.
,

,

:

.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
ninth, for the

8i

Emmyö Jizö sütra which gave rise to the cult of Emmyö Jizö wasprobably written in the i7th Century.

been given, however, to

The name of "Emmyöji" may then havefor temple names were often changed—

an old shrine —and also the Image may have been much older than the name "Emmyö" suggests.^
Yet its antiquity was probably much exaggerated, like in the case of the seven mirrors,
shintai or "god-bodies" of the Shintö god Sannö (Ökuninushi, Hiyoshi) of Sannösha,lil5:iEh, inSaikachi(Hf^iiii) village, Ösumi (^fctt) district, Sagami province. Tradition

Köbö Daishi
Köbö was said to have madeSaid that these mirrors were presented by a Buddhist^, clad in white, toduring his stay in China.

After his return to Japan,

them the shintai of a Shintö temple which he erected (!) and called Sannösha. Thiswas said to have happened in the Daidö era (806 809). We would be very sceptic
with regard to this stränge story even if the mirrors themselves did not deny it. Hut—

we need not discuss their probable age, for on one of them we read the following
inscription: "Petitioner: Kakuju-maru, füftl^A. On a lucky day in the beginning of summer (4th month) of the 4th year of Kyöroku (1531)." This "petitioner",
who in offering up his prayer presented a work of his own hand (Kakuju-maru isapparently an artist's name), represented a Jizö figure, sitting with crossed legs
on a lotus and keeping a pearl in his left, a khakkhara in his right hand, on theback of the mirror.
offerings

Later generations connected

Köbö Daishi's name with theseand declared them to be Sannö's shintail^In the same province the principal idol of a Jizö shrine in Nishi koiso (M/J"»5il)
was said to have been the jinembutsu, ^;isfS, or private Buddhist tutelary

village

Soga Sukenari's concubine, who in A. D. 1193 küled herseif after
two brothers. In this image another, much smaller Jizö
idol was hidden*, which was attributed to Köbö Daishi and which had been Soga

deity of Tora,

the heroic death of the

Sukenari's jinembutsu.^

Ahurakake (VÄM) Jizö or "Greasy Jizö", in Andöji machi, ^^^WT, in thecentre of Osaka, was pretended to be Köbö's work. This image was called so because
if those who suffered from intermittent fever smeared it with oil and prayed to it,they were sure to recover.®
If we may believe the author of the Genkö Shakusho'^ 7C^^#, Köbö practised,^^

Kwösekishü (1692), Ch. II, p. 2.
ilA, a Chinese term; 5ä-fc is a Taoist doctor.

' Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö, ^S+05^M.J;sE.frS, or "Sketch of a new description of customs
and land of Sagami province", written in 1841 by MASHA SHISHIN, fii'^-iiit, and 26 others.

Ch. XLVII,*

Ösumi district, sect. 6, p. 10.

B^fS, haragomori,"hidden in the belly" (haragomori no ho is a foetus), often used in theimage being hidden in a larger one.
5 Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö, Ch. XLI, Yuruki district, sect.
3, p. 31.

Sense of a small"'

Setsuyö -gundan (1698), Ch. XII, p. 53.
Written before A. D. 1346 by the Buddhist priest SHIREN, gipH, Kokushi taikei Vol. XIV,

Ch. IX, p. 782.

;THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

82

a mystic Jizö doctrine, which he called "Jizö's rule", M0.Wl, or "Method of breaking
the hells",^^MW^^. The name "Jizö's rule" at once reminds us of the Ti-tsang

P'u-sah i-kwei, itfilS^iS^ift,, the Tantric treatise mentioned above^, where theBodhisattva himself gave mantras and prescribed the way of making his effigy

and performing the homa (Jap. goma) offerings. The Buddhist priest CHISEN, ^;^,
a nephew of Köbö, deeply deplored his mother's death and for three years continually
prayed to all the Buddhas that they might let him know his mother's fate after death.
Then a deity in a dream revealed to him that she had fallen into hell. Chisen, filledwith sorrow, asked Köbö Daishi how he could save her from hell, whereupon Köbö
taught him the Jizö doctrine, ittl|^'2i, i. e. the "Jizö rule". After he had ardently
practised this doctrine, one night his mother appeared to him in a dream, clad ina beautiful garment, and told him that she had been saved by his practising the
Jizö rule, and that she was now to be reborn in heaven.
§3.

Dengyö and Jikaku Daishi.

Whereas the Shingon sect was represented by Köbö Daishi, the principal figures
its founder, DENGYÖ DAISHI, ^1^^^, and his eminent
pupil JIKAKU DAISHI, ^^^X^- The former, whose priest name was SAICHÖ,
McW. (A. D. 767 822), visited China in A. D. 802 and returned in A. D. 805. Heof the Tendai sect were—

founded the Tendai sect, called after the T'ien-t'ai mountain in the Chinese province
Enryaku-ji, which

Cheh-kiang, which formed the centre of this doctrine in China.

he had built on Hieizan in A. D. 788, became the centre of the Tendai sect in Japan.
His famous pupil ENNIN, Ill't (A. D. 794 864), whose posthumous title is JIKAKUDAISHI, in 838 accompanied the Japanese ambassador Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu—

famous Buddhist temples and
The names of these
two men being repeatedly connected with Jizö images and sanctuaries, we may
conclude from this that the Jizö cult was propagated in Japan by the Tendai as well
as by the Shingon sect. The former sect preached the exoteric, the letter the esotericto

China and stayed there

for nine years, visiting

copying many texts, which he afterwards published in Japan.

doctrine.

The Jizö Bosatsu riyakushü (1691)^ mentions a standing image of Jizö, ascribedto

DENGYÖ DAISHI, which in the Genroku era (1688 — 1703) stood in a privatehouse in Muromachi, Kyoto. This Jizö gave easy birth to the women who worshipped
him and saved them from an untimely death in child-bed.
The Jizö temple at Suzuka no Seki, #nÄ0P, in Ise province, was said to be
erected by Dengyö Daishi. This sanctuary, one of the famous places of the Tökaidö,

was consumed by fire in A. D. 1260, but was rebuilt in the Bummei era (146912Sect. II, Ch. II, § I, p. 44 sqq.
Ch. IV, p. 33.

— 1486)

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

83

image were opened by the celebrated Rinzai priest IKKYU OSHÖ^,— fiC^Olp?, which shows that the shrine at that time belonged to the Rinzai branch

the eyes of theof theZen sect. Afterwards it was burnt down again; its rebuilding took place in

A. D. 1696.2

The image of Höyake (®!l^) no Jizö or "Jizö who burned his cheeks", in the
Compound of Seshü-in, M-i^^, in Tanimachi, ^BT, Osaka, where it stood in achapel at the end of the i7th Century, was said to have suffered in hell as a Substitutefor a woman, who in this way escaped the terrible punishment of the yakekane,ll^^, or "burning irons". This image, was a reihutsu, Mfft, i- e. an idol which(manifestation of vital power), showed its divinity by hearing
by much ling,
the prayers of its worshippers and performing miracles. This image was said to be
the work of Jikaku Daishi. When YORITOMO went to Kyoto, he expressed his®

gratitude to this Jizö for his wonderful protection.^

Jikaku Daishi was also mentioned as the founder of Daisenji, ;^lll^, a Jizö
shrine on the sacred mountain Öyama,:;^lil,in Höki province.

We learn this fromYOSHIDA TÖGO'S Dai Nihon chiniei jisho*, where the Genkö Shakusho is quoted,
which declared the Shintö god of this mountain to be a manifestation" of Jizö. The
Garan kaiki ki^, however, says that this temple was built by order of the Emperor—

Shötoku (A. D. 765 770) and that the fame of its great divinity was still prevalent
in the author's days (A. D. 1689). Shötoku was said to have issued this order, because
he had heard about a miracle wrought by a private Jizö image in the possession

who lived at the foot of Mount Öyama and who had a strong
belief in Jizö. One day, when he came home after having shot a stag in the mountains, and was about to worship Jizö, he was much frightened by seeing his arrow
sticking in the image and blood flowing out of the wound. He understood that theBodhisattva in his great compassion with all living beings had given his own bodyas a Substitute for the stag and had been wounded in its place. This caused him toshave his head and to become a monk; he had his house pulled down and a Jizöof a certain Toshikata,shrine built

on the spot.

When the Emperor heard this story, he decided to erecta temple there himself, in order to dedicate this to the miraculous image.

Other Images attributed to Dengyö Daishi and Jikaku Daishi shall be mentioned
below, in the paragraphs devoted to the Six Jizö's^

and Shögun Jizö.*

As kaigen no döshi,Seiyö zakki (1656), Vol. II, p. 31; Tökaidö meisho ki, ^Äil^^sE, written in the
Kwambun era (1661— 1672), by ASAI RYÖ-I, vS^T.t [Onchi shösho, jä^ÄÄ, Vol. I, Ch. V,2

pp. 180, sqq.); Isesangü meisho zue, ^^%'M^BfM^, Ch. II,

Setsuyö gundan (1698), Ch. XII, p. 44.
* Vol. I, p. 1007.
^ Ch. VI, p. 51.
^'

This chapter, §§ 5 and6.

p. 28.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

84§

Obitoki-dera at Nara.

4.

We read in the Nanto meisho shü^, ^M^^J^M, or "Collection of famous placesof theBfl-F",Southern Capital (Nara)" that Some-dono, Ife^, i.e. Fujiwara no Akiko,
the Consort of the Emperor Montoku (A. D. 851
858), erected a Jizö temple—

after having given birth to Prince Korehito in A. D. 851.

throne in A. D. 859 as theThis prince mounted theboy-emperor of Japan, and Fujiwara Yoshifusa,
his grandfather, reigned as his guardian; from that time the Fujiwara house had
the supreme power in its hands. A legend says that the Empress was pregnant for
33 months without being able to give birth to her child. As she suffered terribly,
the physicians exhausted their science without any effect, and high Buddhist priests,
firstknown for the efficacy of their prayers, in vain practised their secret doctrines.
Offerings fnusa) were sent toallpowerful Buddhas and Shintö gods and prayers

were offered up in their temples, but without any success. Then the Great Shintö
god of Kasuga,
H ;^PJfi$, Kasuga Daimyöjin, Some-dono's ujigami (ancestral god),
one night appeared to her in a dream and said: "There is in Soekami district (where
Nara is situated) a Jizö, made in the shape of a kuntai,(a waist cloth worn^^^

women) (!). In olden times, when I was present at Cäkyamuni's expounding
the Law, I made an agreement with Jizö Bosatsu. I said to him that none of thebytortures of hell were more pitiful than the sufferings of women in a difficult childbirth.

The Bodhisattva answered: 'If in those times they take their refuge to me,

shall stop their sufferings and cause them to feel at ease.'

For this reason I (thegod of Kasuga) carved the Jizö image and put it up. Make haste to pray to it."Thus spoke the Shintö god, and messengers were sent at once to Soekami district(i. e. to Nara).
In no time the Empress gave birth to a son, Prince Korehito. ThenI

she erected a Jizö temple at Nara, and called it "Obitoki-dera,^M^> or "Temple

for loosening the girdle", because it was dedicated out of gratitude for an easy birth.
The number of pilgrims who soon flocked to this shrine was as numerous as thevisitors of a market place.
This curious story throws a clear light upon the blending of Shintö and Buddhism,
and upon Jizö's nature as a special protector of women and a bestower of easy birth.

§

5.

The Six Jizö's.

The idea of Jizö dividing himself into numberless bodies to save the living beingsof the six paths fgati) was found in the principal sütras, as we saw above.^ Thismay have led the Chinese and Japanese Buddhists to the conception of six Jizö's,
each of whom had the task of saving the beings of one of the gati. In China, however,1

Written in A. D. 1675 bym, Gh. VIII, p. 2.
2

Sect.

I,

Ch. I.

MURAI MICHIHIRO, W^iiSi,andÖTA NOBUCHIKA,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

85

we read about these six Jizö's only in the Sütra on the Ten Kings^, written before
the I3th Century by a Chinese monk who wanted to blend Buddhism with Taoism.
The aulhor succeeded in spreading in China the belief in the Ten Kings of Hell,invented by himself, but the Six Titsang's never got hold of the Chinese mind. In
Japan, on the contrary, the Ten Kings remained in obscurity, and even NICHIREN
could not make them populär by writing a minute description of their departments
and Courts^, while the Six Jizö's shone in ever brighter glory.
If we may believe the author of the Garan kaiki ki (A. D. 1689)^, the cult of

from the ninth Century. ONO TAKAMURA, /Mffi (A. D.
802 852), a high official and one of the best authors of his time, was said to havegone to hell and to have been ordered by King Yama to make six images of Jizö.
After his revival he obeyed the command and erected the six idols in Kii district,
Yamashiro province, that they might assist the living beings of the six gati. The
neighbouring village was afterwards called Roku Jizö mura or "Village of the Six
Jizö's". The divine power manifested by these images was so great, that their famereached the Emperor Montoku, who in A. D. 851 issued a special order to build
a temple there and to place the idols in this shrine. A thousand Buddhist priests
had to eulogize Jizö and to hang "precious flags", ^^, on many trees in the mountain woods; for this reason this region got the name of Kobata, "Tree-flags", tKiI^,and the temple was called Kohata-dera, TfClj^"^, besides its original name of Jömyöji,W^^, or "Pure and Wonderful Temple". Afterwards its name was changed into
Daizenji, :)^M^, or "Shrine of Great Virtue". It was dedicated in A. D. 851, on
the 24th day of the 7th month, this day being specially devoted to Jizö's worship,
the Six Jizö's dates—

apparently in connection with the festival of the dead (Uliambana).

Thirty years—

Emperor Yözei (A. D. 877 884) had the temple repaired and appointed
the Tendai priest ENCHIN,(814—891) (CHISHÖ DAISHI, ^W:i<M) abbotof the shrine. Also the Emperors Murakami (A. D. 947
967) and Shirakawa (A. D.
10731086) had it repaired and improved. In the reign of Go Ichijö Tennö, inthe 4th month of A. D. 1023, when a severe epidemy made many victims in thecapital, Jizö of Kobatadera, in the shape of a priest, appeared in a dream to thelater the

B^

—

—

Tendai priest NINKÖ HÖSHI, fUj^^ißlp, abbot of Gidarinji*, fiSPt^^, in Kyoto,
and advised him to order the people to worship the Six Jizö's, in order to be freed

from the disease as well as from the sufferings of the three (evil) roads, H?^0^,9"
The abbot acted in accordance with this revelation, and an immense crowd, oldand young, men and women, went up to the temple of Kobata and prayed to theSix Jizö's.

above, Sect. II, Ch. I, § i, p. 25.
above, Sect. 11, Ch. I, § 4, p. 38.
Ch. V, p. 18.
Cf. YOSHIDA TÖGO'S Geogr. Dict., Vol. I,

1

Cf.

2

Cf.

^
*

And behold, the disease suddenly stopped!

p. 29,

who wrongly pronounces Kitarinji.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

86

On the 24th day of the yth month (again the same date) of A. D. 1157 the Prime
Minister TAIRA NO KIYOMORIS ^fra#, who was a great believer in Jizö andcaused all people to worship this Bodhisattva, distributed the Six Jizö's among six
villages:

Roku Jizö mura (which he called thus in order to save from oblivion theorigin of the idols),

Toba, Katsura, Uzumasa, Mizoro-ike and Yamashina^,

all in

the neighbourhood of Kyoto.

Afterwards,

also

in

the twelfth Century,

SAIKÖ HÖSHI,24th day of the 7th month of an unknown year for the

first

ffijfe^ißijj,time visitedon thealltheand caused others to follow his example. "From that time
down to the present day (A. D. 1689)", says the author of the Garan kaiki ki,"thousands of people yearly visit the six places on the 24th day of the 7th month,and many groups of twenty, thirty or forty men from the neighbouring districts
go there in procession, beating bells and drums and reciting the invocation of Amida's
holy name."
The Gempei seisuiki^, Ü^^^ÄbS» under the heading of "Saikö's stüpas (sotoba)", relates how this priest to save the people from calamities, caused by their evil
deeds in former existences, made seven groups of Six Jizö's and erected these on sevendifferent cross-roads. He placed these images in a circle upon stüpas and thus dedicatedthem on those seven spots. He said: "In my wordly life I was an unbelieving man,and heaped crime upon crime from morning tili night. Shall I therefore enter the
Eight Great Närakas (Heils) ?" And he prayed to the Bodhisattva to protect him in
the present and future life according to his original vow of great compassion.
In A. D. 1495 the Shögun ASHIKAGA YOSHIZUMI, ^MWB:, had a new
temple built at Roku Jizö village, which was dedicated on the 24th day of the 5thmonth. We learn from YOSHIDA TÖGO'S Dai Nihon chimei jisho* that at the present
day there is still a Roku Jizö dö at the foot of Kobata yama, east of Fushimi. He
refers to the Yamashiro shi^, ÜJ^jfe, which says that there is a Roku Jizö dö in the
Compound of Daisenji, which was formerly called Kobata Jömyöji. He further
quotes the Myöseki shi, ^^jfe, which states that the temple was erected in A. D. 852
by the Emperor Montoku, and that in A. D. 1157 five of the six Jizö images weremoved to Yamashina, Toba, Katsura, Tokiwa, "ffiM, and Mizoro-ike,
six Jizö's successively^^Ü^.

sect, for ENCHIN andNINKÖ HÖSHI were priests of this sect. DENGYÖ DAISHI (A.D. 767—822), theThe Kobata temple apparently belongs to the Tendai

founder of the Tendai sect, was said to have erected six stone images of Jizö at Saka-

moto, S^, from where they were removed to six different spots in JIKAKU DAISHI'S^

1118— 1181, the greatest of the Taira House.

3

Written about 1250; Teikoku Bunko,*Vol. I, p. 153.
Written in A. D. 1734.

'^WiCM, Vol. V, Ch. VI, p. 146.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
time (A. D. 794—864). The

according to the tradition87

idol of the Jizö chapel in Baba-michi,^jMM, on Hieizan,

was one of these six.^

Besides the Tendai sect the Shingon doctrine
the Six Jizö's.

was connected with the cult ofThree of the six images worshipped in different shrines on Mount

Köya, the centre of the Shingon sect, which we mentioned above^, were attributed

Köbö Daishi, and one (that of Yörö-in, ^M^) to ONO TAKAMURA, the same
who erected the Six Jizö's of Roku Jizö village. The names of the makersof the two other images are not mentioned. The Kwösekishü (A. D. 1692)^ relates
the following story about the Jizö of Yörö-in. A proud priest, whose heart wastoofficial

filled with pride instead of compassion, prayed at this temple toobtain a Bodhi heart,

But Jizö appeared to him in a dream and led him to a broad field (this is the usual
term for the way to hell).

Then he said to him: "Here is the way leading to the
Although you are constantly making offerings to me, your heart
is wicked and you cannot obtain the'fruit of Buddha'. I have led you to this place
Six Roads (gati).*toshow you the miseries of the Three (evil) Roads, that you may obtain a Bodhi
After these words he showed him the punishments of the Mountain ofheart."

swords^ and of the Sword-trees^, the Hot water in caldrons^, the Furnace coal^and thesufferings of the 136 hells.^* This frightful sight made such a deep impression upon
the priest that he was converted at once and Bodhi entered his heart. Then his guide,
who hitherto seemed to be a human being, assumed the shape of Jizö Bosatsu andthe River of ashes^, the Filth^", the Copper pillars" and the Iron couches^^,praised him,

whereupon he awoke. From this time he was such a devout believer

in Jizö and his heart was so füll of Bodhi, that his fame spread all over the country,

The Jizö of Saishö-in, McM^, the fifth of the six Jizö shrines on Köya san,in the shape of a little priest gathered fuel on behalf of the poor priest of this temple

and lighted the fire for him. Afterwards the man saw that the forehead of the image
was blackened by smoke and that its hands and feet were covered with ashes."
The sixth Jizö, worshipped in Sei-un-in, fllSI^, aided a priest who had prayedto him for assistance at the examination, to be passed in order to become head of
the Kwangaku-in'^^, lül^l^. Part of a sütra was to be discussed in the presence of
all the monks, and if the candidate performed this task with eloquence and sagacity,
he could become "Chief of the studies"^*, and the way to the leadership of Köya
1 O yama no shiori, töllj© L^'J, or "Guide of Hieizan", written by KAKO-AN SHUJIN
1sf§^±A, in A. D. 1832.
2

Ch. II, § 2.

*

5^iS0^, Rokudö no chimata.

ch. I, p. 2.

3

5

TJUJ, tözan.

«W§,, kenju.

ä^cM, kega.

1»mm, funshi.

13

Cf.

'

Äüf, kwakutö.
^tt, döchu.

11

above, Sect. II, Ch. I, § 2.

" Kwösekishü, Ch. I, p. 2.
1^"Institution for the encouraging of study" (on" SIS, gaku-tö.

Köya san).

^^^t&.Wi,

rotan.

^S, tesshö.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

88

san was opened to him. Thus this examination was of the greatest importance, andwhen the monks saw that the man who had been the first to pray to Jizö for assistancein this matter

had a splendid success, they were sure that Jizö himself stood behind

him and spoke in his place. From that time the candidates always prayed to theBodhisattva before the examination. ^Another Jizö image on Köya san, ascribed to Ono Takamura, stood in Jizö-in.

When in olden times the governor of Shimotsuma in Kwantö, Tagaya by name,made a pilgrimage to Köya san, the high water of the river Ki prevented him fromreaching his place of destination. Then there came a little priest-boy in a boat androwed him across the water. When he asked the priest of Jizö-in about this boy,the man said that he did not know him. Tagaya wondered who it might have been,
but when praying in the Jizö chapel he saw little muddy footsteps, which made him
sure that Jizö himself had assisted him in crossing the river. His belief in the Bodhisattva became stronger than ever, and on returning home he admonished his people
to worship him with firm belief.^
The Genkö Shakusho (before A. D. 1346) mentions the Six Jizö's in three passages.
Fujiwara no Tsunezane (|MÄ)'s consort, the daughter of Fujiwara no Sanesue, jf$,

from childhood worshipped the Buddhist deities. When she was twenty years old,she feil ill, and her mother said to her: "I shall make seven Yakushi's and worshipthem, that you may recover and have a long life." But her daughter answered:"I am sure that I shall not recover; please carve Six Jizö's instead of seven Yakushi's."

The mother fulfilled her wish and requested the abbot Jösan, WWt of Hieizan, topray on behalf of her daughter. He ardently prayed to Jizö, accompanying his prayerswith strokes on a gong. Then a purple cloud was seen hanging before the window,
a delicious smell pervaded the house, and the young woman, turned to the West
with her hands joined in prayer, softly departed to a better world.^

The Buddhist priest ENNÖ*, lÜBb, died suddenly in his 57th year. His disciples
watched by his side and did not bury him, and after fourteen days he revived, but
could not speak. Three years later he regained his power of speech and related thatsix Buddhist priests had taken him to Paradise (Jödo, ^dt, the Pure Land, i. e. Sukhävati). He saw magnificent palaces, resplendent with gold and silver and precious
stones, and also Maitreya's splendid palace, but he saw also King Emma (Yama)'s
residence, and the eight cold and the eight hot hells. This sight was so frightful
Six Jizö's."

On leaving hell, the six monks said to him: "We are the
He did not die before many years afterwards, after having reached

an old age,in the first years of thethat he could not bear it.

^

Kwösekishü, 1. c.

^

Nimpyö era (A. D. 1151).^

Ibidem.

Genkö Shakusho, Ch. XVIII, K. T. K. Vol. XIV, p. 941.
* Accordingto the Buddhist biographical dictionary, Nikon Bukke jimmei jisho,-p. 105 s.v.,
it is not known to which sect he belonged.
° Genkö Shakusho, Ch. XIX,
p. 962.
3

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

89

KORETAKA, 'I^^, a Shintö priest, was the head of Tama-oya jinja, HiMfflfc,
a Shintö temple in Suwö province.

Yet he believed in Buddha's doctrine and con-stantly recited Jizö's invocation {myögö,^^: "namu Jizö Bosatsu"). In A. D. 998

he feil ill and died suddenly, but revived after three days and spoke as foUows: "Iwent to a broad piain, but erred about and could not find my way, when
The first carried an incense burner, the second(inprayer), the third held a precious pearl, the fourth a khakkhara
joined his palms(shakujö), the fifth a flower basket and the sixth a rosary (nenju). The first priest
Said to me: 'Do you know us?' When I answered: 'No, I do not know you,' he said:'We are the Six Jizö's. We have appeared in six different bodies to save the livina
beings of the Six Paths. Although you are a Shintö priest, you believed in us andhastily

six majestic Buddhist priests arrived.

recited our name for a long time. Therefore we now cause you to return to the worldmen. You must carve our images and daily worship us.' After having heard
these words I revived." Koretaka erected a Buddhist temple and carved six Jizö
images, which he placed in this shrine and worshipped daily. Whoever sawofand heard this was moved to tears and wasfor

Jizö'sfilled with admiration and gratitude
power fkudoku). Koretaka lived to an age ol more thanand on his death-bed he looked to the West, with Jizö's nameblessing

seventy years,on his lips.^

We may derive from this story that the fourteenth Century, in the first half
which the Genkö Shakusho was written, knew the Six Jizö's represented withthe attributes carried by these six priests in hell. On the grave monuments of the
Genroku era (1688 1703), now sent to Europe in an astonishing number, Jizö isoften represented carrying a khakkhara, a precious pearl, or a rosary, or joining his
palms in prayer.
Accordingto the Jizö Bosatsu reiken M (1684)2 TAIRA KIYOMORI (1118— 1181)
had six Jizö images carved and placed in chapels at the six entrances of the capital;
the people called them the Six Jizö's. Kiyomori was a devout believer in Jizö andof—thought: "Jizö uttered a vow with regard to the roads (i. e. to protect those whowalked along the roads). Therefore, if I build a chapel and place a Jizö at eachof the six

roads leading into the capital, the passers-by shall obtain great felicity

This story reminds us of the Six Jizö's of Roku Jizö mura,by Kiyomori among six villages near Kyoto. Further, we have here
the first instance of the cult of Jizö as a deity of the roads, a protector of travellers,in future existences."

distributedinwhich function he superseded the ancient phallic gods of the roads, the Sae nokami.

The number six was applied not only to the number of the images, but also
Kiyomori's Six Jizö's were six shaku high, and a stone lantern,called Roku Jizö seki törö, ^MM-^^W,, which in the beginning of the nineteenth

to their height.

1

Genkö Shakusho, Ch. XVII, p. 927.

2

Ch. XIII, p. 9.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

90

Century stood in a corner of the Kaminari-mon or "Thundergate" in Asakusa, thefamous district of Yedo, had the same height. On its six sides the Six Jizö's were
Tradition said, that it had been offered in A. D. 1146 by KAMADAMASAKIYO, ^EflÜifra, a vassal of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, Yoritomo's father.^
The Kazusa kokushi^, ^hlS^-'e?, or "History of Kazusa province" relates that
CHIBA HIDETANE, ^^^|M., an eminent general, who in the Kwangen era (A. D.
1243 1246), when staying in Kazusa province, lost his beloved wife, on behalfof her soul made six Jizö images and erected them at the roadside. For this reason
the neighbouring village got the natne of Roku Jizö mura. According to anothertradition, however, this village owed its name to the six stone Jizö's which formerly
stood before the Jizö-in. This shrine was still there in 1877, when the book was
represented.

—

written.

The Higo kokushi or "History of Higo province"^, BGf^SiS, states that two
Roku Jizö-tö or "Six Jizö-stüpas" (pagodas) were seen in this province, namely
Kakiwara,

and Nakao, 4'M- That of the former village
according to its inscription dated from A. D. 1432, the other one from A. D. 1444. In
Ikegame, fife^, a village in the same province, there were (in A. D. 1772) six Jizö images
on which the inscription "Tai-ei" indicated the Tai-ei era (1521 1527) as the time
when they were made and erected. This had taken place when the territories ofthe villages were limited; from the place of these Six Jizö's the numbers of milesof the roads were fixed in all directions.*
The Füzoku gwahö'", M.'fS-Ä^, gives interesting details about the so-called Edo
in the villages of^itl/jj,—

Roku Jizö mairi or "Visiting the Six Jizö's of Yedo". In A. D. 1691 the Buddhist
priest

MUKU, Ä^J^^, Mukü shönin, cast six Standing Jizö images of bronze after

a wooden model, found by a man to whom Jizö had appeared in a dream and indicatedthe Spot where he could find a wooden Jizö image. Mukü placed the idols in thesix following temples of Yedo, respectively situated in Komagome, Sendagi, Nippori,Shimoya, Ueno and Asakusa^: Zuisenji, Sennenji, Jököji, Shingyöji, Daibutsudö

and Shöchi-in''. These were the first Six Jizö's of Yedo. Afterwards, in A. D. 1716,
the priest SEIGEN, IEtC, erected six sitting Jizö's, ten shaku high and cast of bronze.
He did so because in a severe illness he had vowed to cast and erect a large number^ Edo meisho zue, jI^^WlH'f', "Pictures of famous places in Yedo", written by SAITÖYUKIO, Ä^^ig (1737— 1799) in the Kwansei era (1789— 1800), enlarged by his son YUKITAKA, ^#, in the Bunkwa era (1804 1817), and finished by his grandson GESSHIN, ^W-,——

in the Bunsei era (18181829) (cf. the latter's preface), Ch. VI, p. 17.
2 Written in 1877 by
RYUKEI, 3c)l)Wm, Ch. VI, p. 3.
3 Written in 1772 by
ICHIZUI,i^, and edited in 1782, Ch. III, p. 166.

YASUKAWAMORIMOTO

1

Ch. III,° "Illustrated report on
Nr. 67 (Febr. 1894).
'^*—

p. 51.

manners and customs", edited by the Töyödö, M.^'R, at Tokyo,

Ma, ^FSk*. BSS, T«-, ±M, 'MM.

«Ä#, Sll:#, W±% it»fi^#, X^% iEtK.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
of Jizö91

images for the conversion of future living beings, if the Bodhisattva would
Then heprolong his life. Jizö had assented in a dream, and had soon cured him.

followed the example of Taira Kiyomori (who, as we saw above, in the twelfth Century
erected six Jizö images at the six entrances of Kyoto),
Jizö's placed

them inthe following temples:and after having cast six

Shinagawa-dera, Taisöji, Shinjöji,

Tözenji, Reiganji and Eitaiji^, situated in the districts of Shinagawa, Yotsuya, Sugamo,

Thus a second cult of the Six Jizö's
was founded in Yedo, and the Roku Jizö mairi was performed by many behevers
Sanya, and (the two last ones) in Fukagawa.^of the eastern capital.
It is a difficult question, whether the Japanese got the idea of the Six Jizö'sfrom China or invented it themselves. If it is a Chinese conception introduced into
Japan before it ever rose in a Japanese mind, the Sütra on the Ten Kings would
seem to have introduced it, but this is impossible because the Japanese cult is apparently older than this sütra. We do not know when it was written, but it wascalled a counterfeit by the priest TSUNG-KIEN, who lived in the first half of thethirteenth Century^, and at the same time it was known in Japan, for NICHIREN(if we may believe the Statement in the beginning of the Japanese wor-k on the Ten
Kings) then wrote his "Fraise of the Ten Kings of the Flower of the Law". Thus

the only fact we know about the date of the Chinese sütra is that it was written before

The oldest Japanese book in which the Six Jizö's are menfrom that same Century. It is a Shingon work, which contains thethe thirteenth Century.

tioned dates

names, given to the Six Jizö's by the Shingon priest KYÖSHUN, 15[^. These names
are different from those found in the Chinese sütra, so that we may safely concludethat

KYÖSHUN did not know this text; otherwise he would have followed or at

least

have mentioned it.

He apparently used other works or invented the names

As his name is not found in WASHI-NO-0 JUNKEI iM^W^Vs Nihon
Bukke jimmei jisho^, H^f^^A^Ü^, I do not know when this priest lived. His
work, entitled Hishö kuketsu^, %Z'^0^, or "Oral Instructions on secret books",
was copied in A. D. 1295 by the priests INYÜ, PPBS, and RAI-EN, M^. The namesof the Six Jizö's mentioned there are: Jizö son, Hö-in-shu, Hökö, Höshu, Jichi and
Kenko-i,ÄPP^, V.it, Ä^, ^^% SÜä, i. e. Kshitigarbha, Ratnamudräpäni,
Ratnakära, Ratnapäni, "Holder of the Earth", and "Strong Will". These names,
except that of Jizö son, are terms of the Tantric school, represented by the Shingon
sect and by the secret brauch of the Tendai sect. Ratnapäni e. g., and "Holder ofthe Earth" were the great names to be given to Kshitigarbha seated on the Northside of the mandala (the Taizö-mandara, that of the World of Phenomena; thehimself.

MM%1

aji|#,

2„"o/ii,ä

Cf. above, Sect. 11, Ch.

I,^

Written in 1903.

^

i:^#, äl14#, ^jffi#, ffilg#, 7T.^#.

ffl#,

mfi,

m«, w)\\.
§1, p. 25.
ch. XIV.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

92

names of the Kongömandara or Mandala of the Diamond World were different)
according to the Mahävairocana sütra, treated above.^ The Shingon priest RAI-YU,—

Mf^ (A. D. 1226 1304), the author of the Hishö montö^ or "Questions and answers
on secret books" quotes the Jüzenshö, "hSö', or "Book on the Ten Virtues", whichgave the Sanscrit names of the Six Jizö's in Chinese transcription.

There we findRatnapäni, Ratnakära, ^'I'MttjfeM (mostly translated into "Precious Place", Ä^,or sometimes into "Precious Light", Hökö, Mit), Dharaniddhara, ]|kMlt|t||, etc.

SEITAN, the learned priest whose interesting paper on Jizö, published in the Kokkwa,
we quoted above^, and another Japanese scholar, who wrote the article on Jizö in the
Tetsugaku daijisho'^ or "Great Philosophical Dictionary", refer tomany works, thegreater part of which was apparently written by Shingon or Tendai priests.
arrive at the conclusion thatitisvery difficult to

They bothmake out the origin of the Six

Jizö's.

They

refer to the

Kokkyöshü^,^W-M, UNSHÖ'S well-known werk, written

in A. D. 1689, where the passage of the Hishö montö, mentioned above,isquoted.

Each of the Six Jizö's is described there as being white and holding a red lotus flower
in his left hand. The first, who saves the beings in hell, holds the moon disk in his
right hand and upon the lotus the head of a child and a flag are visible. His nameis Visvaparipuraka^,
MMMW^^^WM, translated into "The Perfect One". The
second Jizö, who saves the Pretas, with his right hand makes the abhayamudrä
and there are three precious pearls upon the lotus which he holds in his left hand.
His name is Ratnakära'', ^'IsttjSHM- The third Jizö's right hand is resting on his
breast, while a precious wheel is seen upon the lotus. His name is Ratnapäni^,H'IBÄJÄM, translated into "Precious Hand", and his task is to save the Animals.
On the lotus of the fourth Jizö, who saves the Asuras, and whose name is Dharaniddhara^, .i^^HtSfeH, a sword is represented, and his right hand forms the abhayamudrä. The same mudrä is made by the right hand of the fifth Jizö, who saves
mankind; there is a seal (probably the "Buddha-seal", or the "Seal of the Buddha
heart", i. e. the svastika) upon the lotus in his left hand, and his name is Drhamanas^'^ (according to the Tetsugaku daijisho; according to the Kokkyöshü it is1

Sect. I, Ch. I, § S, p. 18.

2mma^, Ch. X.

3Sect. II, Ch.

I,

§

I,

p. 25.

Edited in 1910 by the Döbunkwan, pp. 1166 sqq.
5 "Collection of echoes of the valley", written in A. D. 1689 by the Buddhist priest UNSHÖ,
Ch. X, p. 17.
*;

8Translated into--i]l]SiM.

SS, "Precious Place", or into !ff3fc, "Precious Light".
S^, "Precious Hand".
9 Translated into UM, "Holder of the Earth".
'

Translated intosTranslated into

" ^M(-S-)li:SIK, translated into gfsM, "Strong Will".

:

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
lacking in all books).
transcription

isgiven.^

holds the sun disk.^93

As to the sixth Jizö, his Sanscrit name is unknown, but its
There is a Karma ( ?) ^ upon his lotus, and his right hand
Finally, the author of the Kokkyöshü pretends to know thenames of the Six Jizö's, to wit: Jizö Bosatsu, Hösho, Höshö, Kenko-i, Jichi
and H5-in-shu, MM^'B, "Ui, Ä^, ^ü:!, ^iiÜ and ^PP^^. Thus he practicallyagrees with the author of the ancient work Hishö kukelsu, quoted above; he only
true

gives "Precious Place" instead of "Precious Light" with regard to Ratnakära.

The abbot JÖGAN*, f^j^, according to the author of the Tetsugaku daijisho
a great authority in such matters, also gives the same names, in the following order

Hösho, Höshu, Jichi, Hö-in-shu and Kenko-i,

Jizö,MM, MM, Ä^, WM, ÄfP-1^,

SISI&. JÖGAN States that the Six Jizö's are not mentioned in the genuine sütras. This istrue, for the Sütra on the Ten Kings is the work of a Chinese, and the Renkwa sammikyö,äl^H^IM, which the Imperial Prince RYÖJO, ti&M^, was said to haveobtained at the end of the thirteenth Century from SAIONJI
his foster father, to

NYUDÖ, MH^AM,

whom it was presented by a Chinese abbot in China, by its style

proves to have been written by a Japanese author, as we learn from SEITAN.^

The

and even doubts whether the work entitled-/i2Ö Bosatsu
was actually written in the Shö-anera (A. D. 12991301) by Prince RYÖJO, head (zasu) of the Tendai sect, to whom
it is ascribed.
This book is based upon the Renkwa sammi kyö, mentioned above,and contains the following names of the Six Jizö's: Tanda (Danta?), Höju ("Precious
Pearl"), Hö-in ("Precious Mudrä), Jichi ("Holder of the Barth"), Jokaishö ("Whotakes away coverings and obstacles"), and Nikkö ("Sunlight"^). As the fifth namelatter possesses this sütra

hiki or "Secret records on the Bodhisattva Jizö"

—

is

that

of

Sarvanivaranavishkambhi, another of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas^,

clear that the author of this sütra did not even know the difference

betweenthis Bodhisattva and Kshitigarbha, and that he arbitrarily used some names foundin sütras of the Yoga school. As Jizö was usually represented with a precious pearl
in his hand, he called one of the Six Jizö's Höju; only the term Jichi, "Holder ofthe Barth", was an ancient epitheton of Jizö, and Hö-in, "Precious Mudrä", reminds
itis

US of Hö-in-shu,ÄPP^, mentioned by KYÖSHUN, RAIYU and JÖGAN.

These three authors are evidently the most reliable authorities with regard toand the names which they give to the Six Jizö's may be the most ancient ones. As to their images and their task (i. e. which of the six gati was to be
this Problem,

converted by each of them), however,2

KYÖSHUN does not give any information.

||g, Karma.

1+im^til^-til(H*?B).

3

Ö;ÄS^ (explained as a sun in a sundisk,

0lm©[^i:ab Ä ti ij).

did not find his name in the Buddhist Biographical Dictionary, mentioned above; hiswork is entitled: Higwan kongö nenshö kiketsu, f^M.'rSiM'^t^WvSko^ Kokkwa,
Nr. 159, p. 50.
*"

Imn, «#, SEp, :^sfi, mmn, h*,Cf.

above, Sect. I, Ch. I, § 4,

p. 15.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

94

and the two others do not agree with eachother. With regard to their origin the author
Tetsugaku daijisho accepts the hypothesis of JÖGAN, who supposes them
to be the six "Venerable Ones" {Son, @) of the Taizö Jizö-in, fiaMMM.^, or "Templeof theof the Jizö of the Material World", a mystic term for a mandala of the Yoga school.

These "Venerable Ones" remind us of the saints surrounding Kshitigarbha in the
mandala, described in the Mahävairocana sütra treated above.^ Jizö, says he, may

have been represented surrounded by five other Bodhisattvas, his "relatives"^ according to the sütra, and these six images may have been called "the Six Venerable Ones",

Roku Son, 7n^. The monks of the Shingon and Tendai sects, who wished to propagate the Jizö cult,

may have called these "Six Venerable Ones" the „Six Jizö's",saviours of the six gati, to form a counterpart of the Six Kwannons. This may have—

happened in the Heian period (A. D, 794 858), at the time of Köbö Daishi, Dengyö
Daishi, Jikaku Daishi and Ono Takamura. SEITAN^ also believes that five of theSix Jizö's were his kenzoku or "relatives", and that their cult was started in
the time of

Ono Takamura, who may have been the

first

to

worship them inpublic.

This hypothesis would be very plausible,

unknown in China.

ifthe Six Jizö's had been entirely

Hut the fact that they are mentioned in the Sütra on the Ten

Kings proves the contrary. Although PETRUCCI'S hypothesis with regard to theirhaving been worshipped in Turkistan in the gth and loth centuries
a picture which I do not deem a sufficient proof*,

it

is

is

based uponvery unlikely that the sameidea should have arisen independently in China and in Japan.

Therefore, although

the Six Jizö's were evidently worshipped in Japan long before the introduction of
the Chinese Sütra on the Ten Kings, their cult must have come from the continent,

because it was apparently known in China.
i.

e.

the six forms ofTibet according toMoreover, the idea of the "Six Muni",

Qäkyamuni as the "presidents of the six worlds", found in

WADDELL (Lamaism, p. 345), on the continent may have beentransferred upon the two saviours of the six gati, Kshitigarbha and Avalokitegvara,

and in this form have found its way to Japan, where thenceforth the Six Jizö's
and the Six Kwannons were worshipped.
As to the Sütra on the Ten Kings, when this sütra, which KYÖSHUN did not
yet know, was introduced into Japan in the thirteenth Century, it must have strengthened the belief in the Six Jizö's, and many Japanese priests may have considered theirnames, attributes and mudräs, described in this sütra, to be of Indian origin. Yet
the ancient names and explanations were partly remembered and the confusion wasincreased by priests of the Tokugawa period, who invented new names, sometimes
even pretending them to be derived from the Sütra on the Ten Kings. The author#M, kenzoku.

1

Sect. I, Ch.

'

Kokkwa, Nr. 159, pp. 51 sqq.

*

Cf.

I,

§ 5.

^

above, Sect. I, Ch. II, § 3,

p. 24.

:THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

95

of the Fukuden shokushu sanyö'^, )PS BEj^fäi^^, e. g. asserts to have found the follow-

ing explanation in this sütra.

Zenrin (Mw-Pf-) Jizö ("Wood of Meditation"), carrying

a khakkhara, converts the beings of hell. Muni (Ü^) Jizö ("Without a second"
unequalled), carrying a Nyo-i, iXiM. (i.e. a scepter which grants all desires), con-

Gosan (MM) Jizö ("Protecting and Assisting"), carrying a rosary,converts the animals. Shoryü (Mitl) Jizö ("All dragons" [?]), with his palms joined,
converts the Asuras. Fukushö {\]^M) Jizö ("Subjecting and conquering"), carrying
an incense burner, converts mankind. Fukusoku (\%M>) Jizö ("Subjecting and appeasing"), carrying a garment, converts the Devas. In reality the Sütra on the Ten Kings
gives quite different names. We read there that Qäkyamuni said to Kshitigarbha,
that the latter should appear in six different forms, and that the Buddha describedverts the Pretas.

these shapes as follows.

Yotenga (S5cÄ) Jizö ("Preparing or being in charge of the felicity [litt, congratulations] of the Devas"),

who in his left hand carries a cintämani, ^11^5^, or"pearl which grants all desires", and w^ith his right hand makes the "mudrä of explaining the Law" 2, blesses all devas and men.

Hökwö-ö (Wc^^) Jizö (the "King who
who in his left hand carries a khakkhara and with his right handemits light"),

makes the varadamudrä, ^lÜSPI]^, gives rain and causes the five cereals to prosper(litt, completes them).
Kongö-tö (#i'Jllfi) Jizö ("Diamond [i. e. Vajra] streamer"),
who in his left hand carries a "Diamond streamer" and with his right hand makes
the abhayamudrä*, converts the Asuras. Kongö-hi (#BiJ^) Jizö ("Diamond compassion"), who in his left hand carries a khakkhara and with his right hand makesthe "leading and assisting mudrä", ^IMfl^, blesses all the paths of the side births
Kongö-hö (#iiJX) Ji^ö (Vajraratna, "Diamond(a term for animals), ^!l^#^M.
treasure"), who in his left hand carries a precious pearl and with his right handmakes the Amrta (litt. "Sweet dew") mudrä ("M"^Pn) distributes food to the Pretas
and satiates the starving. Kongö-gwan (#^1)11) Jizö ("Diamond Vow"), who in
his left hand carries a "Streamer of Yama" (Emma-tö), j^'M'lJS (with a humanhead) and with his right hand makes the "mudrä which completes discrimination"(of good and evil, true and false), fÄl^ßP, enters hell and saves the living beings.^
It is remarkablethat the first of these Six Jizö's saves both devas and men, andthat the second (whose task it would be to save mankind,
this task) is

designated as the special rain god,if

the first had not taken

who causes the crops to thrive.

1 Composed in A. D. 1686 by NAMPÖ KOSSHI FUKATEI, i^^^i^Plf?-.
Quoted by
SEITAN, Kokkwa, Nr. 159, p. 50.
2 ta;SBp, the "Preaching" mudrä.
^"Granting wishes".

•

ffiSl;R:Ep,"distributing fearlessness".

The Butsuzö zui (Ch. II, p. 17b) gives a picture of these Six Jizö's, with exactly the samenames, attributes, mudräs and explanations. There the word watasu, Ä, is used with regard
to Jizö's saving the Devas and men, Asuras, animals, Pretas and beings in hell. Fig. 12.
5

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

96

We need not ask which school invented these names, mudräs etc.: the Tantricis, of course, responsible for these Six Ti-tsangs.
A Japanese work of the
Genroku era (1690), the well-known Butsuzö zu-i^ or "A series of pictures of Buddhist images", is evidence of the fact that the Japanese took them up and placed
them side by side with the older traditions about the Six Jizö's, whose ancient names
were partly retained and partly replaced by other names of later invention (Fig. 12).
After having mentioned the same names, attributes and mudräs as those found in the
Sütra on the Ten Kings, the author gives a second list^, containing the foUowing
names: Chiji ]izö ("Holder of the Earth"), Höshö Jizö ("Precious nature"), Höshö
Jizö ("Dharma nature"), Darani Jizö ("Dhärani"), Keiki Jizö ("Cock and Tortoise", probably a mistake for Kakki, lH^, "Crane and Tortoise", the emblems ofschoollongevity, especially because he is also caUed Emmei (Enimyö) or "Lengthener of Life",

Dragon Jizö, the dragon being filled with Yang, Light), and H5-in Jizö("Dharma-mudrä")3 (Fig. 13).
The first, who is also called Gosan (tMM.) Ji^ö, i. e. "Protecting and assisting
Jizö", has a rosary in his hands. The second, who has the names of Gasshö ('o"^)and Hashö (^iS0) Jizö, i. e. "Jizö who joins his palms (in veneration)" and "Jizö
who breaks and conquers (the evil demons)", joins his hands. The third, whosename is also Fukyüsoku (^i^M-) Jizö, i. e. "Jizö who never rests (from his blessing
labour)", carries an incense burner with a long handle. The fourth, also called
Benni (|^/B) Jizö (a word for dhärant?), with his right hand makes the abhayamudrä and in the left carries a small round dish (an almsbowl?). The fifth, who
also wears the names of Kwömi (?fe(^) Jizö, "Jizö of brilliant flavour" ( ?) and Emmei
cf. above the(not Emmyö) (jiE'^) Jizö,i.

e.

"Jizö who lengthens life"(cf.

the Emmyö Jizö kyö

to be treated below, Ch. VI), carries the precious pearl in his left and the khakkhara
in his rightflowers.

hand.

He is seated upon a lotus,

the five others standThe sixth, who is also called Sanryü (^Wl) Jizö,

i.

e.

upon

lotus

"Jizö who assists thedragons" (or "The assisting dragon"), carries a banner.

A work of the Kwan-ei era (1624— 1643)* gives three lists of names: those of
the Sütra on the

Sanyo,Ten Kings, those given by the author of the Fukuden shokushu

who wrongly pretended to have found them in the same sütra (see above)

and, finally, the foUowing six, which are partly identical with those of the Butsuzö

Höshö ("Dharma nature"), Höseki ("File of treasures"), Darani ("Dhärani"),
Hö-in ("Ratnamudrä), Zasshu ("Various mantras"), and Jichi ("Holder of the
Earth")^. As we saw above, Ratnamudrä^ and "Holder of the Earth" are ancient, theother names being inventions of the Tokugawa period.
zui:

Ch. II, p. 17b. Cf. above, Sect. II, Ch. I, § 4, p. 43, note i, and Kokkwa, Nr. 159, p. 50.
3 tt#, 'Ä-It, ^14, Pt^m, Mft, ÜEP.
Ch. II, p. i8a.
4 Mu-en jihi shü, MWiMf£-% written in the Kwanei era(i624
1643) by the priest HÖYO, |ft#.
5 att, K«, KMß, SEp,
#S6.
* The ancient name is Ratnamudräpäni, B'Ep^.
^

2

m%

—

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

97-^•m»i-ÄFig. 13.

Fig. 12.

The six Jizö's in the Butsuzö zui (11, pp. 17b and i8a). Fig. 12: the ancient names, attributes andmudräs mentioned in the Sütra on the Ten Kings. Fig. 13: new names and attributes.

The Six Jizö's are called messengers in a Shingon work of unknown date.^ At
the question: "Are there relatives (kenzoku)^ of Jizö?" the foUowing answer is given:"There are six messengers {shisha, ^^), manifestations of (Jizö's) blessings bestowed

upon the six gati. They are: Emma shisha ("Messenger ofYama"), Jihö döji ("Boywho holds treasures"),Tairiki shisha ("Messenger of Great Power"),

Taiji tenjo("Fetnale angel of Great Compassion"), Hözö tenjo "(Female angel, Store of trea-

and Settenshisha ("Messenger who assists the Devas").^ These six Jizö's
respectively save the beings of hell, the Pretas, the Animals, Asuras, Men and Devas.
The author states that he borrowed these details from VAJRABODHI'S ,,Rules"sures"),{I-kwei, MWl, kalpa). This is a mistake, for he evidently means the work of thisname attributed to AMOGHAVAJRA, ^S^B'J, whose honorary title of "Great Broad
Wisdom"* resembles Vajrabodhi's name of "Diamond Wisdom", ^W\^- Thiswork, quoted as Puh-kung I-kwei, ^^MWl, or "Rules of Amoghavajra", wasdeclared to be a Chinese counterfeit even by the ancients.
1

Among the works of the

Mandara son-i-gen zushö, S^^S'ft^läi^, "lUustrated bock on the position and appearOnes in the mandala's," quoted by SEITAN, Kokkwa Nr. 159, p. 52.

arice of the Venerable^^M, cf. above.

ä«0^^-, #'ffÄHF, ic^ft-^-, ic^^ic, 'nWi-k, m^^M.

1±m^ (NANJÖ, App. II, nr. 155).

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

98
Chinese Tripitaka

many of such "kalpas" are attributed to Amoghavajra, who in
Yoga doctrine in China. ^ As we are warned against

the 8th Century preached thesuch would-be quotations from ancient works by the false quotation from the Sütra
on the Ten Kings made by the author of the Fukuden shokushu sanyö, mentioned
above,
zushö.

we do not attach much value to the Statement of the Mandara son-i-gen
Yet there are a few interesting points in this passage. The name of "Yama's

messenger" reminds us of the Identification of King Yama with Jizö, found in the
Hokke jü-ö sandan eshö, attributed to NICHIREN.^ Yama, the fifth of the Ten Kings

The latter's qualification as a"female angel" recalls his female nature*, and the word döji, "boy", which reminds
US of Sudhanakumära, is also interesting in connection with Jizö's frequent appearof Hell,isthere said to be a manifestation of Jizö.

ance in the shape of a "little priest" or boy, to assist his worshippers.
On reflecting upon all the passages mentioned above, we arrive at the conclusion,that the Six Jizö's were probably introduced by Japanese Shingon priests in the

ninth Century. That they did not invent, but introduce this conception, seems likely

from the fact that the Chinese Sütra on the Ten Kings, although of later origin,
mentions and describes the Six Ti-tsang's, a proof of their being known in
China.

The Tendai sect took them up soon after their introduction. Afterwards,

inthe thirteenth Century, the Sütra on the Ten Kings came to Japan and strengthened
the cult of the Six Jizö's. Their ancient names and attributes, however, were confusedwith those found in this sütra, and in the Tokugawa period this confusion was increased by the inventions of the priests, mostly belonging to the Shingon sect, who
propagated this cult throughout Japan.
§

6.

Shögun Jizö.

The Genkö Shakusho* (before A. D. 1346) contains the biography of the Hossö
priest ENCHIN5,

Ü^, who in A. D, 798 at the expense of the general SAKANOUETAMURAMARO, JK_hB9^0i (758—811) built the famous Kiyomizu-dera on a hill
at Kyoto, and thenceforward lived in this temple. When the Emperor Kwammu(782— 805) despatched Tamuramaro at the headof the Imperial troops toÖshü(the ancient province of Mutsu), to suppress the rebellion of Takamaru, ßi'Xi, before
his departure the general visited his friend ENCHIN and requested the latter to assist

him by means of the power of Buddha's doctrine. Enchin promised him to do his
utmost, and the general marched against the enemy,
above, Sect. I, Gh. I, § 4, p. 15.
above, Sect. II, Gh. I, § 4, p. 40.
3 Gf. above, Sect. I, Gh. I, § 2, p. 12.
Gh. IX, Kokushi taikei, Vol. XIV, p. 783.

1

Cf.

-

Cf.

••

»

A pupil of HO-ON HÖSHI, IftJSjigip.

filledwith confidence in this;

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

99

But chance was against him, and after having been defeatedin Suruga province he fled to Öshü, pursued by Takamaru. In a second battle acomplete defeat was imminent for lack of arrows, when suddenly a little Buddhist
priest and a little boy appeared on the scene and picked up the arrows lying on thebattlefield. They gave these to Tamuramaro, who then killed Takamaru, defeatedbis troops and returned in triumph to his Imperial Master, whom he offered therebel's head. Thereupon he went to Kiyomizu-dera and asked ENCHIN, by which
doctrine he had protected him so well. The priest answered: "Among my doctrines(methods^) there is one devoted to Shögun Jizö, J!§¥ilä^ ('Army-conquering Jizö')
and to Shöteki Bishamon, MftJCHlfc'^P'J ('Enemy-conquering Vaigramana'). I madeimages of both these deities and offered and prayed to them." Now the general
understood who had been the little priest and the boy who had picked up the arrows.
He entered the temple hall and looked at the images: arrows and swords had
apparently wounded them, and their feet were covered with mud! Tamuramaro was
Struck with wonder and reported the matter to His Majesty, who was also deeply
impressed by this miracle^.
This Story formed the base of Shögun Jizö's cult, which soon enjoyed the highfavour of the warriors of warlike Japan. It was a secret doctrine, as we learn fromUNSHÖ'S Kokkyöshü (A. D. 1689) 3, the important Buddhist work quoted above,
which at the question, from which sütra Shögun Jizö and his secret doctrine were
derived, answers that his name is not found in the sütras, but that he is the "Great
Manifestation of Atago" (Atago Daigongen*, very much adored by great men of
remote antiquity like EN NO SHÖKAKU^, "^/hf\, and UMPEN SHÖNIN, WM^'^K
mighty protection.

Enchin was a priest of the Hossö sect, the doctrine of which was based uponi. e. the Vidyämätra gästra, a work of VASUBANDHU, translated
in A. D. 650
669 by the famous pilgrim Hüen Tsang. Thus this sect is a brauchof the Yoga school, and it is clear why Kiyomizu-dera belongs to both the Hossö andthe Shingon sects. The cult of Shögun Jizö, which started from this temple, wasaccordingly based upon a mystic doctrine of the Yoga school, which agrees wellwith Unshö's statement about its being a "secret doctrine".
\>i
A similar story, evidently borrowed from this passage of the Genkö Shakusho,
was told about the Jizö of Jün-in, ^0F5c, a shrine in the Compound of Jökwömyöji,
the Yui-shiki-ron,—^^, hö.

2

We find the same tale in the Jizö Bosatsu reikenki (1684), Ch. XIII, p. i6.

3

Ch. X, p. 18; quoted by SEITAN, Kokkwa, Nr. 160, p. 65.

° A
sage who lived in the seventh Century, and who loved Buddha's doctrine, at thesame time being a great magician. For more than thirty years he lived in a cave in the Katsuragi mountains, where he went in A. D. 665, in his 32th year. The Emperor Mommu (697707)
banished him to Izu-shima because his magic was said to have an evil influence upon the people
but he was pardoned afterwards and returned. In 1799 the Emperor Kwökaku bestowed
upon him the title of Shimpen Daibosaisu or "Miraculous Great Bodhisattva".

—

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

100

i^^Pfl^, or "Temple of the Pure Light" at Kamakura. This standing image of
Ya-hiroi Jizö, ^fn ("Who picked up arrows"), was said to have been the maniorihonzon, '^:i^% or tutelary deity of ASHIKAGA TADAYOSHI,(1307
to 1352, Takauji's brother), and in the shape of a little priest to have picked up arrows
on the battlefield and to have given them to Tadayoshi, when the latter was about
to be defeated for lack of arrows. When after the battle Tadayoshi saw his tutelary
image, it had an arrow in its band as a second khakkhara. "Even at the presentday", says the author of the Shünpen Kamakura shi'^, I^Wi^'^^-y who relates thisstory, "the khakkara of this Jizö is the shaft of an arrow."
SEITAN^ refers to a passage of the Nihon shokoku füdoki or "Records on customs
and geography of all the Japanese provinces", which pretends to date from A. D. 713,
when the Empress Gemmei ordered the redaction of the Füdoki of the different
provinces. We may be sure, however, that it is a work from a much later time,
and that not much value must be attached to its statements with regard to the earliest
centuries of Japan's positive history. This book says that Gyömanji, a Buddhist
tetnple in Tsuru district, Kai province, originally was a "secret house", ^^, where
ILLA, H^, fromKudara, in the i4th year of the Emperor Bidatsu's reign (A. D. 585)
practised the doctrine of Shögun Jizö. The words "secret house" seem to indicatethat it was a mystic cult, in which case the author made an enormous anachronisticalblunder, as the Yoga school at that time had just risen in India and had not yet
reached China, much less Korea. As to this lila from Kudara, he is mentioned in
the Nihongi^, where we read that he was a high official with the title of Talsol*,M^, at the court of the king of Pekche (Kudara). At the request of the Emperor
Bidatsu this "wise and brave man" came to Japan, accompanied by several otherofficials. "At this time lila, clad in armour, and on horseback, came up to the gate
(leading to the Hall of Audience)." Afterwards his companions, the Pekche officials,
conspired against him, because the advise he had given to the Emperor was very
dangerous for Pekche. "Now Illa's body was radiant like a flame of fire, and therefore Tök-ni and the others were afraid and did not kill him. At length, during theinterlune of the i2th month, they awaited his loss of radiance and slew him. But
lila came to life again, and said: 'This is the doing of our slaves, and not of Silla.'
Having thus spoken, he died."^ This is the story of lUa; no mention is made of his
worshipping Shögun Jizö, and he did not live in Kai province but at Kuwa no ichi
in Ato, from where he afterwards moved to Naniwa. The author of the Füdoki,or others before him, may have been Struck by the resemblance of Shögun Jizö, the

^MWM

1
2

3

"A new history of Kamakura", written in 1684 by KAWAI TSUNEHISA, PS^UX.
Kokkwa, Nr. 160, p. 66.
Ch. XX, K. T. K. Vol. I, p. 354, i2th year of Bidatsu's reign (583)Vol. II, pp. 97 sqq.
*
5

Cf. ASTON, Nihongi, II, p. 283, note 3.
ASTON'S translation, Nihongi, Vol. II, pp. 98, 100.

;ASTON'S translation.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

lOI

armour and riding on horseback, with lila, the semi-divine
whose body was radiant like fire and who came up to the Palace,"clad in armour and riding on horseback." This may have given rise to the story
about the latter's worshipping Shögun Jizö. This idea being only found in the Nihon
shokoku füdoki, a counterfeit of later date, we may safely reject it and consider thepassage of the Genkö Shakusho to be the oldest reference concerning Shögun Jizö.
Enchin was probably the first to propagate this cult, which must have been very
attractive to the warriors of Japan. He probably gave this title to Jizö as a special
protector of the military class because the same term of shögun was known as atranslation of the sanscrit "prasenajif, "Conqueror of the armies". We find thisterm in the title of nr. 988 of NANJÖ'S Catalogue of the Chinese Tripitaka, wherea "prasenajit räja"^, or "King who conquers the armies" is mentioned.
In a curious book, written in 1556 by an unknown author and entitled Katsuragawa Jizö ki, I^JIjil&l^lE, Jizö is said to be the k'ang, 'XL, constellation, the secondof the 28 constellations, consisting of four stars in Virgo. As the first constellation{kioh, ^, consisting of four stars, one of Spica and three of Virgo) and the second
one were considered to be connected with the army, |f and to protect the inner
palace of the Emperor, SEITAN^ points out that it seems as if this queer Identification
Thisof Jizö with this constellation had its foundation in the cult of Shögun Jizö.
supposition being very vague, however, we mention this book only for the sakeof curiosity. We have here, of course, a Taoistic idea, and it reminds us of thosesemi-Taoistic, semi-Buddhistic works like the "Sütra on the Ten Kings" and the"Doctrine of the wonderful Repentance (practised in worship of) the Ten Merciful
divine priest clad in

general (Talsol),,

Kings", treated above.^

UNSHÖ'S Statement about Shögun Jizö's being Atago Daigongen, the "Great
Manifestation of Atago" is confirmed by many other passages of works written in theseventeenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as by this Gongen's image, represented in the Butsuzö zui^ (A. D. 1690),

von Nippon.^and accordingly in

HOFFMANN'S Pantheon

We read there that a Buddhist priest erected a temple of this deity

on Mount Atago at Kyoto.

Itwas, of course, like all those Gongen, a Shintö god,

who was declared to be a manifestation of a Buddhist deity! He is represented riding
on horseback, carrying a khakkhara in his right and a precious pearl in his left hand,
and wearing a helmet on his head and a sacerdotal robe over his armour. A roundhalo is seen behind his head. His face is gentle like that of the other Jizö images(Fig. 14).

Sf?^i. There was a King of this name in Buddha's time.
Kokkwa, Nr. 160, p. 68.
^ Sect. II, Ch. I,§§ I sq. SEITAN says that the author of the Katsuragawa Jizö ki had
evidently read the two sütras entitled B^fö? and Jls^fS, where the 28 constellations are treated.
1

2

4

Ch. III, p. 7a.

5

VON SIEBOLD'S Nippon, Vol. V, Tab. XXII, fig. 246.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

102

YOSHIDA TÖGQi states that the Shintö god of
Atago at Kyoto was a Thundergod^. He was especially
famous for giving protection against fire. There weresame name in Japan. The

several temples of the

Sandai jitsuroku^, Ht^Ä"^. e. g. mentions the Shintö
god of Atago, ^"^Wiy ii^ Tamba province, who in
A. D. 864 obtained the lower degree of the secondary
f ifthrank

temple,;and the Engishiki speaks about an Atago

P'J^'^jpljifh,

province).

The god

inof

Kuwatadistrict(TambaAtago at Kyoto, however,

had no rank before A. D. 880. They all belonged tothe same kind of deities and were akin to the god of

Matsu-no-o. Mount Atago at Kyoto was one of theseven celebrated mountains from the time when the

shugendö (f^.^?E) priests (the so-called yamabushi,
ijjjiv, belonging to the Shingon and Tendai sects)
began to combine Buddhism with Shintö and to perform their cult on this mountain. The first men who
started this doctrine were Shingon priests (in the pth
Century, although tradition calls En no Shökaku*,

who lived in the seventh Century, the founder of thisFig. 14.
Atago Gongen (Shögun
Butsuzö zu'iJizö) on horseback.

in. p. 7 a.

1090.

cult) ; those belonging to the Tendai sect (the Honzan-ha^, :^\\i'M, those of the Shingon sect having formed

the Tözan-ha, '^]\\M) started much later, in A. D.
Thus we see priests of the Shingon sect, i. e. the Yoga school, dominating thiscentre of Shögun Jizö's cult, a fact which agrees with our Statements above.

There

were two temples on Atago the ancient Shintö shrine, dedicated to a Thunder or Fire
god akin to the Shintö deity of Matsu-no-o, and the main temple, called by the Buddhists the Honchi-dö,
or "Hall of the Original deity" (i. e. Shögun Jizö, whose:^M^,

mänifestation was the Shintö god).

This was, however, not the Buddhist templeof the mountain, which wore the name of Haku-unji, ÖS^> or "Temple of theWhite Cloud". That shrine was pulled down in 1868, when the Shintö god of themountain was declared to be Hi no kamt, the God of Fire, because he protected

his worshippers against

Homusubi.
1
-

fire,

being originally identical with the ancient Shintö god

At the same time the Buddhist name of Atago Gongen was abolished.*

Dai Nihon chimei jisho, Vol. I, pp. 118 sq.
But the Wakan sansai zue (Ch. LXXII, p. 1205) declares him

ancient Fire god.

Written in 901, K. T. K. Vol. IV, Ch. VIII, p. 158.
Cf. above, this paragraph.
" YOSHIDA,
5 "Branch of the Original Temple."
3
*

1.

1.

to

be Homusubi, the,THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

103

The blessing power of Shögun Jizö of Atago is praised as follows in the Setyö
zakki (A.D. 1656)^: "Shögun Jizö, manifesting himself as Dai Gongen, resides on
Mount Atago in the West of the Capital, and is the tutelary god of the gentry. Going
to the battlefields

he kills the wicked and gives feace to the world.

Moreover, heremoves calamities and fires, and gives many generations and felicity to the families,
er he bestows easy birth upon women. Oh, oh! Who should not revere the blessing
power of this Bodhisattva!"
There are several Atago mountains in Japan: in Tamba, Echizen, Echigo, Yedo,
Awa, Kazusa, Hitachi, Rikuzen, Uzen and Kai, and an Atago river in Tötömi. Shögun

Jizö is the honchi-butsu or the Buddhist deity who manifested himself in the ancient

Shintö god of Atago-yama in Echizen.^

At Atago in Echigo there is an old Shintö
shrine of Atago Gongen, and this was declared to be a manifestation of Shögun Jizö.
But there was also a chapel of Bishamon (Vaigramana) belonging to the Shingon
sect. Thus we find here the two deities, according to the Genkö Shakusho worshippedby Enchin höshi, Shögun Jizö and Shöteki Bishamon, having together a Shingon
cult in connection with the name Atago !^As to the Atago hill in the Shiba district of Yedo, we read in the Edo suzume*,
iLß^, that Shögun Jizö of Atago-yama in Yamashiro (i. e. at Kyoto) was worshipped there by all people, and that he was said to protect the army and to cause his
believers to escape fire calamity. This belief is no doubt prevailing still at the presentday. The two Buddhist shrines at the foot of this hill, called Empukuji, HlfS^, andShimpukuji, Ä|g^, both belong to the Shingi branch, M^M, of the Shingon sect.^
On Mount Atago in Rikuzen^ there is an image of Shögun Jizö, and there wasalso a chapel of the thousand-bodied Äkägagarbha, J^$^, Kshitigarbha's counter,partamong the Eight Great Bodhisattvas of the Tantric school.^

Atago Gongen of Tendö in Uzen was the tutelary deity of the Tendö castle,
and there was a Shingon shrine near by, which wore the name of Hödöji, ^i@^,"Temple of the Streamer of the Law".^ The streamer is often mentioned in connection with Jizö's cult, and the Shingon sect is again present here. The protectionof Castles was one of Shögun Jizö's functions, as we shall see below.

logical with regard to his being theThis is quite

conqueror of the armies of the wicked, i. e. of

As to the Shingon sect, we may notice that also the Shögunji, W^"^,or "Temple of the Conqueror of the Armies", in Kawachi province, belongs to thisthe enemy.

This temple

sect.

because1

3*sösho).

itisalso called Taishidö, d^-f''^,or "Hall of the Crownprince"

was believed to have been erected by Shötoku

2 YOSHIDA,YOSHIDA, 1. 1., Vol. II, p. 1991.

Vol. V, p. 54.

1.

Taishi.^Another Shö-Vol. II, p. 1887.

1.,"Sparrows from Yedo", printed in 1677 (author unknown). Ch. IV, p. 55 {Kinsei bungei
5

YOSHIDA, 1. 1., Vol. II, p. 2908.
Ch. I, § 4.

'

Cf. above, Sect.

I,

9

YOSHIDA,

Vol. I, p. 327.

1.

1.,

«

« YOSHIDA, 1. 1., Vol. III,
p. 4089.
YOSHIDA, 1. 1., Vol. III, p. 4410.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

104

Izumi province, was said to have been dedicated at the time of the EmJunna (A. D. 824 833) to Shögun Jizö of Atago-yama in Yamashiro.^
Another centre of Shögun Jizö's cult was Mount Atago in Kai province. The

gunji, in

—

peror

Kaikokushi or "History of Kai province" (1814) gives interesting details about
this worship in the sixteenth Century.
We read there^ that an image of
Jizö was"Temple of the Store of
where
Treasures" on Atago-yama,
TAKEDASHINGEN, ÄBEIfHi (i. e. Takeda Haru(stillin 18 14) the principal idol of the Hözö-in or

nobu, whom we mentioned above^, and who lived 1521

— 1573), used

to pray. In 1584,

when leyasu marched to Owari province, the Governors (Bugyö) of Kai province,
Naruse Kichiemon and Kusakabe Hyöemon, leyasu's vassals, prayed to this Jizö,
that their lord might conquer Hideyoshi, who was actually beaten at Kowaki-yama.

lipon this occasion Kusakabe offered a big sword to the Bodhisattva, and erecteda shrine for him as the tutelary deity of the Castle gate. Six villages of Kai province*
had temples of Shögun Jizö, also called Atago Jizö. One of these^ was built by
TAKEDA SHINGEN in 1539, when he had conquered Murakami Yoshikiyo after
having erected and worshipped an image of Shögun Jizö in bis camp.

The Kwampö era (1741— 1743) saw a Shögun Jizö dedicatedin theAtago-sha§/"f^, a village in the Kamakura district,and thenceforth festivals were celebrated there twice a year, on the third day of
the 4th month, and on the fifteenth of the 8th month.^or "Shintö shrine of Atago" at Yukinoshita,

In the Atago-dö in the Compound of the famous Tendai temple Chüsonji, ff^^(founded by Jikaku Daishi in A. D. 850 and enlarged by the Fujiwara's of the i2th Century) at Hiraizumi village, Rikuchü province, a Shögun Jizö and eight Tengu Images(Mount Atago at Kyoto is also a famous Tengu mountain^) are found.^When the general YAMAMURO TSUNETAKA in the Tembun era (1532— 1554)
built the Castle of lihitsu, fSM.y in Kazusa province, he placed an image of Shögun *Jizö at the main gate, as a tutelary god of the Castle.

This idol was afterwards re-

moved to the Rempuku shrine, Ülfig^, in lihitsu village."
Mukuge (^^) Jizö or the "Long-haired Jizö" oiSairinji, ffil^i^, the "Temple
1

Senshüshi, ÄlWiS, or "Annais of Izumi province," written in A. D. 1700 by ISHIBASHINAOYUKI, yß^'ä.^.
Ch. LXXIII, ^#gß, nr. i, p. 12.
Sect. in, Ch. I, § 5, p. 71.
* Höshöji, Köbai-in, Chösengi, Daitsüji, Höjuji and Dösenji (Üb#, Ä^^, ÄÄ#, :>cäi#,M^#, J§Ä) in Koarama, Ryüchi, Shimoyama, Okawara, and two in Nishiwara {Kaikokushi,
Ch. LXXXIII, Butsuji-bu, nr. 11, p. 5; Ch. LXXXI, same section, nr. 9, p. 6; Ch. LXXXVII,
same section, nr. 15, p. 8; Ch. XC, same section, nr. 17b, p. 23).
' Höshöji at Koarama villctge.
8 Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö (written in1841) Ch. LXXXII, Kamakura district, sect. 14, p. 16.
Cf. my treatise on the Tengu, T. A. S. J. Vol. XXXVI, Part. II.
8 Hiraizumi shi, ^Äi£, written in 1885 by TAKAHIRA MAFUJI, Mi^%U.
^ Shögun is wrongly written St? instead of #.
'» Kazusa-kokushi(1877), Ch. VI, p. 42.
2

3,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
of the Western

Further, there

105

Wood" at Kyoto, was said to be the same as Shögun Jizö of Atago.^
was an image of Shögun Jizö in the Kwannon temple, Ü-q"^, in

Akura^, ^icM, a village in Settsu province and in Samhöji^,;H Jt^> a shrine in Kami-

Shakuji village near Yedo, Shögun Jizö was the principal

Buddhist priest on horseback.
this shrine one

idol,

represented as a

Tradition says that long ago the priest in charge ofnight had a dream, in which the Bodhisattva spoke to him and said:

my horse is still here."
When the priest awoke and entered the shrine, he saw only the horse; the image"I wish to go and save the living beings of the Six Paths, butitself had

been stolen. Then he made a new image and placed it upon the old horse.*

Among the 48 Jizö's in the southern districts of Yedo, from the Kwansei era
1800) visited in a fixed order by many pilgrims, one Shögun Jizö is men(1789—tioned (nr. 27).

As to Jizö's protection against fire, Hiyoke (^I^) and Hikeshi{'K^) Ji^ ("Jizö who averts or extinguishes fire"), are nrs. 11 andaöof this series.^

The Japanese Buddhists having thus made the gentle Jizö the Buddhist war
made a further step in this direction by identifying him with Hachiman,
the "Eight banner" god of war of the Shintöists, the deified Emperor Öjin. We readin the Saezurigusa^, ~^ ^^'f- 5 ^, that the shintai or "god-body" in the Hachimangü,All^^, of Ichigaya, Tti ^'^, in Yedo had the shape of a Buddhist priest and resembled
Jizö. It was a picture, attributed to Köbö Daishi and said to be an ancient painting
from the famous Hachiman temple of Iwashimizu, ^^yK, founded in A. D. 859.
Also the shintai of Ana Hachiman, yZÄ.f^ (in Yedo?), was a standing Buddhist
priest with a khakkhara in his hand, and Töji, ^^, the Shingon temple in Kyoto,founded in 796 by Köbö Daishi, also possessed such a Hachiman idol. The Shingon
priests were, of course, again the men who in this way identified their Shögun Jizö
god, they

with the Shintö god of war.
It isvery interesting to notice, that Ti-tsang, represented on horseback, was

We have seen above (Sect. II, Ch. IV, § 2), that a
Chinese legend of the tenth Century describes him leading a horse in hell (perhaps
also

known on the continent.

a survival of Hayagriva's shape).

In Annam he is sometimes represented riding on

horseback (we do not read that he is clad in armour), in a Buddhist temple (where
also

Kwanyin is worshipped and the ten hells are painted on the walls) and placednear Kwan Ti, the War God.'
Jizö Bosatsii reikenki (1684), Ch. XIV, p. 16.
In Teshima district.
^ "Triratna temple".
* Edo meisho zue (1789
1817), Ch. IV, p. 135.
ä Füzoku gwahö, Nr.
67 (Febr. 1894), p. 75.
Written in 1859 by KATÖ JAKU-AN, Jnltfig, Ch. LXXIII, p. 19.
' Dr. H. H. JUYNBOLL kindly pointed out to me this fact, mentioned by L. CADIERE,
Siir quelques faits religieux ou niagiques obscrves pendant une epidemie de cholera en Annam,II,§ 4 (le Protecteur), Anthropos V (1910), p. 1147.
1

^

—

•=

CHAPTER III.

THE FUJIWARA AND GEMPEI-PERIODS (858—1192).
§

I.

Koyasu Jizö.

We

haveseen above, that the Jizö oiKi no moto'^, as well as the so-called Haraobi no Jizö, ascribed to Gyögi Bosatsu^, were believed to give easy birth. Sand
from the Compound of Mihu dera was an excellent charm for the same purpose^.
The Emperor Shömu (A. D. 724 749) had a Koyasu no Jizö er "Easy birth Jizö"
made to pray for an easy delivery of the Crownprincess, and a temple (Rikköji in
Awa province) dedicated to this Jizö*. Also the Jizö of Emmyöji in Konishimi village,
Kawachi province, was famous in this respect^. Köbö Daishi was said to have madethis image, and Dengyö Daishi was made responsible for another idol which was
believed to have the same power ^. The Jizö of Obitoki-dera at Nara, said to be thework of the Shintö god of Kasuga, gave easy birth to Montoku Tennö's Consort(A. D. 851) and to thousands of women afterwards', and even Shögun Jizö of Atago,
the tutelary god of the warriors, bestowed this blessing upon his female worshippers*.
In the Compound of the ancient Hachiman temple Torikai Hachimangü, %^AJfm'^inTsuna district, Awaji province, built under the Emperor Murakami (A.D. 946 to967), there was a Buddhist shrine, called Kwömyözan Höjuji, ^^^\\\9.^^> or"Temple of Light, Shrine of the PreciousTree", dedicated to Koyasu Jizö. If pregnant
women worshipped this image with a devout heart, they were sure to have an easybirth. There was a yearly Daihannya meeting, ')^WC^'^ (when the Daihannya kyö,i. e. the Mahäprajnäpäraniitä sütra, was read)on the iith day of the first month,and upon this occasion prayers were offered up to the Bodhisattva for the peaceand felicity of the Emperor and the people. Further evidence of the great importanceof this temple was the fact that a höjö-e, M.^^i. e.
a ceremony consisting inreleasing living beings (animals) from confinement, was held there on the i5th dayof the 8th month, the very date on which this ceremony used to be performed atcourt. Moreover, a Hokke-e, 'i^^'^, a meeting for reading and expounding someparts of the Hokke-kyö or "Saddharma Pundarika sütra", used to be held in this

—

,

'

'-

Ch. I, § 3, p. 68.
Ch. II, § 2, p. 80.

2=

Ch. I, § 5, p. 72.
Ch. II, § 3, p. 82.

=>'

Ch. II, § 1, p. 76.
Ch. II, § 4, p. 84.

8* Ch. II, § 2, p. 78.
Ch. II, § 6, p. 103.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

107

temple on the i5th day of the loth month, and on the i5th of the iith month the fivesections of the Daijö-kyö,Nrs. 195%WM^ (the Mahäyäna-bhisamaya sütra, NANJÖ's Catal.

and 196?) were read there^.

The Jizö of Jököji, "Bit^, in Zaigö (M®) village, Ukae district, Kawachi
was a famous protector of women and a bestower of easy birth. The
partof the immense crowd of pilgrims, going up to this Jizö's festivai on
greatest
the 24th of the 7th month (Jizö's special day of worship, as we remarked above^),and passing the night there, were women. "There must be", says the author of theKwösekishü^ (1692), "a profound innen, Wi^ (connection from previous states ofexistence) between Jizö and the female sex." He further refers to the Sütra on
Kshitigarbha's original vow, treated above*, and states that all the 28 blessings,
ascribed there to this Bodhisattva, prove to be actually bestowed by him upon his
worshippers. No living being or object was ever Struck by lightning inside the Compound of this temple and in the village; no calamity ever feil upon the inhabitants;
and none of the women living before the gate of this sanctuary ever had a difficult
delivery. Nobody prayed in vain to this mighty Bodhisattva, who in the shape of apriest personally saved the abbot from the hands of a murderer, preventedthe temple
from conflagration by rousing a servant who had fallen asleep when fire had broken
out in the shrine, and caused a thief to lose his way and err about in the building
the whole night tili he was arrested in the morning^. His fame reached the earsof the Emperor Shirakawa, who in A. D. 1088, after having become a Hö-ö, i^M.,
or Imperial Priest, on his way to Köya san visited this temple and bowed down
before the image. When he was about to leave the shrine, a thunderstorm broke
forth and the rain came down in torrents. The abbot advised the Emperor to makesome offering to the Bodhisattva, who evidently prevented him from leaving. Thenthe monarch put a relic in the form of a grain in Jizö's band, and the rain stopped
at once. When he took the relic back, however, and promised to offer it to Jizö on
his way home, the thunderstorm returned, heavier than before, and did not cease
before the grain was placed again in Jizö's band. Thereupon the Emperor, filledwith admiration for this deity's miraculous power, went away and left the relic inprovince,

the Bodhisattva's possession.^

There was a Koyasu Jizö on the temple ground of Zenryöji, #t|^, in the
Nishitera machi, Osaka, which was said to have been carved by Bishop ESHIN, M'Ü»(A. D. 942
1017), the famous bonze who prepared the foundation of the Jödo sect—

and who was well-known as a scholar, painter and sculptor'. Another Koyasu Jizö,in the Compound of Ryö-un-in, ^^ß-ii, a temple in the same street of Osaka, wasattributed to Jöchö,%^, the celebrated sculptor of the iith Century

1

Garan kaiki ki (1689), Ch. VI, p. 48.

"

Sect.

Ch. III, p. 5.

I,

Ch. I, § 2, pp. 6 sqq.
'

Setsttyö

^

^

ch.

I,

§ 4, p. 70.

Kwösekishü, Ch.

gimdan (1698), Ch. XII, p. 34.

III,
"

»

pp. 8, 10.

Ch.

8.

III, p. 8.
"

Kwösekishü,

Selsuyö gimdan, Ch. XII, p.35.

:

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

io8

UNKEI, H^, the famous sculptor of the thirteenth Century, was said to havemade the Koyasu Jizö of the Nohu Jizö-dö, IS^fifeÜ^, in Nobu {^&) village,
Haga district, Shimotsuke province. The monthly festival of this temple took placeon the 24th day of every month, and many pilgrims, also from the neighbouring proon those days^.
The Jizö-dö in Odawara, /hBEIiSi Sagami province, was dedicated to Ko}rasu
Jizö by HÖJÖ UJIMASA, ^b'^ÄiS (1S38— 1590), who built this chapel in A.D. 1568
and again presented offerings to it twenty years later. ^vinces, visited the shrine

We may finally mention the principal idol of Hömyö-in, Ifi^Bc, in Hayakawa
Koma district, Kai province, which also bore the name of Koyasu Jizö*.
Among the 48 Jizö's, visited successively in the South of Yedo, there are four

village,

Koyasu Jizö's (Nrs. 7, 9, 22 and 45), one Hara-obi (0,-^, "Belly-girdle") Jizö (Nr. 41)
and one Ko-sodate hara-obi ("F'WM'^» "Child-rearing Belly-girdle") Jizö (Nr. 15).
The custom of visiting these 48 Jizö's, as well as 48 others on the Bluff (yama no te)of Yedo, and again 48 other Jizö's in the East of the town, was established in the
Kwansei era (1789 1800), and is still prevailing. Among those of the Bluff there
are three Koyasu Jizö's (Nrs. 29, 39 and 42), one Taisan {^M, "Prosperous Birth")—Jizö (Nr. 17), and two Hara-obi Jizö's (Nrs. 38 and 40), while the eastern group

Koyasu Jizö (Nr. 2), two Anzan {^M., "Easy birth") Jizö's (Nrs. 9
and 29), tvfo Ko-sodate ("Child-rearing") Jizö's (Nrs. 18 and 37), and one Ko-sazuke,~f"S ("Child-giving") Jizö (Nr. 41). On examining these numbers we find thecontains one

remarkable fact that each of the three groups contains six Jizö's of this kind, which

number, as we have seen above, plays an important part in the Jizö cult of Japan.
Ko-sodate Jizö is mostly represented with a child in his lap.
It is quite logical that the "Womb of the Earth'* was believed to be one of
the most appropriate deities for giving easy birth and general protection to women.
Jizö

is

also in this respeet the counterpart of Kwannon,

who is also considered to

be a powerful protector of women and children and a giver of easy birth.
theWe findname of Koyasu Kwannon mentioned in YOSHIDA's Geographica! Dictionary,

As to Jizö, a characteristic old custom is still prevailing
Misaki (HJfö) village, Izumo province. In the bridal night of a new-married
couple young people assemble, carry a stone image of Jizö to their house and place
it before the gate.
The Füzoku gwahö*, which mentions this curious custom, saysthat it is unknown when it sprang up, but that its meaning is said to be symbolicalthe young woman must be hard, i. e. constant, like stone in keeping her chastity,and she must have love and compassion like Jizö. We are sure, however, that thisVol. I, p. 65 (near Kyoto).
inShimotsuke kokushi, TSfläH, written in 1850 by KÖNO MORIHIRO, Mif^3i.; Ch. VII,
p. 18.
^

Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö (1841), Ch. XXV, Ashigara-Shimo göri, sect. 4,. p. 19.
* Nr.
Kaikokushi, Ch. LXXXVII, Butsuji bu, Nr. 15, p. 4.
75 (July, 1894), p.

17-

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
is109

only a. modern explanation, and that Jizö is placed there to give fertility and easybirth to tfae

A similar custom is found in Hamada village, Iwami

young woman.

province, where in the evening of a naarriage the young people carry several stone

house of the bridegroom.

Jizö's to theThis is explained to avert divorce, because

these heavy images are difficult to move, and the young people may be as steadfast

as these Jizö's.^

In my opinion, however, the real ground of this custom is the sameas in Misaki.

ASTON ^ after having stated that Jizö occupies the place of the phallic godsof the roads, theSae or Sai no kamt, which stood at crossways, remarks that "themodern practice of bringing the Jizö of the neighbourhood and dumping them down
before the couple is no doubt a survival (of the cult of those phallic gods)". Thisis very plausible and agrees with Jizö's own nature.
He was the proper deity toreplace the Shintö gods of fertility, and the continuation of this old custom withhis

images instead of with those of his predecessors is quite appropriate.
§ 2.

Jizö, the Saviour front Hell.
-A, Legends.

We saw above, that in the theatrical Performances given at the yearly festivalof Mibu-dera,

Emma, the King of Hell, was represented punishing the sinners, orJizö saving the living beings.*

funeral processions

All

the image of Indö Jizö, who leads the souls to Paradise.

on Köya san stop before
This image was attributed

to Köbö Daishi, who practised a mystic Jizö doctrine, called the "Method of breaking

means of this doctrine saved his mother from
Höyakc no Jizö in Osaka was called thus because he had suffered in hell as

the hells".
hell"*.

Chisen, his nephew, by

a Substitute for a woman and his cheeks were burned by the yake-kane or "burning

We may compare this idol with the Black Jizö, also called Hitaki {^')<j!M)irons".*

Jizö ("who kindles the fire"), the principal image of the Nikaidö,I^^^, or "Two-

Compound of Kakuonji, !^H^, in Kamakura. This image
was made by GIDÖ oshö, ^"^W^,^ and dedicated by CHINTEI oshö,'' ^#M|D1^, abbot
of Kenchöji, j^;^^, the famous Rinzai temple (founded in 1253), but in A. D. 1385
storied Hall", in thethe shitswji,^^ (the chief

official of the

Shögun) of Kamakura requested Bishop

RAI-IN, MPPf§"iE, to open its eyes and dedicate it for the second time. This Jizö

was Said to have assumed the shape of a "soldier of hell" {goku-sotsu, ^2^) out
of compassion with the sinners whom he saw suffering in hell. He kindled the firein such a way that the flames stopped burning them. Therefore his image turned
black in one night whenever it was painted in colours it was blackened by the smoke:

1

Füzoku gwahö, No. 75 (July 1894)

3

Ch.

*

I.

'

I.

II,

§ I, p. 74.

*

Ch.

II,

,'

p.

29

Shüshin, jUis, who lived A. D. 1325
e, KAIJU, mM, who Uved A, D. 131&e.

^

§ 2, pp. 77, 82

Shinto, p. 191.

5 Ch. II,§ 3, p. 83.
1388; author of the Nikkö shü, HXft.
1401,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

HOof hell.

A great many male and female pilgrims there spent the night of the I3th of
We mention this tradition of the Kamakura period here, because

the 7th monthi.

we like to combine all similar ideas and tales under one heading, as we did before
with the Six Jizö's, Shögun Jizö, Koyasu Jizö and the ancient temples. As someof these tales belong to the Fujiwara period, we give them all in this chapter.
Asekaki or "Sweating" Jizö of the Oku-no-in on Köya san is said to perspire
every day at the hour of the snake (911 A. M.). According to the Unkin zuihitsu,—MW^^^, the reason of this factisstates that populär tradition ascribedhell asunknown, but another work^, written in 1715,
it to the sufferings which Jizö underwent in

a Substitute for the living beings.*

ONO TAKAMURA was said to have received in hell King Yama's order to makeand one of the Six Jizö's of Köya san led a proud priest to hellin a dream to show him all its miseries^. ENNÖ was taken to the hells and to Paradiseby the Six Jizö's*, and the Shintö priest KORETAKA saw them when he was erring
about on the broad piain of hell, and after having been released by them he madesix images of Jizö^,

their images.'

MAMMEI, ^:^, who in A. D. 796 was abbot of Yata-dera, 3^B3#, also called
Kong5-{san) ji, ^^'J(lll)^, or"Vajra temple", in Yamato province^, saw Jizö in hell
taking sinners under his protection and requesting and obtaining them from King

Yama. This is the subject of a makimono of an unknown artist of the Kasuga school,
entitled Jizö Bosatsu engt,

dating from thefirsti^^'^^WiM^, or "History of the Bodhisattva Jizö", andhalf of the fourteenth Century.

There are several makimono's of the Kose, Tosa and Sumiyoshi schools, with
1 Shimpen Kamakura shi (1684), Ch. II, p. 33.
Cf. Shasekishü,
priest MUJÜ, *Sö, who died in 1312), Ch. II a, p. 16.
- Written in
1861 by ^üfK (Akatsuki Kanenari), Ch. I, p. 18.
3'dili'Sk(written by the.

_Kwö-eki zokusetsu ben, M^^Wi^, written in 1715 by IZAWACHÖJU, frU^^. Ch. XX,

p. I.
* The author of the Kwö-eki zokusetsu ben himself, however, seeks the explanation in thenature of the stone, which he compares with the Yin and Yang stones, mentioned in the Hiench'wang kwah-i cht (PiilSfö:^iSi, "Bündle of stränge matters from the closed window", written
in the i3th Century by LU YING-LUNG, @Si||). There we read: "In I-ling there are a Yin
and a Yang stone; the former is always wet, the latter is always dry. If drought prevails the
Yin stone and if it rains (too much) the Yang stone is flagellated, and always successfully."
He also quotes another Chinese work, written in the T'ang dynasty, where a pencil-stand, madefrom a multi-coloured stone, is said to have been wet as if it sweated, whenever rain was to be
expected. This reminds us of the dragon's eggs of Chinese and Japanese tales (cf. my treatiseon the "Dragon in China and Japan", Book I, Ch. III, § 16, pp. 88 sqq., and Book II, Ch. VII,
§ 2, pp. 216 sqq.). The same Japanese author continues as follows: "Some say that this Jizö
may have been made of a kind of stone like the ushio-ishi (iÜTT, 'tide-stone') in the templeof Ashizuri Myöjin in Tosa province." This was a concave stone, filled with water at hightide and empty at low tide, cf. my treatise on the Dragon, Ch. VI, § 5, p. 209.
5 Cf. above, Ch. II,« Ibidem, p. 87.
' Ibidem, p. 88.
» Ibidem, p. 89.
§ 5, p. 85.
ä Kokkwa^No. 180,
pp. 237 sq. This temple was erected in A. D. 680 by the Hossö priest
CHITSÜ, §ifi, by order of the Emperor Temmu. Cf. YOSHIDA, Geogr. Dict. Vol. I, p. 220.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
explaining

texts

well - known

III

of

men,

which all relate Jizö's
miracles and favourable

responses

to

and

are

prayers,

allbased upon the Sütra

on his Original Vow.

We shall treat thesescrolls below,

in thechapter on theKa-makura period^(cf.

and i6).
The Uji shüi mo-

Fig. iS

nogatari,^'ia^^M.%

relates

|§2^

how

in

olden times a priest of

Kokuryüji,

Mll'^',
a temple in Sakano
village,Fig. 15. Jizö, Standing on a cloud, enters the gate of hell to save thesuffering souls. The ox-headed demons fall with their faces upon the

ground, and the souls Stretch their arms towards the Bodhisattva. Froma makimono pasted on a screen in the Leiden Ethnographical Museum.

Inaba province, who had completed a Jizö Image which was left unfinished,

revived six days after his death.

Two devils of hell had seized him, but Jizö had

him back to the world of men, and had kindly shown him theway, because he was grateful to him for having finished his image.
The same work* gives a story, also found in the Genkö Shakusho^, about the
Buddhist priest GANO, Jl^, who one day took shelter for the rain in a Jizö chapelin Yokogawa no Hannya-dani ("Prajfiä-valley") on Hieizan. As the roof of thechapel was dilapidated and the rain dripped upon the Jizö image, he pitied it andordered to send

covered it with his own hat. After death he feil into hell, because he had committed
many evil deeds, and was thrown into an iron caldron, in which his body was burned.

While he was thus suffering immensely, a priest, the Jizö of Yokogawa, appeared
and pulled him out of the kettle, sealding his own forehead, foot and Shoulder. Thenhe revived and when he visited the chapel he saw that the corresponding parts of
the image were burned.
"In olden times", says the same work^, "a certain Fujiwara no Hiroki died
and was summoned before King Yama's tribunal." The King said to him: "YourThis makimono is preserved in Yata-dera, and wrongly attributed to Tosa Takakane.
Written 1213— 1218. Ch. III, K. T. K. Vol. XVII, p. 71.
3 "Temple of the Black Dragon."« Ch. V, p. 118.
5 Ch. XXIX, K. T. K. Vol. XIV, p. 1165.
1

2*

Uji shüi monogatari,

Ch. VI, p.^120.

IN

I

bN lUNAL bbUUNU tÄKUöUHC'I

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

HOof hell.

A great many male and female pilgrims there spent the night of the I3th of

the yth month'.

We mention this tradition of the Kamakura period here, because

we like to combine all similar ideas and tales under one heading, as we did before
with the Six Jizö's, Shögun Jizö, Koyasu Jizö and the ancient temples. As someof these tales belong to the Fujiwara period, we give them all in this chapter.
Asckciki or "Sweating" Jizö of the Okn-iio-in on Köyci saii

every day at the hour of the snake (9— 11 A. M.). Accordingissaid to perspireto theUnkin zuihitsu,

M^iWä'f-', the reason of this fact is unknown, but another work'', written in 1715,
States that populär tradition ascribeditto the sufferings

which Jizö underwent inhell as a Substitute for the living beings.

ONO TAKAMURA was said to have received in hell King Yama's order to makesix

Images of Jizö'% and one of the Six Jizö's of Köya san led a proud priest to hellin a dream to show him all its miseries''.

ENNO was taken to the hells and to Paradiseby the Six Jizö's", and the Shintö priest KORETAKA saw them when he was erring

about on the broad piain of hell, and after having been released by them he madetheir images."

MAMMEI, jifi/ii, who in A. D. 796 was abbot of Yata-dcra, :^fH'.'f, also calledKu)igö-(san) ji, "feliSl'l(lll) ly, or "Vajra temple", inYamato province^, saw Jizö in hell

taking sinners under his protection and requesting and obtaining them from King

Yama. This is the subject of a makimono of an unknown artist of the Kasuga school,
entitled Jizö Bosatsu cngi. itÜijicI'i'&lf'V^Ä", or "History of the Bodhisattva Jizö",

dating from the

first

and

half of the fourteenth Century.

There are several makimono's of the Kose, Tosa and Sumiyoshi schools, with'

Sh'uupcu Kainakitra shi (1684), Ch.

II,

p. 33.

Cf.

Shasekishü,

iJ^YTIfc(written by the,MUJU, Jntffe, who died in 1312), Ch. II a, p. 16.

priest••Written in 1861 by ^ivJ& (Akatsuki Kanenari), Ch. I, p. 18.
Ku'ö-t'/a zoliiisctsit ben, }&ii\(fRM, written in 1715 by IZAWA CHOJU, ^fvfiiJ>. Ch. XX,

p. I.

The author of the K'ü'5-eki zokiiseisu bcn himself, however, seeks the explanation in thenatura of the stone, which he compares with the Yin and Yang stones, mentioned in the Hien
ch'u'aiig ki^'dk-i Chi {''lY.'j.h^if.l^-., "Bündle of stränge matters from the closed window", written
in the isth Century by LU YING-LUNG, Yi^.ni). There we read: "In I-ling there are a Yhi
and a Yang stone; the former is always wet, the latter is always dry. If drought prevails theMii stone and if it rains (too much) the Yang stone is flagellated, and always successfully."
He also quotes another Chinese work, written in the T'ang dynasty, where a pencil-stand, madefrom a multi-coloured stone, is said to have been wet as if it sweated, whenever rain was to be
expected. This reminds us of the dragon's eggs of Chinese and Japanese tales (cf. my treatiseon the " l)ragon in Cliina and Japan" Book I, Ch. III, S; 16, pp. 88 sqq., and Book II, Ch. VII,
The same Japanese author continues as follows: "Some say that this JizöJa 2, pp. 216 sqq.).
may have been made of a kind of stone like the itshio-islii ('Mi\, 'tide-stone') in the templeof Ashiznri Myöjin in Tosa province." This was a concave stone, filled with water at hightide and empty at low tide, cf. my treatise on the Dragon, Ch. VI, § 5, p. 209.
• Cf. above, Ch. II,» Ibidem, p. 89.
Ibidem, p. 88.
Ibidem, p. 87.
S 5, p. 85.
"/v'o/i'/?rc'(7,''No. 180, pp. 237 sq.
This temple was erected in A. D. 680 by the Hossö priest
CHITSU, 1^?M, by order of the Emperor Temmu. Cf. YOSHIDA, Geogr. Dict. Vol. I, p. 220.
'

,

''•

•

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
explaining

texts

well-known

III

of

men,

which all relate Jizö's
miracles and favourresponses

able

to

and all are
based upon the Sütra

prayers,

on his Original Vow.

We shall treat thesescrolls below,

in theon the Ka-

chaptermakura period^(cf.

and i6).
The U'ji shili nw-

Fig. iS

nogatari,^'\''{uWM-^

relates

oli'-

how
•

.

,

Ä.

in

Fig- I5-(

suffering

Olden times a priest Ol
Kokliryüji,*^\\^^^,

a temple

Sakanovillage,in

Jizö, standing on a cloud, enters the gate of hell to save thesouls.
The ox-headed demons fall with their faces upon the

ground, and the souls stretch their arms towards the Bodhisattva. From^ makimono pasted on a screen in the Leiden Ethnographical Museum.

Inaba province, who had completed a Jizö image which was left unfinished,

Two devils of hell had seized him, but Jizö hadrevived six days after his death.

ordered to sendhim back

world of men, and had kindly shown him thehim for having finished his image.

to theway, because he was gratefulto

The same work* gives a story, also found in the Genkö Shakushtr\ about the

who one day took shelter for the rain in a Jizö chapel
Yokogawa no Hannya-dani ("Prajiiä-valley") on Hieizan. As the roof of the

Buddhist priest GANO, fint,inchapel was dilapidated and the rain dripped upon the Jizö image, he pitied

it

and

covered it with his own hat. After death he feil into hell, because he had committed

many evil deeds, and was thrown into an iron caldron, in which his body was burned.
While he was thus suffering immensely, a priest, the Jizö of Yokogawa, appeared
and pulled him out of the kettle, sealding his own forehead, foot and Shoulder. Thenhe revived and when he visited the chapel he saw that the corresponding parts of
the image were burned.
"In olden times", says the same work", "a certain Fujiwara no Hiroki died
and was summoned before King Yama's tribunal." The King said to him: "YourThis makimono is preserved in Yata-dera, and wrongly attributed to Tosa Takakane.
Written 1213— 1218. Ch. III, K. T. K. Vol. XVII, p. 71.
3 "Temple of the Black Dragon."^ Ch. V, p. 118.
5 Ch. XXIX, K. T. K. Vol. XIV, p. 1165.
^=*

Uji shüi monogatari.

Ch. VI, p.^120.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

112

wife

who

died

in

childbed, issufferingin hell.

She lodged

a complaint againstyoubecause you
who committed crimes with her, did
not have masses said,f or

her soul after her

Thus she requested me to summon you also and tocause you to suffer
inthe same way she
death.

Jizö, the Saviour from Hell, appears, Standing upon a cloud,behind KingYama's tribunal. From the same makimono to which Fig. 15
belongs (Leiden Ethnographical Museum).

Fig. i6.

does."

Hiroki ans-

wered that he had
been prevented by
official werk for his lord, but that he would copy and offer sütras on behalf of hiswife if he could get leave to return to the world of men, for if he had to suffer in hell
now this would not be of any use to her. Then Yama allowed him to return, on condition that he should copy and offer sütras on behalf of his wife. When on his way
back Hiroki thought: "Who was that man who sitting behind the jewel blind (tamano sudare) spoke to me and gave me permission to return to the world of man? Ishould like to know his name." Thus he again entered the courtyard of hell andasked the man who he was. "In the world I am called Jizö Bosatsu", was the answer,
whereupon Hiroki arrived at the conclusion that King Yama and Jizö Bosatsu were
one and the same person. Then he revived, on the third day after his death, andsoon kept his promise with regard to the sütras and masses.
We find here the same identification of Jizö with Yama, which we noticed in
the Hokke jü-5 sandan eshö, attributed to NICHIREN', where the fifth of the Ten
Kings, King Yama,issaid to be a manifestation of Jizö.

We read in the Heike monogatari, '^^%ln^, that Taira no Shigemori (Komatsu
no daijin) found Fujiwara no Narichika (the Dainagon), who in A. D. 1077 hadplotted against Kiyomori and had been imprisoned by the latter, lying with his faceon the floor in some dark spot above the sliding-doors. The man wept bitterly,
but when he heard Shigemori's voice, he looked up and was as much rejoiced as"sinners in hell

when seeing Jizö Bosatsu".
relates how a relative of Yüki Nyüdö Michitada

The Taiheiki^ (about 1382)
1 Cf. above, Sect II, Ch.
monogatari hyöchü {WÜ.), Ch.

I,§ 4, p. 40.

-

Written in 1225

II,±, p. 42.

>

Ch.

XX, p. 14.

— 1250; Heike'

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

"3

dreamt that a yamabushi, who called himself Rokudö nöke ( A^jä^ft) no Jizö Satta,"the Bodhisattva Jizö who can convert the six gati", led him through hell and showed

him the Nyüdö suffering terribly.

Jizö ordered the man to warn the Nyüdö's wifeand children (who did not yet know that he had died in Ise) and to admonish themto copy and offer the Hokkekyö (Saddarma pundarika sütra) in order to save his soulfrom hell. This was dpne accordingly, after 49 days of fasting. We find in thisM%^W.

passage a description of the Mugen, ^fal, or Abi-jigoku,(the Avici hell,
the last of the eight hot hells). Further, there was a magnificent Buddhist temple,

with a high gate of gold and

The tablet of the gate bore the inscription:"Great fire-despatching temple", i^Mi'A^, and on that of the temple was written:"Judgment of right and wrong, ?1#^." Jizö entered this shrine, returned with
the Hokkekyö in a lacquer box, and ordered the man to read part of this text.
The same work contains a curious passage on Kongo Zö-ö Gongen, #HiJ|^£1ll^\
or "Manifestation of the Vajra-Repository-king". In olden times this Gongen roseout of the ground and appeared to EN NO UBASOKU,
who had passed
a thousand days on Kimpusen, ^^lli^ praying to see this Bodhisattva in a living
shape. The Gongen appeared in the shape of Jizö, with a kind and.patient face,
but Ubasoku said: "If you intend to save the living beings of future ages in thisshape, it will be in vain." Then the Bodhisattva flew to Öyama in Höki province,
and appeared again, this time in an angry shape, brandishing a sanko (three-pointed
vajra) in his right hand, and a goko (five-pointed vajra) in his left, and showing ademon-conquering face. This Manifestation (avatära) of Jizö led the Hossö priest
NICHIZÖ, 0|^_hA*> to King Yama's palace and showed him the six roads (gati)
when he had suddenly died in A. D. 939. There he saw the Emperor of the Engl era
silver.

^MMM%

(i.

e.

Daigo,

who reigned 898

other sinners.
bitterly.

—930), dressed in imperial robes but suffering

like

The monarch beckoned to the priest and spoke with him weeping

After twelve days the priest revived and built a shrine for him on Mount

Yoshino in Yamato province, the seat of Zö-ö Gongen 5. The latter was, as all these
Gongen are, a Shintö god, whose temple originally was called Kane-no-mine jinja,

name of Kongo Zö-ö Gongen or
As to the Hossö priest NICHIZÖ, he made a special study of the secretdoctrine of the Yoga school. The term "Vajra" is evidence that the name of thedeity also belongs this sect. The Gongen's rising out of the ground reminds us of
the Emmyö Jizö kyö, to be treated below, the mystic nature of which is evident.
-^lll^jpii'jttfc*,

but received from the Buddhists the

Kongöhuji.

The Taiheiki gives the pronunciation Za-ö, which is probably a nüstake.
Ubasoku is the transcription of the sanscrit word upäsaka, male lay-member of the
Buddhist church. This may be EN NO SHÖKAKU, the famous hermit sind magician of the1

2

seventh Century.
ä

A famous tnountain in Yoshino district, Yamato.

*

Cf.

=

Taiheiki, Ch.

8

On Kimpusen (^^lü).

WASHIO's Nihon Bukke jimmei jisho, p. 961 s. v.
XXVI, p. 9.
Cf.

YOSHIDA s Geogr. Dict. Vol. I, p. 295.

L_Jll^^1«a» <^^rr-n

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

112

who

wife

died

in

childbed, issufferingin hell.

She lodged

a complaint against
becauseyou,you

who committed critnes

with her,did

not have masses saidfor her soul after her

Thus she requested me to summon you also and tocause you to suffer
inthe same way she
death.

Jizö, the Saviour from Hell, appears, Standing upon a cloud,behind KingYama's tribunal. From the same makimono to which Fig. 15
belongs (Leiden Ethnographical Museum).

Fig. l6.

does."

Hiroki ans-

wered that he had
been prevented by
official work for his lord, bat that he would copy and offer sütras on behalf of hiswife if he could get leave to return to the world of men, for if he had to suffer in hell

now this would not be of any use to her. Then Yama allowed him to return, on condition that he should copy and offer sütras on behalf of his wife. When on his way
back Hiroki thought: "Who was that man who sitting behind the jewel blind (tunui
110 siidarc) spoke to me and gave me permission to return to the world of man?
I
should like to know his name." Thus he again entered the courtyard of hell andasked the man who he was. "In the world I am called Jizö Bosatsu", was the answer,
whereupon Hiroki arrived at the conclusion that King Yama and Jizö Bosatsu were
one and the same person. Then he revived, on the third day after his death, andsoon kept his promise with regard to the sütras and masses.
We find here the same identification of Jizö with Yama, which we noticed in
the Hokke jü-o sandan csliö, attributed to NICHIREN', where the fifth of the Ten
Kings, King Yama, is said to be a manifestation of Jizö.
We read in the Heike manogatari, ^'-^iJWUk-, that Taira no Shigemori (Komatsu
no daijin) found Fujiwara no Narichika (the Dainagon), who in A. D. 1077 hadplotted against Kiyomori and had been imprisoned by the latter, lying with his faceon the floor in some dark spot above the sliding-doors. The man wept bitterly,
but when he heard Shigemori's voice, he looked up and was as much rejoiced as"sinners in hell

when seeing Jizö Bosatsu".
relates how a relative of Yüki Nyüdö Michitada

The Taihciki^ (about 1382)^
Cf. above, Sect II, Ch.
monogatari hyöchti (^Jli), Ch.

I,

II,

§ 4, p. 40.
K, p. 42.

Written in 1225 -1250; HeikeCh.

XX, p. 14.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

113

dreamt that a yamabnshi, who called hims&M Rokudö nökc (T^jüflßft) no Jizö Satta,"the Bodhisaltva Jizö who can convert the six gati", led him through hell and showed

him the Nyüdö suffering terribly.

Jizö ordered the man to warn the Nyüdö's wifeand children (who did not yet know that he had died in Ise) and to admonish themto copy and offer the Hokkekyö (Saddarma pundarika sütra) in order to save his soulfrom hell. This was done accordingly, after 49 days of fasting. We find in thispassage a description of the Mugcn,

with a high gate of gold and

fülPü],or Abi-jigoku,M^.'jM^^ (the Avici hell,

Further, there was a magnificent Buddhist temple,

the last of the eight hot hells).

silver.

"Great fire-despatching temple",

The tablet of the gate bore the inscription:!i-, and on that of the temple was written:^H^'X"Judgment of right and wrong, Jt'H^I'-^." Jizö entered this shrine, returned with
the Hokkekyö in a lacquer box, and ordered the man to read part of this text.
The same work contains a curious passage on Kongo Zö-ö Gongen, ^l^iJ^SI^^',or "Manifestation of the Vajra-Repository-king". In olden times this Gongen roseout of the ground and appeared to EN NO UBASOKU, '^!x.{&WM'~, who had passed
a thousand days on Kimpusen, ^^|1|', praying to see this Bodhisattva in a living
shape. The Gongen appeared in the shape of Jizö, with a kind and patient face,
but Ubasoku said: "If you intend to save the living beings of future ages in thisshape, it will be in vain." Then the Bodhisattva flew to Öyama in Höki province,
and appeared again, this time in an angry shape, brandishing a sanko (three-pointed
vajra) in his right hand, and a goko (five-pointed vajra) in his left, and showing ademon-conquering face. This Manifestation (avatära) of Jizö led the Hossö priest
NICKIZÖ, [IfilcJiA^, to King Yama's palace and showed him the six roads {gati)
when he had suddenly died in A. D. 939. There he saw the Emperor of the Engi era(i.

e.

Daigo,

who reigned 898

other sinners.
bitterly.

— 930), dressed in imperial robes but suffering like

The monarch beckoned to the priest and spoke with him weeping

After twelve days the priest revived and built a shrine for him on

Mount

Yoshino in Yamato province, the seat of Zö-ö Gongen^. The latter was, as all these
Gongen are, a Shintö god, whose temple originally was called Kane-no-minc jinja,

name of Kongo Zö-ö Gongen or
As to the Hossö priest NICHIZÖ, he made a special study of the secretdoctrine of the Yoga school. The term "Vajra" is evidence that the name of thedeity also belongs this sect. The Gongen's rising out of the ground reminds us of
the linniiyö Jizö kyö, to be treated below, the mystic nature of which is evident.
^lll'lfifill'ilill^,but received from the Buddhists theKdiigöbaJ!.

The Taiheiki gives the pronunciation Za-ö, which is probably a mistake.
Ubasoku is the transcription of the sanscrit word npäsaka, male lay-member of the
Buddhist church. This may be EN NO SHÖKAKU. the famous hermit and magician of the1-seventh Century.
^

A famous mountain in Yoshino district, Yamato.

'

Cf.

5

Taiheiki, Ch.

«

On Kimpusen (fe^lH).

WASHIO's Kihoii Biikke jinimei jisho, p. 961 s. v.
XXVI, p. 9.
Cf.

YOSHIDA s Geogr. Dict. Vol. I, p. 295.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

114

The Genkö Shakusho (written before A. D. 1346) gives several stories about
persons who died and revived after having been released from hell by Jizö. JOZÖAMA, faW.]^ (nun), the daughter of TAIRA NO MASAKADO, ^^P^ (the famous
rebel, killed in battle by Fujiwara no Hidesato in A.

D. 940) after her father's deathÖshü and lived there in a small house near a Buddhist temple. One day she
feil ill and died, but she revived and told the following story. "I went to the palaceof King Emma (Yama) and saw a large crowd of sinners in the courtyard. After
fled toa while a Buddhist priest came, with a shakujö (khakkhara) in his hand, and all
the devils of hell fled, crying:'Jizö

Bosatsu has come!

Jizö Bosatsu has come!'

On hearing these words I went to Jizö and implored him to save me. Then he took
me to King Emma and said to him: 'As this girl has a strong faith, please let her
The King answered: 'I shall obey Your
Thereupon Jizö Bosatsu led me to the gate of the palace
and took leave from me, saying: 'Believe in me and constantly recite my name.'
After having sworn that I should believe in him with all my heart, I returned tolife." She kept her word and daily recited Jizö's name, tili she died at an age ofmore than eighty years.^
A Buddhist priest, named JÖSHO, "fjBS, who from childhood had worshipped
Jizö, died in his 30th year, but revived after a few days. He told that two warriors(of hell) had seized and thrown him upside down into a big pit at the foot of a Black
Mountain, ^Uj. He arrived at King Yama's palace, but was saved by Jizö, whom
he afterwards worshipped more than ever^. The priest ASHÖ, P&Tifl^, had the same
experience. He saw Jizö accompanied by two heautiful boys, his two young attendants mentioned above*. This ASHÖ was a strong ascete, as well as the priest GIMAN, ^fS*, who lived on Kasagi san in Yamashiro province and every morning
recited Jizö's name. The Bodhisattva rewarded both by causing them to revive.
All these priests died at an old age, after having devoutly worshipped their mighty
return for this once to the world of men.'

Reverence's command.'saviour.

According to the Edo meisho zue^ the Jizö image of Jöshinji,W^^y or "Templeof the Pure Truth", in Okusawa village near Yedo, was made by ESHIN, the famous

Scholar, painter and sculptor, who lived A. D. 942—

1007. This idol formerly stood on
Mino san, Äj^llj, Tamba province. At the foot of this mountain lived a hunter, ÖeShigetoki by name, a wicked, irreligious man. One day, when he sought shelter for therain in the Jizö chapel, he saw that it was quite dilapidated and that the rain dripped
upon the image. He pitied the Bodhisattva and put his own hat upon his head tocover him. After death he went to hell, but Jizö, in consequence of this virtuous

Genkö Shakusho, K. T. K. Vol. XIV, Ch. XVIII, p. 99.
^ Ibidem.
Genkö Shakusho, Ch. XIX, p. 961.
* Cf. above Sect II, Ch. I,
the picture of the Yuh lih,
§ 3, p. 35,
1^

5

Ibidem.

«Ch.

III, p. 63.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
action,underwent his sufferings

return to the world of men.

115

in his place (as his subsiitute)and caused him toThis story recalls the tale about Gano, quoted abovefrom the Genkö Shakusho^.
Another hunter, Yoshifuyu by name, who was a warrior at the time of theEmperor Enyü (A. D. 969 985), was saved from hell by Jizö, because he had once
respectfully taken off his hat and bowed when passing a Jizö image. After having
revived he became an ascetic and a devout worshipper of the Bodhisattva^.
All these legends show the strong belief in Jizö's mighty position in hell, where
even King Yama, who was sometimes identified with him, had to bow before him
and to release the culprits whom he, Jizö, wished to send back to the upper world.
It is no wonder that his effigy was engraved on grave monuments, which is still
done to the present day. The erection of these monuments had, however, a double
aim, for Jizö was not only believed to save the souls from hell, but alsoto lead theni
to Paradise. The latter idea became more prominent in the Kamakura period, after
the founding of the Jödo sect (in A. D. 1174), when Sukhävati, the "Pure Land",had become the aim of all devout believers in Amida (Amitäbha) the Lord of thisbliscful Paradise. Yet Amitäbha and his Paradise were known in Japan already in
the Fujiwara period, and therefore we shall treat this function of our Bodhisattva,
often called Indö Jizö, '^IM^M, the "Leader on theWay" (to the Pure Land) in thenext Paragraph of this chapter. At the same time we shall speak about the gravemonuments, erected on behalf of the souls of the dead in order to cause Jizö to savethem from Hell and to lead them to Paradise.

—

,

,

B, The Sai no kawara, and Jizö as the protector of the souls of deceased children andgod of the roads.
Before closing this paragraph we must mention the so-called Sai no kawara?
no Jizö or "Jizö of the river beach of Sai", i.e. the Jizö who protectsÜ^(DPiM)(
the souls of the little children who are forced by the old hag Shözuka no baba, Hj^M^,"The old woman of the River of the Three Roads", to gather pebbles in the dry
bed of the river of hell and to pile them up to form little stüpas. We have seen above *,that the Hokke jü-ö sandan eshö, attributed to NICHIREN (1222— 1282),states thatwhen going from the tribunal of the first of the Ten Kings
to that of the second, have to cross the Sanzugawa, H^j'l (also pronounced Sözugawa), or "River of the Three roads", also called Naiga, ^\^, "What to do? (nothe souls of the dead,alternative) river", because they must cross it in one of the three spots: the bridge,

the shallow or the deep ford. The wicked, who have to pass through the turbulent
waves of the deep ford, on the second seventh day after their death reach the opposite
shore, where their clothes are stripped off by an old female demon, called "Ken-i-ba,^

Above, this chapter, § 2A.

3

Sect. II, Ch. I, § 4, p. 39.

2

Jizö Bosatsu reikenki (1684), Ch. IX, p. i.

:'THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

Ii6

M^M, or "The old woman
who hangs up the clothes",
She hands the clothes overto the Ken-i-ö,M^m, or"The old man who hangs
up the clothes", who sits
upon a tree and hangs themon the branches. Thus thesinnershaveappear,tonearly naked, wearing only

a waistcloth, before the tribunals of the other Kings.
This old hag must be thesame as Shözuka no baba.

WADDELL, in his Lamaism^, says the following"At the entrance of thebank ofthe Hindu Styx
the Baigreat hell on the—

taräni ('The sedent queen')or 'three path' river

—

sits,

according to one Version,
Fig. 17. Jizö, Standing upon a lotus, with khakkhara and pearl,and assisting the souls of the children in hell, heaping up smallstones to make stüpas. From the same makimono to which Fig. 15
and 16 belong (Leiden Ethnographical Museum).

an old hag, a sort of Proserpina, who Strips off theclothes from the new arrivals,

a tree behind her. Sheisand hangs them on

i6o feet in stature, with eyes like burning wheels, andshe despatches the condemned souls along their respective roads in accordance withthe judgment, but sometimes she delays
stonesthem with endless tasks of heaping up

on the banks of the Styx, and so prolongs their agony."

We learn from this passage, that the "old hag of the Three-path river" and theup of stones on the banks of this stream were not invented by the Japaneseor Chinese, but were also found in Tibetan descriptions of the Buddhist netherworld.
This fact points to their Indian origin. Kshitigarbha being the Saviour from Hell,it is clear that he also protects some of the souls suffering under the hands ofthe old hag of the Styx. Yet there are elements in the cult of Jizö with regard to
this special part of hell which clearly betray their Japanese origin. The name of Sai
no kawara is purely Japanese, as well as the idea of Jizö's assisting the Utile children
who have to heap up the pebbles to construct little stüpas in the dry bed along thepiling^1

P. 92.

^"

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

117

bank of theStyx. (Fig. 17). In Japan this Bodhisattva became the special protector of thedeparted souls of children.
ratureWe do not know when this conception arose, for in lite-

no stress is laid upon this function of Jizö. Some tales, indeed, show him

saving and protecting children in a miraculous way, but in many more stories adults

Yet he is now worshipped especiallyby parents who have to deplore the loss of children; their toys are offered in theor old people are assisted by his divine power.

Bodhisattva's temples, and their red bibs arehung around the necks of his stone

Images along the road, that he may protect their souls.

He is, of course, also theprotector of the souls of deceased adults, but children enjoy his special favour.

Probably together with the idea of the

did this conception spread?

liitleWhenchildrenbeing especially forced by the old hag to heap up the pebbles of the Sai no kawara.

We did not find this idea or the term "Sai no kawara" mentioned before the beginning of the i8th Century. The Genroku era (1688— 1703) may be the time of

theirspreading among the people.

Most of the grave monuments, mentioned above, datefronj this very time and were erected on behalf of the souls of boys or girls, as weleam from their inscriptions. This seems to be evidence of the fact that Jizö had
become the special protector of the souls of deceased children.
Several Japanese authors have given their opinion concerning the origin of theexpression "Sai no kawara". The Buddhist priest KAIKOKU,
states in theY5-in fudan, Wf^M^^> written in A. D. 1710, that it is not mentioned in Buddhist
works, and that it is a Japanese play-word, meaning "River beach of the dice".
The pebbfes heaped up on the beach of the Styx were compared to the twelve white
and twelve black stones on a sugoroku, ||as, or backgammon board, and this game
being played with dice, the beach was called "the beach of the dice". Although theM®

,

Word Sai is actually often written with the Chinese character designating dice, ^,we need not hesitate to reject this absurd explanation. Other writers suppose it tobe "the river beach of Sai (j^jAl^)", a village in Yamashiro province.

The author of^

the Skiojiri,±^, the well-known work written by AMANO NOBUKAGE, 5cifff(A. D. 1660

1733), as well as the writer of the Kanden köhitsu, Pi|B3^|f (written—

1799 by KANDENRO KÖKEI, m^BM'i9^), and ASAKAWA DÖSAI, W\\M^t who in 1852 wrote the Min-un sakki, ißS^Llä, agree in quoting the Sandai
in A. D.

fitswoku and the Engishiki to prove that there was a burial place at this village
which shouki have originated the expression "Sai no kawara no Jizö son", "Jizö ofthe river beach of Sai". The Shiojiri'^ says: "The people call the "Dark Road",? cAcDJIll^. Do the sütras say that heaping up stone stüpa's and spr inkling water upon them improves the condition of the(the Netherworld), Sai no kawara,

3<ijfesouls (of the deceased)?"1

Ch. 11, p. 18.

» i.
*

The author answers: "In Kii district, Yamashiro pro-e.

^

Sa-hi.

BAN SUKEYOSHI, ffJE^.

Ch. IX, p. 35 of the Ms,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

ii8

vince, therea village called Sai.

isStates that in the 8th

The Sandai jüsuroku^ (written in A. D. 901)

month of the I3th year of the Jögwan era (A. D. 871)

re-gulations were made and that Nether and Upper Sai were fixed as burial places forpeasants.

There is also a Sai-dera, i^J-t ^^, or 'Buddhist temple of Sai' mentioned in

the Engishiki (written in A. D. 927), where

Kubara again stop thewe read: 'The funeral processions from(i. e. make halt) at the bridge head' (of the Sai no
mentioned in the Konjaku nionogatari (written before

coffinshashi, f^J:ttm, or 'Sai bridge',

A. D. 1077) as 'a big bridge at Toba village, used from olden times to cross thea bridge of this name there, as we learn from YOSHIAs it was formerly a burial place (atwhich places there used to be a shrine or a stone image of Jizö) the people may
have spoken of 'Jizö of the beach of Sai' (i. e. of the beach of the Katsuragawa near
Katsura-gawa'

;

there

is still

DA TÖGO's Geographical Dictionary^).

burial place of Sai), and may afterwards have thought that this expression
meant 'Jizö of the Netherworld'."
This is the first passage in which we found "Jizö of the Beach of Sai" mentioned. We do not know exactly in which year it was written, but as the author
lived from A. D. 1660 to 1733, the work probably dates from the first quarter ofthe i8th Century, i. e. from shortly after the Genroku era.
In another passage of the same work^ the author says that he heard from a
Nara priest that the expression "Sai no kawara no Jizö" was due to the fact that
there was from olden times an ancient stone image of Jizö on the beach of Sai.
Stones were heaped up there to form little stüpas on behalf of deceased children, andmasses were said for them. The Yamashiro people spoke of "the Jizö of the beachof Sai", and when this expression spread to other provinces, its sense was forgotten
and the "beach of Sai" was thought to be the Netherworld.
The author of the Kunden köhitsu"' (1799) says: "There is a village of Sai intheKii district, said in the Sandai jitsuroku to be fixed as a burial place of peasantsJögwan. The populär saying that Sai no kawara is a spot in
the Netherworld where little children assemble, and further that Jizö son converts
and blesses these little ones, may have originated from the fact that there werein the i3th year of

many little stüpas of stone (or stüpas of pebbles) in that burial place."

We read the following in the Min-un sakki^: "Populär tradition says that ifboys die they go to Sai no kawara, '^J:fcC7)?n, where they pile up pebbles before Jizö

son and make stüpas(of these pebbles).

But devils strike those stüpas with iron
Then the boys

sticks and the boys run away weeping to Jizö son and embrace him.

K. T. K. Vol. IV, Ch. XX, p. 338: the burial places were on the beach, WU..
Vol. I, p. 140.
3 Ch. XXX, p. 21 of the Ms.; Ch. L, p. 808 of the printed edition of 1908.
•« Quoted in the Enkyo zatsuwa,
jStKSisS (written in 1837 by HIO KEIZAN,
Ch. II, Hyakka seisnrm, 0^tlW, lÄiST-, p. 335, s. v. ÄM/J?-.
^ Ch. II, p. 15.
12S^IÜ),

I

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

119

slowly go back again and pile the pebbles up, but the devils reappear and again
destroy the stüpas, so that the work is never finished.

Such are the sufferings of the
At the present day there is in Sai village a stone image of Jizö son,and close to it there are many stüpas made of pebbles." The same author quotes
a passage of the Hokkekyö (Saddharma pundarika sütra) ^, where we read: "Little
Netherworld.

boys playing together make stüpas of sand. In the same way all men (even children)

can themselves complete the road to Buddhaship", and asks whether the people
may have forced the meaning of these words (in creating the belief about the children

up little stüpas on the beach of the river in hell).
Another explanation of Jizö's connection with the children

pilingkawaraismentioned by the authorof theUnkinzuihitsu,^,

of

the

Sai

no

or "Miscellaneous

who also gives the version about the burial place of Sai
village. "In olden times" says he, when KUYA SHÖNIN, S-t^JiA (the famous propagator of Buddhism, who lived from A. D. 903 to 972) made a pilgriniage to Matsuo
writings of Cloud-brocade",myöjin, tö^lHiP'l' (the celebrated Shintö god near Kyoto) and went along the Sai-in
no kawara, ^^O^P\W.> crowds of children from the village playfuUy clung to his

The very tender-hearted priest often gave therii cakes and loved
them, and somebody must have represented him in painting as 'Jizö of the Future
sieeves and staff.

World', ^"tfirÜfe^^^.

an image of Jizö son.

Now there is a temple of the Jödo sect in Sai-in village, withThe Buddhists changed Sai-in no kawara into Sai no kawara."

These are the opinions of the Japanese authors on the origin of the expression
Sai no kawara and of its connection with Jizö.

We ourselves, however, are inclined

ASTON, in his work on Shintö^, refers to HIRATA's
Statement about stone figures of the phallic Sae no kami*, ^f$, called Chimata no

to seek it also in an other direction.

kami, ®fi^, or "Gods of the Crossways", which still in Hirata's time (A. D. 1776 to1843) were seen in the eastern provinces, "where they were sometimes mistaken
for Jizö, theBuddhist children's God, and honoured in the temples".

With regard

to Dösöjin, Mffiip'?, the phallic God of Roads (the Chinese form of the Sae no kami),"I have before me a picture of a Dösöjin. If Stands
and is a phalloid natural boulder over which depends a shimenaha
supported by two bamboos. In front of it are little piles of stones, of which the similarofferings to the Buddhist children's God Jizösama are doubtless a survival. The modern practice of bringing the Jizö of the neighbourhood and dumping them down
before the lodging of a newly-married couple is no doubt a similar case of survival.
A custom which began with the Dösöjin is continued with the Jizö, which now occupy

ASTON says the following.
at cross-roads,

their place at crossways."
1

Sect.

^

Shinto, p. 189.

*

Ch. IV, p. 28.

Sai no kami, "Gods of good luck"; this is, as ASTON, 1. 1. p. 195, says, "an altered conmore general idea than sähe, which means prevention (of disease)".

ception, a vaguer andTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

120

Thus at the feet of the phallic gods
inof the roads,

called Sae or Sai no

kamiJapanese or designated with the Chinese term Dösöjin, little stones were laid by

the passers-by.

This was not an offering, but it was done to place one's seif under

the god's protection by bringing into contact withhim something which had been

touched before by one's self^. The same custom of laying pebbles at the feet of thegods of the roads is found all over the world, as I formerly remarked with regard
to the Hermaia of the ancient Greeks^.

It is quite logicalthat the same old custom

was continued when Jizö had taken the place of the old Shintö gods. The Buddhists,
however, did not know its original meaning and invented a reason for it, suitable
to Jizö's nature of protector of the souls in hell. The little heaps of pebbles may havereminded them of the small stüpas mentioned in the Hokkekyö, which were built
up from sand by children, and of the heaps of stones piled up on the banks of theThree-path river in hell by the wicked souls who had fallen into the hands of theold hag. The blending of those ideas may have caused them to explain the customof laying pebbles at Jizö's feet in such a way, that each of these pebbles meant one
pebble less ta be heaped up by the children on the beach of the Styx.
If this belief really arose in this way, Jizö mnst have become the special protectorof the souls of children after having taken the place of the Sae or Sai no

kami atcrossways. And in the sametime the old name of the burial place at the Sai no kawara may
have been blended with the name of Jizö's predecessors, because Jizö in his new functionof Sai no kami was believed to protect the souls (Ä the children heaping up the pebbles

on the beach of the Styx. We saw above that the Genroku era seems to be responsible for the term of "Jizö ol the Sai no kawara". Therefore, if our supposition beright, the end of the seventeenth Century was the time when Jizö, whose images
from olden times were often placed along the roads, superseded the ancient Sae nokami, the gods of the roads, and also became the protector of children. It is, however,
only a hypothesis> based upon the fact of Jizö's having replaced the Sai no kami
and upon the resemblance between the name of these gods and the comparatively

new name of the river beach in hell.
As to the question why Jizö superseded the phallic gods of the roads, we may
mentioned above*, where TAI RANO KIYOÄfORI (iirS^— 1181) is said to have erected six Jizö's at the six entrancesrefer to the passage of the Jizö Bosatsu reikenki,of the capital, "that the passers-by might obtain great felicity in future existences".

Again, the Gempei seisuiki relates how SAIKÖ HÖSHI placed groups of the Six Jizö's

on seven different cross-roads in Kyoto. This happened also in the twelfth Century*.
In the Kwangen era (1243
1246) CHIBA HIDETANE erected six Jizö images at—

HARTLAND, The Legend of Perseus. Vol. II, pp. 205 sqq.

^

Cf.

*

De Graecorum diis non referentibus speciem humanam (1900), pp. 80 sqq.

menachengestaltigen Götter der Griechen (1903), pp. 102 sqq.
" Ibidem,
3 Sect. III, Ch. II,
p. 86.
§ 5, p. 89.

Die nicht

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

121

on behalf of the soul of his deceased wife^. The Six Jizö's of Ikegame
dating from the Tai-ei era (1521—1527), apparently formed thecentre from which several roads diverged^. These instances show that especially the
Six Jizö's wäre placed at the roads from the twelfth Century downwards. This custom
must have been the reason why Jizö in later times superseded the phallic Sae no kami.
As we stated above'', Mr. PETRUCCI believes to have found in Turkistan traces
of a cult of the Six Jizö's as well as of Kshitigarbha as a patron of travellers. Before
accepting these two Statements, however, we have to await Mr. PETRUCCI's further
publications. But even if he is right, we are sure that Jizö's cult as a god of the roads,
though having been introduced in olden times, did not become general, i. e. did
the roadsidevillage in Higo,not supersede the phallic Sae no kami, before the end of the seventeenth Century.
§

3.

Inda Jizö,

the leader to Paradise.

We saw above, that Jizö was worshipped as the saviour from hell; now we"Pure Land" of Amitäbha.
As to the connection of Jizö's cult with that of Amida and Kwannon we may
refer to the passage of the Buddhist Encyclopaedia Fah-yuen shu-Un (compiled in
A. D. 668), which we quoted above*. This work states that the cult of Amitäbha,Avalokitegvara, Maitreya and Kshitigarbha was widely spread in China at the timeof the Six Courts (A. D. 265589) It is interesting to notice that the Fusö ryakki,
B^$£^ or "Abbreviated history of Japan", written about A. D. 1150, relates thatshall treat his function of leader to Sukhävatl, the

—

^^

.

JÖTÖMON-IN, Ji:^P^|^, i. e. FUJIWARA NO AKI-KO, MUM^, the Consort of
the Emperor Ichijö, who in A. D. 1026 became a nun and assumed the name of
Jötömon-in, in A. D. 1030 erected a Buddhist chapel {Jögyödö, "^^J^) in which
she dedicated gold-coloured images of Amida Nyorai, Kwannon, Seishi (Avalokite^vara and Mahästhänapräpta, Amitäbha's attendant Bodhisattva's) Jizö and Nägär,Nägärjuna was the first teacherof the Amitäbha doctrine, which fact was the reason of his being worshipped inconnection with this Dhyänibuddha and his attendants. As to Kshitigarbha, thefact that he is mentioned together with Amitäbha and Avalokite<;vara seems to indicate that he was considered to be the leader to Amitäbha's paradise (in his function
juna, "in order to extinct evil and produce good".

of saviour of the living beings) long before the Jödo sect propagated this belief*. The

doctrine of the Pure Land, in China also called the "Lotus-school" {Lien-tsung, jü^)
had its great teachers there already at the end of the fourth Century and in the sixth^*^ Ibidem, p. 90.
Ibidem, p. 90.
Sect. II, Gh. V, § I, p. 55-

3

Sect. I, Ch. II, § 3, p. 23.

5 Written about 1150 by the Buddhist priest KWÖ-EN, äM, the teacher of GENKÜ, W-%
the founder of the Jödo sect. No. 28, K. T. K. Vol. VI, p. 782.
* AlsoSHÖNIN (903 972), mentioned above (Ch. III, § 2 B) as a second Jizö,
preached Amitäbha's doctrine. Even in the seventh Century Shötoku Taishi, Kötoku Tennö

KUYA

—

and Gyögi Bosatsu are said to have worshipped Amitäbha.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

122

and seventh^ centuries of our era, and Kshitigarbha's cult was probably soon connected with Amitäbha's and AvalokiteQvara's worship. As to Japan, before GENKU,
Ü$; (ENKÖ DAISHI, 17^:^011)2 in 1174 founded the Jödo sect, ESHIN (942 to1017), whom we repeatedly mentioned above as a believer in Jizö, had alreadypreached Amida's doctrine. This must be the reason why Jötömon-in worshipped

Amida in connection with Jizö nearly 150 years before the founding of the Jödo sect.
The same ESHIN, known as ESHIN SÖZU, B>tl^f^^, or "Bishop ESHIN", issaid to have painted a magnificent picture ofof 25 Bodhisattvas

Amida, accompanied by his retinue

and welcoming a deceased member of the highest of the nineclasses of devotees to his Paradise in the West. This painting, owned by the Hachimankö,/\!p;nnlf(club), of the

Shingon sect on Köya san,isreproduced in TAJIMA's

Sclcct Relics of Japanese ArP, where it is said to be one of the best Buddhistic pain-tings of the Fujiwara period.

Accordingto theAmitäyurdhyäna

sütra,

Mm^^^,

those to be taken up in Paradise (Sukhävati) are divided into nine classes (threeUpper, middle and lower classes), and Amida welcomes them correspondingly.

This

picture represents his manifestation for the highest grade of these nine classes.

Oneof his Bodhisattvas, seated on the right side of the central group, quite near to Amida,
is a priest

without a halo but with an urna and a very white and gentle face, whereas

his breastispartly left bare by his sacerdotal garment.

As he bears a blazing p^arl

and makes the abhayamudrä with his right band, we need not ask his
called Muhenshin, MiS^i or "Limitless body", i. e. Ananta^käya,
Kshitigarbha
on account of the limitlessness of his shapes (Fig. 18).
ofin his left,

name.
a titleIt is Jizö,

TAJIMA's Japanese

text states that these 25 Bodhisattvas are relatives {ken-Amida, leading a deceased believer, belonging to the highest of the^M)three upper classes, to Paradise. Of the nine Bodhisattvas represented on the right

zoku,

of

TAJIMA gives the names of five, omitting the four others. He apparently
used the Butsuzö zu'i*' in fixing the names. HOFFMANN, whose translation of and com-band,

mentary on this useful Japanese work forms the fifth volume of VON SIEBOLD's
Nippon, entitied ^'Pantheon von Nippon", wrongly enumerates these 25 Bodhisattvas
as if the two represented on the right side of each page of the Butsuzö zul precede
those on the left side, instead of being divided into two upper and two lower figures.
In this way in HOFFMANN's work the logical order is upset and his numbers arewrong. Thus Kwannon and Seishi are Nrs. 62 and 64 of his Tab. XII, Yaku-5 andYakujö, H^I^Ji, although belonging together, are Nrs. 63 and 65. Fugen andMonju (the latter called Hö-jizai-ö, ?iQ^l;5, "Independent King of the Law") are^ At the beginning of the T'ang dynasty the priest SHEN-TAO,#?S, wrote a commentaryon the sacred texts concerning Amitäbha, and propagated his cult.
-^A. D. 1133

—

1212.
Vol. IV, PI. VIII. Cf. Kokkwa, Vol. 232, PI. I and III, pp. 67 sqq., Buddhism and Japanese

Art. Part III, by SEI-ICHI
Vol. II, pp. 9 sqq.
''

TAKI.

Amtda and Ws 25 Bodhisattvas welcoming a soul of the highest rank ot höllness. At
hand Jizö is seated, carrying the precious pearl in his left and making the abhayamudräwith his right hand. Central group of the famous picture on Köya san, attributed to ESHINSÖZU (942—1017). TAJIMA, Selcct Relics Vol. IV, PI. VIII; Kokkwa Nr. 232, PI. III.
Pfg. i8.
his leftTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

122

and seventh' centuries of our era, and Kshitigarbha's cult was probably soon connected with Amitäbha's and Avalokitecvara's worship. As to Japan, before GENKU,(ENKÜ DAISHI,

M''^

1174 founded the Jödo sect, ESHIN (942 to
we repeatedly mentioned above as a believer in Jizö, had alreadywhom1017),

inliil)L: icfllli)-preached Amida's doctrine.

This must be the reason

why Jötömon-in worshipped

Amida in connection with Jizö nearly 150 years before the founding of the Jödo sect.
The same ESHIN, known as ESHIN SÜZU, ,€ill>(itrti;, or "Bishop ESHIN", isSaid to liave painted a magnificent picture of

Amida, accompanied by his retinue

Bodhisattvas and welcoming a deceased

member of the highest of the nineof 25classes ^.f devotecs to his Paradise in the West. This painting, owned by the Hac/üimin'.

''.

'V

taken upb<o''uj.j:--.

,

isreproducedin

TAJIMA's

Jdpaiicsr .\ii'\ where it is Said to be one of the best Buddhistic pain-

i tlit Fujiwara period.

ri:ivs!:Shingon sect on Köya san,of the(cli^b),,i;>,Yi'(7 J\i/ics nj

Accordingni Paradiseto theA iiiiläyitnlliyä)ia

sütya,

JjlX 4':„flr,(Sukhävati) are divided into nine classes (threeand lower class€s), and Amida welcomes them correspondingly. This

niiddlepi.tuM: upix-sents his manifestation for the highest grade of these nine classes.

One

Bodliisattvas, seated on the right side of the central group, quite near to Amida,

of

li

is

a priest without a halo but with an urna and a very white and gentle face, whereasshis 'ir-ast

partlyis!':itbare by his sacerdotal garment. As he bears a blazing p-arl

left,

and makes the iihluiymiiiidyii with

name.

It is

Jizö, calledaof

in histitle

iihciislü)!.

ifHc) ofor "Limitless body",i.

e.

Anunta-käva,

text states that these 25 Bodhisattvas are relatives {kcn-Amida, leading a deceased believer, belonging to the highest of thethree upper classes, to Paradise.

hand,

Mjiiiylj',

we need not ask his

Kshitigarbha on account of the limitlessness of his shapes (Fig. 18).

TAJIMA's Japanesezdkit,

M

his right hand,

Of the nine Bodhisattvas represented on the right

TAJIMA gives the names of five, omitting the four others. He apparently

used the lUitsitzö zii'i^ in fixing the names. HOFFMANN, whose translation of and com-mentary on this useful Japanes

work forms the fifth volume of VON SIEBOLD's

Xippijii. entitled "Pini/hcoii von Xi/ipiiii", wrongly enumerates these 25 Bodhisattvas

asthe two represented on the right side of each page of the Iliitsuzö zu'i precede

ifthose on the left side, instead of being divided into two upper and two lower figures.
In this way in

HOFFMANN's work the logical order is upset and his numbers arewrong. Thus Katnvhin and Scislii are Nrs. 62 and 64 of his Tab. XII, Yakii-ö andYiikitjö,*¥i3Ei^i_I:,

although belonging together, are Nrs. 63 and 65.

Munjii (the latter called I/ö-jizai-ö,;j;fl{l 3i,

hui^oi and"Independent King of the Law") are

At the beginning of the T'ang dynasty the priest SHEN-TAO, 7{'^-, wrote a commentaryon the sacred texts concerning Aniitnblia, and propagated his cult.
- A. D.
1212.
1133
Vol. IV, PI. VIII. Cf. AoA/.,. ,/, Vol. 2^2, PI. I and III, pp. 67 .sqq., Hiu/tlhlsw inul Jalmnese
Art. Part III, by SEI-ICHI TAKI.
'

•'

'

Vol.

II,

pp.

sqq.

Fig. i8.
Amida and his 25 Bodhisaltvas wekoming a soul of the highest rank ot holiness. At
his left hand Jizö is seated, carrying the precious pearl in his left and making the abhayamudräwith his right hand. Central group of the famous picture on Köya san, attributed to ESHINSOZU (942

1017).

TAJIMA, .sVA,7/.',//, .^

Vol. IV, PI. VIII;

A' .AA« „Nr. 232, PI. III,,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

124

and 68.

Nrs. 66

Following the Butsuzö

zui itself instead of HOFFMANN's trans-

we further find Darani,

lation,PE^M(Dhäraiji) placed side by side with Byakuzö-ö,öii ("White Elephant-King"),

Koküzö, M'^M (ÄkäQagarbha) combined with Hözö, "M^ (Ratna-garbha)
Tokuzö,^.M ("Repository of Virtue")

and Konzö, 4^M;("Brilhant

Kwömyö-5,

Light-King"),

is

^S

76
seen next

Kongözö, #BiJ^ (Vajragarbha), Sankai-e,\iiMM ("Mercy [large as] mountains
and seas"), next Kegon, WWi (Avatamsaka); Nisshö-ö, BW.^ ("King Moonshine"), is combined with Gwakkwö-ö,Hit^ ("King Sunlight"), Shuhö-ö,("King of all treasures") with5awmai,(Samädhi)
then foUow Shishiku, M^"^ ("Lion's howl", Simhanäda) and Jöpzai-5, '^ SfiS ("SamädhiIndependent King"), Dai Itoku, i;^^^.
e. Jizö, one of Amida's ("Great Majesty and Virtue") and Dai-Äi

Muhenshin Bosatsu, i.
25 Bodhisattvas. Butsuzö zuill,

Fig. 19.

v i^^.

^

H^j^^^^.^^;-^^^^ ("Great IndependentKing"). The twenty fifth, Muhenshin, M^Mr ("Limitless Body"), stated in the text
is represented as a benevolent priest, standing upon a lotus, with theto be Jizö,

precious pearl in his left and the khakkhara in his right hand (Fig. 19).

There arehowever, three Bodhisattvas more, although the group is called "The 25 Bodhisattvas",
namely Myö-on, f^^ ("Beautiful Sound"), placed next to Jizö, Mujin-i, MÜ!i&("Unexhaustible Will"), and Mangetsu,

fih("Füll Moon").i

1 TAJIMA, apparently following the figures of the Butsuzö zui, enumerates five of thenine Bodhisathas on the right side: Kongözö (plajring the harp), Kwömyö-ö (playing the lyre),Yaku-ö (hoWing up the precious banner) Sankai-e (playing the lyre) and Koküzö (Akägagarbha)(beating the hand-drum). In the centre Kwannon (kneeling and bearing with both hands thelotus seat for the arriving soul, and DaiseisM (Mahästhänapräpta), joining his hemds in praise,
precede Amida. On the right side of this central group we see Muhenshin (Jizö), holding the
dntämani and making the abhayamudrä; behind him Sammai-ö (holding the flower basin),Jö-jizai-ö (beating the big drum) Nisshö-ö (beating the bell-drum) Gwakkwö-ö (striking anotherkind of drum) and Shishiku (playing the flageolet). On the left side of the central group theBodhisattva with the two lotus flowers is considered by TAJIMA to be Hö-jizai-ö (i. e. Monju),
apparently because this Bodhisattva is represented in the Butsuzö-zm carrying a string of suchflowers. But in my opinion Monju's place must be at fäkyamuni's side, as well as that of Fugen,because this is the ordinary place of Manjugri and Samantabhadra. Then follow two priests,
seated behind Amida, one of whom joins his hands in adoration, while the hands of the other,,,,THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

125

All these 28 Bodhisattvas are found in

ESHIN's picture, and beyond these one
Buddha {Qäkyamuni, on the left hand, between Fugen and Monju) and two priests.

Who are those two priests, seated behind Amida, quite near to him, on the left side ?
One of them is joining his hands in adoration, while the hands of the other, disappearing behind Amida's halo, probably are held up in the same way. In PETRUCCI's
opinion^ they are Jizö figures too, and all the six shapes of the Six Jizö's are repre-

sented among Amida's retinue.

In this case the three additional Bodhisattvas of the

Butsuzö zul should be three shapes of Jizö, although this is not stated by the Japanese
author. In the central group of the picture, however, we see only five figures in Amida's

immediate neighbourhood, namely the priest-shaped Jizö (Muhenshin, seated on theright side, with the blazing pearl and the Abhayamudrä) the two other mysterious,

and two Bodhisattvas (wearing the Bodhisattva crown). One of the latter,seated on the right side, is carrying a flower basin, for which reason TAJIMA calls
him Sammai-5, "Samädhi King", in accordance with a similar figure in the Butsuzö
The other Bodhisattva, seated on the left side, in front of the two priests, iszui^wrongly called Hö-jizai-ö (i. e. Monju) by TAJIMA, who did not recognize the preaching Buddha, Cäkyamuni, seated in the left group with Monju and- Fugen at his
priests,.

sides.

Probably we have to deal with Dai-itoku, who is also carrying lotus flowers

The fact that the central group contains only five, instead ofsix figures seated near Amida, makes me think that there is but one Jizö, the two
Bodhisattvas Sammai-ö and Dai-itoku, and two priests, not identical with Jizö.
On considering Mr. PETRUCCI's provisional explanation of the two priests accompanying Amitäbha in the embroidery from Turkestan, mentioned above ^, as the benignant and the malignant (i. e. demon-expelling) genii of the Buddha, the questionin theButsuzö zui.

disappearing behind Amida's halo, probably are held up in the same way. TAJIMA does notknow their names er meaning, and the Butsuzö zul does not mention them. Byakuzö-ö, Tokuzö
and Hözö are playing three different flutes, while behind them Shühö-ö is beating the cymbals.
Of the left group Yakujö carries a precious banner, Kegon strikes with two little hammersa Square, standing Instrument called hö-kyö or "square sound"; as to the five remcüniiig figures,
TAJIMA does not know their names, but mentions as other Bodhisattvas (represented in the Butsuzö zui) Fugen, Darani, Konzö, Daiitoku and Daijizai. It is queer that he did not recognize
the preaching Buddha, Qäkyamimi, with Monju and Fugen at his sides. Instead of Monju,
Daiitoku, who carries two lotus flowers in the Butsuzö-zui, must have his seat in the central
group, in front of the two mysterious priests. Of the six remaining Bodhisattveis, the two on theleft are probably Darani and Konzö, although they are playing the drum and another Instrumentin the picture, the Butsuzö zul representing them in a different way. I suppose them to be placedon the left side, because nearly all the Bodhisattvas there or on the left side of the central groupare found on the same pages (9 b and 10 a) of the Butsuzö zul. If this is right, the four Bodhisattvas on the background of the right group must be Daijizai and the three additional Bodhisattvas of the Butsuzö zul, namely Myö-on, Mujin-i and Mangetsu. Thus the picture gives
Qäkyamuni, the 28 Bodhisattvas of the Butsuzö zul, and two priests. The latter may be Amida's
genii, if Mr. FETRUCCFs explanation of the Twen-hwang embroidery proves to be right.
1

L.

1.,

2

P.

IIa;

3

Sect.

p. 205.

I,

HOFFMANN, Tab. XIII, fig. 81.
Ch.

II,

§ 3, p. 23.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

126

whether perhaps a similar idea is hidden behind the two
priests on the left side of the central group of Eshin's picture.
rises

I

say "hidden", for it is difficult, indeed, to believe that one ofthese harmless, benevolent looking priests should be a menacing,Butevil-suppressing genius.

if

PETRUCCrs opinion,

based

upon inscriptions of the STEIN expedition, proves to be rightand is maintained by him after having studied all the inscriptions now in his hands, the two priests of our Japanese picture
are perhaps to be explained in the same way. For the present,
however,

it

is

still

very doubtful.

These 25 Bodhisattvas are also represented in painting on
the door leaves of a portable shrine in the Zenrinji,

an important Jödo temple
leaves are reproduced inat Kyoto.

Two of these

|^^^,
six

door

TAJIMA's splendid work, mentioned

above^, and on the second a Buddhist priest is seen, Standing

upon two lotus flowers, with a round glory behind his head,and his hands joined in adoration. TAJIMA calls him Muhenshin (Ananta-käya),i.

e. Jizö,butit

may also be one of thetwo genii, mentioned above, because the attitude of his hands
is similar to that of the two priests in ESHIN's painting.
As
only one of the six leaves are reproduced,

we do not knowwhether the second priest is also represented on these doors, As
to the painter of this beautiful piece of art, he is said to be

KOSE KANAOKA, il^^^[S', who in the middle of the ninth
Century founded the Kose school.

TAJIMA, however, declaresand supposes it to be the work of TOSATSUNETAKA, "tf^l^I^, i. e. Fujiwara Tsunetaka, Tosa Gon
no kami, the celebrated founder of the Tosa school, who lived
this tradition to be false,in the twelfth

Century (Fig. 20).

Two similar priests are seen Standing behind Amida amongon one of the two scrolls (makimono) containing historical pictures of the Taema mandara(mandala). Amida is represented there welcoming Fujiwara Toyonari's daughter Chüjö-hime (753781), who had become anun in Taema-dera and to whom the magnificent "Taemamandara" is attributed. She is said to have had a devout beThe makimono representing Amida welcoming
lief in Amida.
his retinue of Bodhisattvas,—

A Buddhist
Standing upon
two lotus flowers andjoining his hands in adoration (Jizö) among the retinue of Amida, welcoming a holy soul. One of the six door leaves ofa portable shrine in the Zenrinji at Kyoto. TAJIMA, Seicct Relics, Vol. I, PI. XIV, 2.
Fig. 20.
priest ,THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

127

her to Paradise is also

reproduced by TAJI-

MAS who hesitates to
fix its date,it

althoughhas been attributed

to SUMIYOSHI

KEI-

ON, 'Hl^M.l, who
the

in

lived

thir-

teenth Century.

The same priests,
Standing and

both

their

hands

in adoration,

belongjoining

to Amida's retinue inanothermagnificent

painting

kuma

of

the

school,Tapro-

bably dating from the

Jizö in Amida's Heaven, the Western Paradise (Sukhävati). Fromsame makimono to which Fig. 15 17 belong (Leiden Ethnographical Museum).

Fig. 21.

eleventh Century, notthe—longafterTAMEUJI's
TAMENARI'sandtime. But Jizö with the pearl and the abhayamudrä is not there, nor is hein thevisibleformer picture^.

As Jizö in ESHIN's painting appears among Amida's retinue, he was apparently
beheved to live in Amida's Paradise, Sukhävati (cf. Fig. 21). Thisagrees with the Chinese
In the story about the priest
Giman, however, found in the Genkö Shakusho, he is called "the Bodhisattva who lives

tales describing his beautiful palace in this paradise *.

in the South",whereas the Pure Land lies in the West*.

Also the Sütra on the Ten

Wheels says that he and all the Bodhisattvas related with him caine froiii the Southto the Bhagavän's assembly.

As to the mandala of the Taizö-kai, of the Yoga school,

we learned above^ from the Mahävairocana sütra (Dai Nichi kyö), that Akägagarbha's
place is in the West, but that of Kshitigarbha in the North (on the Yaksha side).
The Taiheiki^ (about 1382) states that Jizö, after having received Cä-kyamuni's
doctrine, was attached to, i. e. became an inhabitant of, the Träyastrimgat hcaven,and that he, being a "Great Leader", ::^^6ili (to salvation), was called with1

2

Vol. VI, PI. XVI, 2.

Kokkwa, No. 61, PI. II, p. 238 sq.

above Sect. II, Ch. IV, § i, p. 52.
Ch. XIX, p. 961, cf. above, Sect. II, Ch. IV, § i, p. 53.
5 Above, Sect. I, Ch. I,§ 5, p. 19.
6 Ch. XVIII, p. 19.

3

«

Cf.

IIN I CIN I n-;i>iMi_

ocv^v-»!^THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

126

rises

whether perhaps a similar idea is hidden behind the twoon the left side of the central group of Eshin's picture.
I say "hidden", for it is difficult, indeed, to believe that one ofthese harmless, benevolent looking priests should be a menacing,priests

But

cvil-suppressing genius.

if

PETRUCCI's

based

opinion,upon inscriptions of the STEIN expedition, proves to be rightand is maintained by him after having studied all the inscriptions now in his hands, the two priests of our Japanese picture
are perhaps to be explained in the same way. For the present,
however,

it

is

still

very doubtful.

These 25 Bodhisattvas are also represented

in painting

the dnor Icavcs of a portable shrine in the Zciwinji.

an important Jödo temple
leaves are reproduced inat Kyoto.

Two of these

six

door

TAJIMA's splendid work, mentioned

above', and on the second a Buddhist priest

upon twoonipm^'i^Vj',isseen, Standing

round glory behind his head,and his hands joined in adoration. TAJIMA calls him Mn/ioilotus flowers, with ashiu (Ananta-käya),

i.

e.

Jizö,

but

it

may also be one of thetwo genii, mentioned above, because the attitude of his hands
is similar to that of the two priests in ESHIN's painting.
As
only one of the six leaves are reproduced,

we do not knowwhether the second priest is also represented on these doors. As
tothe painter of this beautiful piece of art, he

KOSE KANAOKA,

issaid to be\\hb<\XW who in the middle of the ninth
Century founded the Kose school. TAJIMA, however, declares,and supposes it to be the work of TOSATSUNETAKA, l:f''i-.|';'|''p', i. e. Fujiwara Tsunetaka, Tosa Gon
no kami, the celebrated founder of the Tosa school, who lived
this tradition to be false,inthe twelfth Century (Fig. 20).

Two similar priests are seen Standing behind Amida among
his retinueof Bodhisattvas,

on oneof thetwo scrolls {inaki-of the Taema mandara
Amida is represented there welcoming Fujiwara Toyonari's daughter Chüjö-hime (753781), who had become anun in Taema-dera and to whom the magnificent "TaemaiiuDid)containing historical pictures(mandala).

Fig.

20.

priest,A

Buddhist
Standing upon

two lotus flowers andjoining his hands in ado-

mandara" is attributed. She is said to have had a devout belief in Amida.
The makimono representing Amida welcoming'

Vol. I,

PL XIV,ration (Jizö) among the retinue of Amida,
a portable shrine in the Z,inniji at Kyoto.

2.

welcoming a holy soul

One of the six door leaves of

TAJIMA,Vol.

S,!iciU'iIks

I,

PI.

XIV,

2.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

127

her to Paradise is also

reproduced by TAJI-

MA', who hesitates to
fix its date,it

althoughhas been attributed

to SUMIYOSHI

ON,

KEI-

fI:,'fE'.0>,

who

the

thir-

Hved

in

teenth Century.

The same priests,
Standing
andjoining their hands
both

in

belongadoration,

to Amida's retinue inanothermagnificent

painting

of

kuma

Ta-

the

school,pro-

bably dating from the

Jizö in Amida's Heaven, the Western Paradise (Sukhävati). Fromsame makimono to wliich Fig. 15 17 belong (Leiden Ethnofiraphi-

Fig. 21.

eleventh Century, notthecal Museum
longafterTAMEUJI's
TAMENARI'sandtime. But Jizö with the pearl and the abhayamudrä is not there, nor|.

in theishe visUjle

former picture-.

As Jizö in ESHIN's painting appears among Amida's retinue, lie was np;!areiitly
beheved to live in Amida's Paradise, Sukhävati (cf.Fig. 21 ). This agrees with tlifChip. -se
In the story about rhr
Giman, however, found in thedi'n/^i'i Sluikiislin. he is called "the BodhisaTtva.\-. '<> -es
in the Siiuth'\ whereas the Pure Land lies in the IlV.s/'. Also the Sütra '-n t'-.e Ten
Wheels says that he and all the Bodhisattvas related with him cdr.!.- ir'^!;; ihr S-u'/ito the Bhagavän's assembly. As to the mantiala of the Taizö-kai, of tb.e Yoga, schnol,
we learned above'' from the Mahävairocana sütra (Dai Nichi kyö), that Äkäcagarbha's
place is in the West, but that of Kshitigarbha in the Xaih (on the Yaksha side).
The 'J'dihciki^ (about 1382) states that Jizö, after having received Cäkyamuni's
doctrine, was attached to, i. e. became an inhabitant of, the TräyiistrinK^ui Jicuvcn,
tales describing his beautiful palace in this paradise '.

r-;'

J^-

'

and that he, being a "Great Leader",'Vol. VI, PI.

XVI, 2.

-

Kokkva, No.

61,

'

Cf.

*
''

'•

above

PL

II,

Sect. II, Ch.

p.

IV,

X\^f!ll'(tosalvation),

238 sq.
l;i,p.

Ch. XIX, p. 961, cf. above, Sect.
Above, Sect. I, Ch. I, ij 5, p. 19.
Ch. XVIII, p. 19.

52.
II,

Ch. IV, S

i,

p.

53-

was

calledwith

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

128

Cäkyamuni and Maitreya the "Three Holy Ones", ^S.

We learn from these pas-sages thät there were different ideas about Jizö's residence.

In our Paragraph on the Six Jizö's we referred to a passage of the Genkö Shaku-

where

sho^,

FUJIWARA NO TSUNEZANE's young consort was said to haverequested her mother to make Six Jizö's for her instead of seven Yakushi's, because
she feit that her death was near. Yakushi Nyorai, the "Medicin- master" (Bhaishajya-guru) could not eure her any more, but Jizö could save her from hell and lead her
to paradise.

And he truly did so, for after the six Jizö's had been made and the abbot

Jösan of Hieizan had prayed to the Bodhisattva on behalf of the young woman'ssoul, a purple cloud came floating to the window of her room, a delicious smell filled
the house, and she died gently, turned to the West, with her hands joined in prayer^.

From a passage of the Kazusa kokushi^ we learned that CHIBA HIDETANE
in the Kwangen era (A. D. 1243
1246) on behalf of his deceased wife erected six
Jizö Images at the roadside near a village, afterwards called Roku Jizö mura*.
Indö Jizö, the "Leader" (to Paradise), was the name of the image of a chapel—in theCompound of Tengyö-in, Tennöji village, Settsu province, This idol was also

called Mitsu-kane Jizö, "Three-bells Jizö", because the bell of the chapel was rungthricewhen funeral processions passed it and arrived at the cemetery. This was, atleast,

the custom in the Genroku era, at the end of the i7th Century^.

Another Indö Jizö is attributed to Köbö Daishi. All funeral processions on
Köya san stop before this image and pray to Jizö to lead the dead to the Pure Land;
then they continue their way to the cemetery^.

On the grave of the Soga brothers (killed in A. D. 11 93) in Ashikaga-shimo
Sagami province, there are two gorin no sekitö, stone stüpas composed offive layers. A Jizö figure is engraved on both of them, and a Sanscrit characteris Seen on each side of the Square stone base''.
At the grave of TAKEDA ARIYOSHI, ÄEH^^, a son of Yoritomo's general
Nobuyoshi (1138 11 86), was a shrine, called Jizö-in, ii!l^|5c, with a stone imageof Jizö. This was at Fuchü (M^) village, Kai province^.
On the back of a stone Jizö at Kurashina (l^f^) village, in the same province,
where the Ömura family had her residence, this inscription was seen: "Grave ofÖmura, Lord of Iga". This was a vassal of the Takeda family, who lived in theTenshö era (1573 1591)".
The principal idol of Höjuji, S^^, in Hda (IS BEI) village, Yamanashi district,

district,——

Ch. XVIII, K. T. K., Vol. XIV, p. 941.
Above, Sect. III, Ch. II, § 5, p. 88.
3 Ch. VI, p. 3.
^ Above, Ch. II. § 5, p. 90.
5 Above, Ch. I, § 2, p. 66.
« Above, Ch. II, § 2, p. 77.
' Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö, Ch. XXIX, Ashikaga-shimo göri, Sect. VIII, p. 37.
8 KaikokusU (1814), Ch. LXXIII, Butsuji-bu, Nr. I, p. 6.
9 Kaikokushi, Ch. XXXVIII, Koseki-bu, Nr. I, p. 15.
1

2

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

129

Kai province, was alsoastone Jizö, six shaku high.
It was the grave post

(M^, bohyö) of IIDA TORAHARU, |gB3^#, who died in A. D. 1575 1.
The famous Rinzai temple Kenchöji, ^^^,

Kamakura was dedicated by the fifth Shikken,
HÖJÖ TOKIYORI, ^ItfiPtM, on the 25th day of

atthe I ith month of the 5th year of the(1253).

Kenchö era

A large Jizö image was made its honzon

or principal idol,and a thousand other images ofthe same Bodhisattva were also placed there.

YORI,

TOKI-

having carefully written a prayer^
composed by SHIGEMORI, ;^|e, ordered
DÖRYU^ MI^, the celebrated Chinese Zen priest,
who became the abbot of the temple, to take theleadership of the ceremony of dedication. On thesame day (the 25th) Tokiyori partly read the "Mahäyäna sütra of five sections"* before Jizö andoffered it to him, that he might give a long life to
the Emperor Go-Fukakusa, the Shögun Munetaka
Shinnö and to the latter's chief vassals, as wellafter

to Jizö,as Great Peace to the Realm^.

Further, masses were

Said on behalf of the defarted souls of the three

Shöguns Yoritomo, Yoriie and Sanetomo, of Nii
dono (Yoritomo's consort) and of the members of
Fig. 22. Jiro with precious pearl. A
the Höjö family.*grave monument of a boy who diedin 1738.
We see Jizö here worshipped in a temple of
the Zen sect as a giver of long life and peace tothe living, and as a saviour and leader of the dead. Another Zen temple of Jizö,(A. D. 1290
called Jizöji, was founded by SÖKYÖ,1374), a Zen priest
whose proper names were SHUKYÖ and HEKITAN'', and who was a descendantof the Höjö family. When he was born, his mother had a lucky dream, and after
his birth the people called him a reincarnation of Jizö Bosatsu. After having grownup, he followed the teachings of the Zen priest SHÖKAKU, jES, and practised theLaw. He stood in high favour with the Emperor GODAIGO, who asked him aboutthe Law when visiting the Byödö-in, ^^|^, of Uji, ^ja. The Great Shögun ASHI-

—

^M

1

Kaikokushi, Ch. LXXXII, Butsuji-bu, Nr. X,^

SS^, gwammon.

5jgi^^ Taihei.

^

He lived 1214— 1278.

p.

i.
*

^%±MU, Gobü no Daijökyö.

8 Kötei zöho Azuma kagami, "Azuma kagami (written shortly after A. D. 1266) explainedand enlarged". Ch. XLIII, p. 47 (iith month of Kenchö 5).
' jiK and
^W-', the former name was his ^, the latter his ^.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

128

Qäkyamuni and Maitreya the "Three Holy Ones", Z^Sfe.

We learn from these pas-sages that there were different ideas about Jizö's residence.
In our Paragraph on the Six Jizö's we referred to a passage of theGcnkö Shakii-

wheres/io^,

FUJIWARA NO TSUNEZANE's young

consort

was

said

to

have

requested her mother to make Six Jizö's for her instead of seven Yakushi's, because
she feit that her death was near. Yakushi Nyorai, the "Medicin- master" (Bhaishajya-guru) could not eure her any more, but Jizö could save her from hell and lead her

And he truly did so, for after the six Jizö's had been made and the abbot
Jösan of Hieizan had prayed to the Bodhisattva on behalf of the young woman'ssoul, a purple cloud came floating to the window of her room, a delicious smell filled

to paradise.

the house, and she died gently, turned to the West, with her hands joined in prayer-.

From a passage of the Kaziisa kukushi'-^ we learned that CHIBA HIDETANE
Kwangen era (A. D. 1243 1246) on behalf of his deceased wife erected six—

in theRoku Jizö iintraK
was the name of the image of a chapelin the Compound of Tengyö-in, Tennöji village, Settsu province. This idol was also
called Mitsit-kanc Jizö, "Three-bells Jizö", because the bell of the chapel was rungthrice when funeral processions passed it and arrived at the cemetery. This was, atleast, the custom in the Genroku era, at the end of the lyth century\
Another Iim'ö Jizö is attributed to Köbö Daishi. All funeral processions on

Jizö images at the roadside near a village, afterwards called
Iiiilü

Jizö,

the "Leader" (to Paradise),

Köya san stop before this image and pray to Jizö to lead the dead to the Pure Land;
then they continue their way

to the cemetery''.

On the grave of the Soga brothers (killed in A. D.
district,fiveisSagami province, there are two ifo;-/';; nolayers.

sckilö,1193) in Ashikaga-shimo
stone stüpas composed of

A Jizö figure is engraved on both of them, and a Sanscrit character

Seen on each side of the Square stone base'.

At the grave
Nobuyoshi (1138
of Jizö.

of<

TAKEDA ARIYOSHI, ittnil'i^S a son of Yoritomo's general1186),

was a shrine, called Jizöi-in, iÜülBtl'/i:, with a stone image

This was at Fuchü(If'jil')village,

Kai province"*.

On the back of a stone Jizö at Kurashina (^'fi) village, in the same province,
where the Ömura family had her residence, this inscription was seen: "Grave ofÖmura, Lord of Iga". This was a vassal of the Takeda family, who lived in theTenshö era (1573 1591)''.
The principal idol of Höjuji, 'f itvt .'j% in lidii (fi'iHI) village, Yamanashi district,—

Ch. XVIII, K. T. K., Vol. XIV, p. 941.
Above, Sect. III, Ch. II, ?; 5, p. 88.
Above, Ch. II. S 5, p. 90.
Ch. VI, p. 3.
•
Above, Ch. II, ?; 2, p. 77.
Above, Ch. I, S; 2, p. 66.
"
S/iiiiipcii Saiidiiii füduki kn, Ch. XXIX, Ashikaga-shimo göri, Sect. VIII,» Kaikokushi(1814), Ch. LXXIII, Butsuji-bu, Nr. I, p. 6.
9
Kaikokushi, Ch. XXXVIII, Koseki-bu, Nr. I, p. 15.
'

-

'

'

p.

37.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

129

Kai province, was alsoastone Jizö, six shaku high.
It

was the grave post ( ^'<|?;, bohyö) of IIDA TORA-

HARU, flSEElJJL^, who died in A. D. 1575'.
The famous Rinzai temple Kcncliöji, iUji; ,'j%
at Kamakura was dedicated by the fifth Shikken,
HÖJO TOKIYORI, -Itfl^H.^M, on the 25th day of
the iith month of the 5th year of the Kenchö era(1253). A large Jizö image was made its honzon
or principal idol, and a thousand other images ofthe same Bodhisattva were also placed there. TOKI-

YORI,

after

having carefully written a prayer-

composed by SHIGEMORI, f^'i^, orderedDÖRYÖ'', jÜPit, the celebrated Chinese Zen priest,
who became the abbot of the temple, to take theleadership of the ceremony of dedication. On thesame day (the 25th) Tokiyori partly read the "Mahäyäna sütra of five sections" before Jizö andoffered it to him, that he might give a Uni>^ lilc to
the Emperor Go-Fukakusa, the Shögun Munetaka
Shinnö and to the latter's chief vassals, as wellto Jizö,'as Gycat Pcacc to the Rcaliii''.
sctid

Further,iiiasscs urrc

on behalt of the departed soiils of the three

Shöguns Yoritomo, Yoriie and Sanetomo, of Nii
dono (Yoritomo's consort) and of the members ofthe Höjö family."Fig. 22.

grave

Jizö with precious pearl. A
of a boy who diedmonument

We see Jizö here worshipped in a temple of
the Zcn sect as a giver of long

life

.

in

1738.

and peace to

Zen temple of Jizö,
(A.
D.
1290
SÖKYÖ,
foundedwasbycalied Jizöj'i,'^{'4-i'l1374), a Zen priest
whose proper names were SHUKYÖ and HEKITAN', and who was a descendantof the Höjö family. When he was born, his mother had a lucky dream, and after
his birth the people calied him a reincarnatioii of Jizö llosatsn. After having grownup, he foUowed the teachings of the Zen priest SHÖKAKU, Tl-fi, and practised theLaw. He stood in high favour with the Emperor GODAIGO, who asked him aboutthe Law when visiting the Byödö-in, ^^\>i'c, of Uji, 'j-rfi. The Great Shögun ASHI-

the living, and as a saviour and leader of the dead. Another—1

Kaikottushi, Ch.

M\X, gwammon.
5 i:^, Taihei.

-

LXXXII, Butsuji-bu, Nr. X, p.
"

He lived 1214

— 1278.

i.
']i%k%i:'r,Gobu no Daijökyö.

" Kötei zöho Azuma kagainl, "Azuma kagami (writteh shortly after A. D. 1266) explainedand enlarged". Ch. XLIII, p. 47 (iith month of Kenchö 5).
"'/-.
/i]Ö5C and f?}E; the former name was his ^\, the latter his

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

130

KAGA YOSHIAKIRA, Äf'J^^ (1330— 1368) requested

him to celebrate Services for hissoul for a hundred days.

Also HOSOKA

mother's

WA YORI-

YUKI, llHjll®;^, learned the doctrine from thisZen priest and erected a Jizö Zenji or "Zen templeof Jizö" in the Western part of the Capital,

which

he had dedicated by Sökyö himself^.
In A. D. 1317

MAKI TOMOTADA, ^JC^Jfe,

erected a Jizö-in at Tatsuta, Owari province, in

Order to pray there for his deceased wife's souP.

In the history of Tödaiji, y^:k.}f, the famous
Kegon temple at Nara, we read the f ollowing story.

When Shigehira by Order of his father Kiyomori
had burned down the great Buddha hall
Yoritomo had it rebuilt in 1195 by
YUKITAKA, ^f ^. This man was a devout believerin II 80of this temple,

in Jizö.
still

After his early death his only daughter,a child, was so much distressed, that she wrote

a letter to her father and tied this to the hand ofThen she prayed: "Jizösama, you, who convert the Six gati and the nineworlds, you are sure to know the place where myfather is.
Please give him this letter and bringme his answer." Thereupon she prayed and wept
his tutelary Jizö image.

Fig. 23.

Jizö

with precious pearl.

A grave monument erected in the—

Genroku era (1688 1703) or somewhat later.

And behold, in themorning of the seventh day, her letter had disappeared and her father's answer was
actually in Jizö's hand. In 1675, when the Nanio meisho shü was written, this document was still preserved in the Söji-in, ^4^|5c, at Nara, and the image was worshipped there under the name of Fumitsukai (^-ßS) no Jizö or "Letter delivering
before the image day and night.

Jizö".»In 1549 the general SHIONOYA YOSHITSUNA erected a stone image of Jizö on
behalf of the soul of his father,

who died in 1546.*

The idea of the souls of the dead ascending Mount Higane^ in Izu province,
to take their refuge to the well-known Jizö who has his temple on the top of thismountain, is found in a story from of A. D. 1582, mentioned in the Zötei Zushü shikö,
if'fTB.'^Hj'S^*. The soul of a little girl was thought to have been seen going up the
Garan kaikiki (1689), Ch. VIII, p. 20.
Owari meisho zue, M^^gflg-f", written in 1841 by OKADA KEI, RPEI^. Ch. IV, p. 27.
3 Nanto meisho shü, Ch. II, p.
* Cf. below, Ch. III,
^
7.
g^dj.
§ 5.
» Written in 1895 by HAGIWARA MASAO, i^miE^; the original work, the Zushü shikö
was written in 1800 by AKIYAMA AKIRA, 1^m#. Ch. XI, ±, p. 8.
1

2

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

131

mountain, and a devil of hell had caught her
halfway!

But thelatterproved to be thepriest of the Jizö shrine, and the girl was nota soul but the living daughter of the priest,

who went home in the evening and was attacked by a wild animal, when her father,
who had descended halfway to meet her,saved her in time and killed the animal.

We read in the history of Jizö Bosatsu cf
Közanji, ^Uj^, writteninthe Kwambun era(1661— 1672) by SOGEN, ^i, superiorof thistemple, that MISAKA TAKAKAGE, ^WL^fx,
lord of Echizen, lost both his sonsbattief ield of Miharu tsuneba,

on theH^SH (A. D.

them buried on the cemetery
Then they appeared to their parents in dreams and said that they had diedso young because they had not practised Buddha's doctrine, and that they now had fallen
1588) and hadof Közanji.

into hell and suffered heavily day and night.
They requested their parents to make a Jizö
image and to dedicate this in Közanji, in Order to save them from their sufferings. Thereupon the parents erected the image, known as
the Jizö of Közanji. They hoped, of course,that this Bodhisattva not only might release
their sonsfrom hell, but also lead them toparadise^.

At the time of the author of the Garankaiki ki (1689) the six Jizö's near the capitalwere visited on the 24th day of the yth monthby many pilgrims, who went about in procession, beating bells and drums and reciting
Amida's holy name*. Thus Amida's andJizö, Standing upon a lotus, witha rosary in his hands. Grave monument ofa woman who died in 1700. Leiden Ethno-

Fig. 24.

graphical

Museum.

were combined.
woman from lidamachi, Yedo, called Yokoyama Take, erected alarge Jizö image made of bronze on Köya san, where she had made a pilgrimage

Jizo's cults

In 1745 a

1 Rööchawa, ^Ä^li, "Tea talks of cid women", written in 1742 by MISAKADAIYATA, E.^:fi9Hii> Kinsei kidan zenshü, j£ifi:^^-^Ä, Zoku Teikoku bunko, Nr. 47, p. 319.
«

Cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. II, § 5, p. 86,

INTENTIONAL StUUlMU CArv^o \jrii

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

130

KAGA YOSHIAKIRA, Jl£fijij^,ffr (1330— 1368) requested

him tocclcbratc scrviccs jor his

soiil for a hundred

Also HOSOKA

days.

uiol/icr's

WA YORI-

YUKI,^;injl|$Ö,i, learned the doctrine from thisZen priest and erected a Jizö Zciiji or "Zen tetnpleof Jizö" in the Western part of the Capital, which
he had dedicated by Sökyö himself^;

In A. D.

131 7

MAKI TOMOTADA,'^'l^^lt,

erected a Jizö-in at Tatsuta, Owari province,in

Order to pray there for his deceased wife's soul-.
In the history of

Töciiiiji,

'MX

-i-,

the

famousKegon temple at Nara, we read the following story.

When Shigehira by Order of his father Kiyomori
had burned down the great Buddha hallof this temple, Yoritomo had it rebuilt in 1195 byin II 80

YUKITAKA, i fl*^. This man was a devout believer
in Jizö.
still

After his early death his only daughter,a child, was so much distressed, that she wrote

a letter to her father and tied this to the hand of
his tutelary Jizö image.

with precious pearl.

Fig. 23.

Jizö

A

monument

grave

erected in theor some-Genroku era (1688 17031
what later.
-

Then she prayed: "Jizösama, you, who convert the Six gati and the nineworlds, you are sure to know the place where myfatheris.

Please give

him this letter andbring

me his answer." Thereupon she prayed and wept
before the image day and night. And behold, in themorning of the seventh day, her letter had disappeared and her father's answer was
actually in Jizö's hand. In 1675, when the Nanto incishn shü was written, this document was still preserved in the Söji-in, ?,ä-f^F/i;, at Nara, and the image was worshipped there under the name of l-nmiisukai(i^liit)

nu

J izö

or "Letter delivering

Jizö".''In 1549 the general SHIONOYA YOSHITSUNA erected a stone image of Jizö on
behalf of the soul of his father,

who died in 1546.^

The idea of the souls of the dead ascending Mount Higanc'' in Izu province,
to take their refuge to the well-known Jizö who has his temple on the top of thismountain, is found in a story from of A. D. 1582, mentioned in the Zötci Zushü shikö,i^^ SLW^"^^. The soul of a little girl was thought to have been seen going up the1

Garan kaikiki (1689), Ch. VIII,

p. 20.

meisho cue, t£-m^. PfrlMl-t, written in 1841 by OKADA KEI, MlFI?^ Ch. IV, p. 27.
1 Cf.
Xanto meisho shi<, Ch. II, p. 7.
below, Ch. III, § 5.
i] felll.
« Written in 1895 by HAGIWARA MASAO, WiÄtV.k; the original work, the Zu s Im shikö
was written in 1800 by AKIYAMA AKIRA, !^aü v-. Ch. XI, h, p. 8.
''

Oii^ari•THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

131

mountain, and a devil of hell had caught her

But thehalfway!

latterproved tobethepriest of the Jizö shrine, and the girl was nota soul but the living daughter of the priest,

who went home in the evening and was attacked by a wild animal, when her father,
who had descended halfway to meet her,saved her in time and killed the animal.

We read in the history of Jizö Bosatsu cf
Közanji, |)H1|'-'f, writteninthe Kwambun era(1661— 1672) by SOGEN,

iE!}i]^',superiorofthis

temple, that MISAKA TAKAKAGE, HItipt.v:,
lordof Echizen,

lostboth his sons on thebattlefield oi Miharutsuncba, Z£:#',f,'|| (A. D.

them buried on the cemeteryof Közanji. Then they appeared to their pa1588) and had

rents indreams and said that they had diedso young because they had not practised Bud-dha's doctrine, and that they now had fallen
into helland suffered heavily day and night.

They requested their parents to make a Jizö
image and to dedicate this in Közanji, in Order to save them from their sufferings. Thereupon the parents erected the image, known as
the Jizö of Közanji. They hoped, of course,that this Bodhisattva not only might release
their sons from hell, but also lead them toparadise'.

At the time of the authorof the Gcirankaiki ki (1689) the six Jizö's near the capitalwere visited on the 24th day of the yth monthby many pilgrims, who went about in procession, beating bells and drums and recitingThus Amida's andAmida's holy name-.
Jizo's cults

Jizö, Standing upon a lotus, witha rosary in his hands. Grave monument ofa woman who died in lyoo. Leiden Ethnographical Museum.

Fig. 24.

were combined.

In 174S a woman from lidamachi, Yedo, called Yokoyama Take, erected alarge Jizö image made of bronze on Köya san, where she had made a pilgrimage

Röö chawa, ^iaStifi, "Tea talks o£ cid women", written in 1742 by MISAKADAIYATA, H-fti:^?Wi:, Kinsei kidan zenshü. i£ lltwjP^S^-^^, Z«ku L'eikoku bunko, Nr. 47, p. 319.
'

2

Cf.

above, Sect.

III,

Ch. II, § 5,

p. 86.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

132
after thet| *S^

death of her husband, carrying his -whitebones in a box hanging on her neck^.

When passing

the night in the nyonindö, ^A-^, or "Womenhall" on

Köya san, Jizö appeared to her in a dream, and thiscaused her to erect the Bodhisattva's image on behalfof her husband'ssouP.
Not only for human souls, but also for those ofaninials masses were said and Jizö images erected.
When in 1826 two horses had died in a village near
Shitsunomura, '^-W^M, Mino province, all the owners
ofhorsescontributed forhaving two

Jizö

imagesmade and Services held on behalf of their souls. These
horses had been possessed by the gipa, a special demon,and no moxa's had cured them. The two Jizö's weremade of stone and were of a man's height. They
were placed in the field, and whoever had a sick horsewent there to pray to them, for they were believed to
be powerful in curing horses*.
Jizö's effigy

was very often engraved on gravemonuments, which
Fig. 25. Jizö as one of the "Secret Buddhas" of the 30 days ofthe month (the 24th day). Abovethe Lanca sign for the syllable ha,

is

still

done at the present day.

When during the night of the 23th of December 19 10in Ökubo village near Tokyo a woman with her twochildren had been murdered by thieves, the people hadH^^,a stone Jizö carved and erected in Sempukuji,at Ökubo, on behalf of their souls. The ceremonyof opening the eyes took place on the 29th of January
191 1; the shape of the image was the same as that of Nihon-enoki, Shiba district.

attributed to him by the Shingon
sect, isgiven. Buisttzö zn'illl, p. 4b.

A great many grave monuments of the Genroku era (1688 — 1703), which of latewere sent to Europe, show Jizö's figure between the date of the death of thepersons (most boys, girls or women) on behalf of whose souls they were erected,
and their posthumous name. On these monuments Jizö is always represented as apriest, Standing upon a lotus, and mostly with a khakkhara in his right, a precious
pearl in his left hand. But there are also monuments on which he only carries a
precious pearl in his folded hands (Fig. 22 and 23), or a rosary (Fig. 24), or cymbals,or (on an archaic one) a lotus in his left, while his right hand is making the abhaya1

She wished to have her husband's bones buried in the kotsudö or "hall of bones" on

Köya san, near Köbö Daishi's grave.
2

Köya-san hitori annai meirei shü, ÄlflllSS^^^ÄÄ, written in 1897 by TENGANSHI,?ciR^, p. 8.
3

Shözan chomon kishü, iSOi^K^Ä, written in 1849 by MIYOSHI SHÖZAN, HjfiSUl,
Zoku Teikoku biinko Nr. 47, p. 415.

Kinsei kidan zenshü,.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

133

mudrä (lifted with the open palm in front), to bestow
fearlessness upon his worshippers^. Sometimes the mystic

character (the Lanca sign ha), iised by the Tantric

school(the

sattva^,isShingonsect)

todesignateseen above Jizö's head

(cf.

this

Bodhi-

Fig. 25).

This

was the case with a monument on which he was represented with cymbals in his hands.

Another, with-out names or dates, shows two Standing Jizö's, one in
the ordinary form of a priest with a pearl and a khak-

khara, the other in his older shape of a Bodhisattva,

with the Bodhisattva crown upon his head, a lotus in
his left and a khakkhara in his right hand^.

The erection of these grave monuments had a double aim, namely
to cause Jizö, under whose protection the dead wereplaced in this way, to save them from hell as well as
to lead them to paradise.

As to masses to be held for the dead we may mention
the Butsuzö zui (IV, p. 7b, our Fig. 26), where Jizö (inthe shape of a priest, seated with his legs crossed on thelotus, with a halo, pearl and khakkhara) is represented
as the fifth of the 13 deities to be invocated after thedeath of a relative.

On the 7th day Fudö, on the i4th

Shaka, on the 2 ist Monju, on the 28th Fugen, on the
35th Jizö, on the 42nd Miroku, on the 48th Yakushi,

Fig. 26.

Jizö, to be invocatedon

the 35th day after death.
Butsuzö zut IV, p. 7b.

on the looth Kwannon, on the first anniversary of the death Seishi, on the third
aimiversary Amida, on the seventh Ajuku, and further, without fixed dates, Dai

Koküzö (Akä(^garbha)

Nichi and

Jizö suffering or working as a Substitute for his worshippers.

§ 4.

We related above* how Kubikire Jizö, an image at Anryü-machi, Settsu province,
ascribed to

GYÖGI BOSATSU, saved the priest Junrei's life by suffering his headby robbers as a Substitute for this priest himself. Further, the Jizö ofto be cut off

Mibu saved one of Nitta Yoshisuke's rebels by having himself bound and thrown into
prison in his place ^.

punishment^

Cf.

of theAgain, Höyake no Jizö of Seshü-in in Osaka underwent the

yake-kane or "burning irons" as a Substitute for a woman*,above, Fig. 4, Sect. I, p. 21.

cf. Butsuzö zui, III, p. 4 b, where he is mentioned among the "Secret Buddhas
the deities worshipped by the Shingon sect) of the 30 days" (of the month), H+Bil
His day is the 24th; as we stated before.
'ä Cf. above, Fig. 2, Sect. I, p. 14.
«* Ch. I,
5 Ch. II,
Ch. II, § 3, p. 83.
§ I, p. 75.
§ 5, p. 72.
^(i. e.

Fig. 25;

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

134

and an other Jizö image, which stood in a shrine on Oyama, was said to have tciken
the place of a stag shot by a hunter, who found his arrow sticking in this Jizö's body^.
Jizö of Jöshinji in Okusawa village, attributed to ESHIN, suffered in hell eis a Sub-a hunter who one day had covered this image with his hat, because the
Asekaki Jizö on Köya san was
Said to perspire every day at the hour of the snake on account of the sufferings which
he underwent in hell as a Substitute for the living beings^.
A woman in Koshima, Mino province, who devoutly believed in Jizö, constantly
prayed to get an image of this Bodhisattva. One day she picked up an old wooden
Jizö, about one shaku five sun long, from the river before her house. She rejoiced
greatly because her wish was fulfilled, and prayed to it every morning and evening.
She got one child, but when the little boy was four years old, she died. Her husband
stitute forrain dripped upon it through the roof of its chapeP.

took a second wife, a most cruel woman, who ill-treated her stepchild in a terrible
way. One day when the man was absent
it happened in Anwa 3, i. e. A. D. 970——

the boy, who from his own mother had learned to pray to Jizö, took a little rice fromthe vessel in which his stepmother soaked rice in water to prepare sake, and weeping
bitterly

he offered it to Jizö and to his mother's ihai (soul tablet).

But the cruelwoman, on discovering him kneeling before the image and the tablet and laying
the rice before them, flew into such a passion that she threw the poor boy into aand cooked him over the fire. At the same time the father, who was on themind was forced to return home. At
once he heard the laments of his child, and when he listened where the sound camefrom, he saw a Buddhist priest, about 40 years old, with a little boy on his back,Standing by the roadside. At his question what child this was, the bonze answered:"I have given myself as a Substitute for this child, when its stepmother was about
to kill it. Now I have taken it with me. You must put it under the care of other people
and have them educate it." Then he handed the boy over to the father, who embraced
it in great fright. When he asked the priest where he lived, the latter replied: "NearZö-ö-in, |^B?c (the "Temple of the Repository King") and suddenly disappeared
as if he were wiped away. The father followed the priest 's advice and after having
intrusted his little son to other people went home. There he found his wife kindlingthe fire under the kettle, but when she saw her husband she at once extinguished"Where is the boy", asked the man, and she answered:it and was quite confused.
"Under pretext that he went playing he ran away, threw himself into the river andwas drowned". But the father took the cover from the kettle and saw the old Jizö
image lying in it; it had saved his child by giving itself as a Substitute. The man
wept bitterly and giving up domestic life became a monk, henceforth worshipping
kettleroad, suddenly by a vague confusion of his

Jizö with all his heart*.
»»

3 Ch. III, § 2, A.
2 Ch. III, § 2, A.
Ch. II, § 3, p. 83.
Jizö Bosatsu reikenki (1684), Ch. VIII, p. 17.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

135

The name of Jizö's temple, Zö-ö-in, reminds us of the Kongo Zö-ö Gongen o£

Mount Yoshino, mentioned above*.
The principal image of Emmyöji, 1^-^^, or "Temple of the Lengthener of Life"M^, Kamakura, was a Standing image called Hadaka Jizö or "theNaked Jizö". It stood upon a backgammon board (sugoroku-ban, ;^7^^) in a little
shrine, but when pilgrims came it was taken out of the shrine, its garment was taken
off and it was shown naked to the visitors. It was different from the ordinary Jizö's,for it had female pudenda. Tradition said that HÖJÖ NO TOKIYORI, ^bf^^®,the fifth Shikken of Kamakura (A. D. 1226
1263) one day was playing sugoroku
with his wife; they had mutually agreed that the loser of the game should entirelyin

Kome-chö,—undress him (or her) seif.

His consort lost, but filled with shame she prayed to thisJizö, her tutelary idol, that he might save her from this painful Situation.

And behold,the Bodhisattva suddenly changed into a woman and stood upon the sugoroku board,then giying himself as a Substitute for her.

From that time he was called Migawari^

Jizö or "Substitute Jizö"*.

The female shape of this Jizö is interesting in connection with his original female
naturef.

A peasant in Izumo, who had always had a firm belief in Jizö, had made a small
image of the Bodhisattva. He had placed it in a little shrine on a board in his room,
and worshipped it daily. One day a severe illness prevented him from obeying theOrder of the lord of his district to cultivate the lord's rice fields.

According to thecustom of the Tokugawa period the peasants had to do so gratuitously. Thus all thepeasants of the village went out on the day fixed by their lord to work in his Service,
but the poor man could not go and in despair again and again repeated Jizö's invocation,"

Namu Jizö Dai Bosatsu", in his lonely house, his beloved wife just having

died from the same disease. On the lord's fields, however, a young Buddhist priest
worked in his place and fulfilled his task so well, that the lord gave him a wine cup
which he respectfully raised above his head and disappeared. The lord understoodthat this priest was a divine person and sent a messenger to the peasant's house,in Order to reward him. The astonished man, convinced that this was Jizö's work,
opened the shrine and saw the wine cup upon the Bodhisattva's head and mud sticking
to his feet. Apparently the image itself had been his Substitute on the field!^.
In the same way Kotsumi Jizö of Ke-ö-in on Köya san cut wood and piled it
workingup,
as a Substitute for an old woman", and the Jizö of Tokuseiji in Awa

province acted as a messenger in the place of his priest'.
1ä

2 ^f^.
Ch. III, §2, A.
Shimpen Kamakura shi (1684), Ch. VII, p.

above, Sect. I, Ch. I, § 2, p. 12.
^ Jizö Bosatsu reikenki, Ch. IV, p. 21.
« Cf. above, Ch. II, § 2, p. 76.
'
Ibidem, p. 77.

<

Cf.

16.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

136

§ 5.

Jizö, the healer of the sick.

We saw above^, that Jizö of Ki no nioto was fatnous for curing all kinds ofand that Hideyoshi thanked his recovery tothis very Jizö. Two images ascribed to Köbö Daishi, that of Emmyöji in Konishimi
village, Kawachi province, and Aburakake Jizö in Osaka, were known for their
healing power. The latter image, when being rubbed in with oil, was sure to euredisease: dumbness, blindness a.

s.

o.,

intermittent fever 2.

NINKÖ, ^M., a Tendai priest of Gidarinji, fiSPt^^, in Kyoto, in A. D. 1023
in consequence of a divine revelation of Jizö of Kobata-dera, who appeared to him
ina dream, ordered the people to worship the six Jizö's in order to stop the pestilence
raging in the capital. Then the crowd went to Kobata and prayed to the six Jizö's,
who at once stopped the epidemy. This Statement of the Garan kaiki ki, quoted above^,is to be compared with a passage of the Shinipen Hitachi kokushi or "New historyof Hitachi province", where we read that this priest at the same occasion made agold-coloured image of Jizö which he erected and worshipped in order to put a stopto the pestilence. He also established a Jizö club, ^^Mt and whoever was anxious
to escape the disease became a member of this association, devoted to Jizö's cult.
Even at the author's time (1787 1836) many married women of Kyoto assembled
on the 24th day of each month (the 24th being, as we saw above, Jizö's special day
of worship, especially the 24th of the 7th month) to hold a meeting of this Jizö club.
It is characteristic, that women were then apparently the only members of this club,
Jizö being the protector of the female class and of children.
The Shimotsuke kokushi^ (A. D. 1850) states that a stone image of Jizö, four
shaku high, according to the inscription on its back erected in the sixth month of—the eighteenth year of the Tembun era (A. D. 1549) by the general SHIONOYA YOSHI-TSUNA,^^^JP,

on behalf

of

the

soul

the

generalin Shionoya district,Shimo-

deceased father,of hisSHIONOYA TAKATSUNA, #iS, at Omaebara, MmW-,

tsuke province, was called Hashika (Ä0) Jizö or "Measles Jizö", because it was
believed to be very powerful in curing this disease.

Whenever measles prevailed inmany pilgrims flocked to this idol.
Two works mention the Jizö of Kögoji, ^"^^, in Kögo village, Uta district,the neighboorhood,

Sanuki province. The Kwösekishü^ (1692) says that this Jizö was famous for its divine
power, especially in curing intermittent fever (okori). Whenever one of the villagers

and grandmother (or if they had diedprobably other old relatives) went out at midnight and, looking up to the sky, loudly
prayed to Jizö sama of Kögo, that he might eure the patient, and promised to offer
wheat flour to the Bodhisattva. Then they went home and prepared the flour in ordersuffered

1
2-'

from this disease,his grandfather

Ch. I, § 3, p. 68.
Ch. II, § 2, pp. 80 and 81.
Ch. I, p. 34.

3

Ch.

II,

§ s, p. 85.

4

Ch. VIII, p. 7.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

137

to offer it the next morning, By that time the patient was sure to be recovered.
The Zen san shi, ^M&^, relates that in A. D. 1673 EIKÖ, ^^, the Daimyö of Sanuki,
äff er having prayed from afar to this Jizö at once was cured from intermittent fever,wHich no medicines could stop. Then he ordered to make a Jizö imsige, eight shaku
high, and to put inside the head of the old Jizö which had been found. Further, heerected a temple and had the image placed there. Afterwards, in A. D. 1692, thisJizö healed TOKUGAWA TSUNAEDA, ^JlJPft, Daimyö of Mite, who sufferedfrom the same disease.
A stone image of Jizö was dedicated in A. D. 1690 in Muonj'i, ^M^^, a Buddhist
temple in Settsu province, by an inhabitant of Osaka, Morita Kaemon by name, inconsequence of a vow made by a friend of his. The man had been severely ill, and as
no physicians or medicines could heal him, Morita had made a vow to Jizö, that hewould cause the patient to make and dedicate a Jizö inieige if the Bodhisattva would
eure him by the power of his incantations^. From that time his friend had gradually
recovered, without taking any medicine. Morita, however, forgot to teil him about
the vow, and consequently no image was made. One night a maid-servant of his
friend dreamt, that a priest, leaning on a staff (the khakkhara), said to her: "Whenyour master was ill, I healed him in consequence of a vow. Why does he not fulfill
this vow? He must speedily make my image." As the maid-servant did not understand this dream, she did not speak about it, but twenty days later the same priest
again appeared to her in a dream and said that a heavy curse was imminent if thevow was not fulfilled, and that Morita knew all about the matter. This time she told
her master what she had dreamt, and the latter, after having related the facts toMorita, went to the author of the Kwösekishü (the Shingon priest MUJINZÖ, ^^M.)
who advised him to obey the Bodhisattva's comniand. Then a stone image wasdedicated in Muonji.

The expression concerning the incantations as well as the fact that a Shingon
was consulted point to the mystic nature of this healing Jizö.
The Honchö zokugen shi, i^^^W.^-^, or "Records on Japanese populär proverbs"
relates about Hanakake, ^^, or "Noseless" Jizö, a standing effigy of Jizö carved
on a stone stüpa, about three shaku high. This stüpa (apparently a grave monument)
was erected in A. D. 1717, and at the author's time (1746) large crowds of pilgrims
visited the temple where it stood, Honseiji, ^^'^, in Fukagawa district, Yedo.
They flocked together there from Yedo itself as well as from the neighbouring provinces, in order to pray to this Jizö for recovery from all kinds of diseases. After
their prayers they used to fill a little bamboo tube -with. th^tamukeno mizu, ^|n]07jC,
priest1

Written in 1828 by NAKAYAMA JÖZAN,-4n*#, kaji.

3ttilÜ^SUl.

Ch. VIII, p.

i.

Written in 1746 by KIKUOKA SENRYO, «|S3tt'«, also called BEIZAN,
Shokoku Hjindan, ISSl.Ail| (same year). Ch. IV, p. 7.

;*ilJ,

also wrote the

10

who

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

138(the water placed before a grave as an offering to the spirit of the interred) and takethis home.

When their prayers were fulfilled, they filled a kawarake, i^ (an unglazed

earthen vessel) with sali and offered this to this Jizö as a sign of gratitude.
Chatö, ^M.^, or "Tea offering" Jizö, inOsaka, in the Genroku era (1688

Minami kawaraya machi, '^ÄMBT,— 1703) was famousfor curing the sick.

The patients

went there to pray to this Jizö and to offer chatö, an infusion of tea leaves, to him.
Drinking this tea or applying it on the affected part of their bodies was sure to cause
their prayers to be fulfilled. The tea, having been in contact with Jizö, was thought
to have absorbed the Bodhisattva's healing power 2.
Women who suffered from diseases of the nipples prayed to the image of the
Ashigara Jizö-dö, ^^^MM/^, or"Jizö chapel of Ashigara", in Yakurasawa {^^W)
village, Ashigara-kami district, Sagami province^.
Boils and all other diseases were cured by Kamihari (Ä5S, or "Paper pasted")Jizö, a stone image in the Compound of Yöshü-in, |^|^l%, at Nagoya, which wasconstantly covered with written prayers, pasted on its body by the crowds of pilgrims
seeking recovery by the divine assistance of the merciful Bodhisattva.

After therecovery of a patient his letter was taken off, but the space was immediately occupied

by another'.

The Füzoku gwahö gives some interesting specimens of Jizö cult for the sake
Höreku (^i^) Jizö (höroku \s a"shallow earthen pan used in baking or parching") is an image in Daienji, ')tWi'^,
Komagome, Hongö district, Tokyo, which was famous from olden times. Sufferers
from headache take their refuge to him and after having been cured they cover hishead with a höroku, thanking him warmly. Thus he always wears a large numberof these pans upon his head; when their weight becomes too heavy, the abbot of thetemple stores them away in the main building. One can imagine what an immense
number of pans are there to testify the Bodhisattva's healing power ^.
The stone Jizö of Higashi Mizuhashi, ^yYJ^, in Etchü province eures mimidare, l-^-^ (otorrhcea, an offensive discharge from the ear), if the patient secretly,
without anybody knowing about it, hangs a kawarake (an unglazed earthen vessel)with a cord to the Bodhisattva's ear and prays to him. There are always manyof these vessels hanging on his ears^.
The höroku were probably originally placed upon the head of the image at thetime of praying and not after recovery, and in both cases the headache or the otorrhoea
were transferred to the image by means of the vessel.

of one's health, still prevalent at the present day.

e. sencha, M^, an infusion of tea leaves, offered to Buddhist deities.
Seisuyö gundan (1698) Ch. XII, p. 53.
3 Shinipen Sagami füdoki (1841), Ch. XXI, Ashigara-kami district, sect. X, p.
* Saezurigusa(1859), Ch. CXIII, p. 29.
^ Füzokti gwahö, Nr. 232 (May 1901), p. 39.
* Füzoku gwahö, Nr. 238 (Oct. 1901), p. 34.
1

I.

-

9.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

139

Finally, we may mention a small stone image of Jizö at the Shirokoma bridgeon the way from Shirokoma (fi|6l) village to Ikeda machi, MBBBT, in Shinano province, which is said to heal the diseases of the lower part of the body, as sexual dis-

eases

etc.,

if

the patients promise to offer tögarashi,@^ (red pepper), to him^.

§ 6. The Minamoto's and the Taira's.
The Fusö ryakki^ (written about A. D. 1150) says that four Bodhisattvas alternately come to this world to convert the Hving beings, namely Fugen and Monju(Samantabhadra and Mafijucri), Kwannon and Jizö. Thus we find Jizö recognizedat this time as one of the four principal Bodhisattvas.

We read very little about the MINAMOTO'S before Yoritomo (who was a devout
believer in Jizö, as we shall see below) worshipping our Bodhisattva. We saw abovethat MINAMOTO NO YOSHIMITSU, WMit (1056— 1 127), showed his zeal in this^,respect by transplacing the image of

Inazumi kokubo

Jizö, attributed to

GYÖGIBOSATSU, to Kamijö, and that KAMADA MASAKIYO, a vassal of MINAMOTONO YOSHITOMO, Yoritomo's father, in A. D. 1146 presented a stone lantern on
which the six Jizö's were represented, to the Asakusa temple*.
As to the TAIRA'S, the famous KIYOMORI (1118— 1181), who "had the six
Jizö's placed at the six entrances of the capital^, was said to have exempted his vassal
Sadamori from punishment because the latter stood under Jizö's divine protection.
As this Sadamori had committed some wrong, Kiyomori ordered Taira no Hyöe toput him to death. Sadamori supplicated Hyöe to allow him to make a pilgrimage
that night to Jizö son of Rokuhara, 7^^^ (at Kyoto), and promised to return thenext day at noon. Hyöe pitied him and agreed, whereupon Sadamori went to Rokuhara
and with all his heart prayed to Jizö. That very night a Buddhist priest appeared
to Kiyomori in a dream, put his neck between a pair of scissors and menaced to cut
off his head if he ventured to kill Sadamori without any sufficient reason. At thesame time he made a deep cut in his neck. As soon as Kiyomori awoke he sent for
Sadamori, and when he heard that the latter had gone to the Jizö of Rokuhara,
he at once imderstood the divine apparition in his dream and acquitted him. Sadamori became a monk and from that time lived near Jizö's shrine, worshipping himfrom morning tili night*.
SHIGEMORI, 4^^ (1138 1179)» Kiyomori's eldest son, was said to haveerected the Hökongöfi, S'^Pi'J^, or "Temple of the Precious Vajra" in Közu
village, Sagami province, in order to dedicate this shrine to a Jizö image which heused to worship. This happened in the iith month of A. D. 1178, shortly before—

Shigemori's death ^.
^ k. T. K. Vol. VI, Nr. 27, p. 749.
Füzoku gwahö, Nr. 388 (Oct. 1908), p. 27.
5 ch. II,
« Ch. II,
6 ji2ö Bosaisu
Ch. I, § 5, p. 71.
§ 5, p. 90.
§ s, p. 89.
' See note iof the first page of the next chapter.
reikenki (1684), Ch. VIII, p. 16.
1

3

_____

_

,

CHAPTER IV.

THE KAMAKURA PERIOD (i 192— 1333).
§ I.

Minamoto no Yoritomo.

The great Shögun YORITOMO (A. D. 1147 — 1199) by his ardent belief in Jizö
caused this Bodhisattva's cult to spread among the warriors of Kamakura.

We

saw above^ that he granted a pardon to Taira no Toshihira in consequence of a dream,in which the Jizö of Mihu had forbidden him to kill this man.

He also expressed his

Höyake no Jizö of Seshü-in in Osaka for his wonderful protection^.
The reason why Yoritomo was filled with belief in Ji?ö's divine power and with gratitude towards him was the following. When Öba Kagechika in A. D, 1181 hadgratitude to

defeated Yoritomo at Ishibashi, the latter fled with seven retainers into a Jizö chapel {Jizö-dö) in Yoshihama ("o^) village, Ashigara-shimo district, Sagami province.
The principal idol of this chapel was a Square stüpa made of stone, with a Jizö engraved on one side and Sanscrit characters on the other sides. JUNKAI, MfS,

the priest of the chapel, hid Yoritomo under the base of this idol ("under the seatof Jizö daishi").

Thus he escaped his pursuers, and afterwards, when he had risen

to the highest power, he erected a new shrine in the same spot and called it Shödözan

Yoritomo-dera, /hjEUlMfS^. Junkai was invited to come to Kamakura and was
rewarded in a royal way. In 1765 a stone monument was placed in the Compoundof this shrine, which according to its inscription in the Daidö era (A. D. 806
809)—

had been found on the sea shore by a fisherman. This monument, which was apparently considered to be connected with Jizö, was famous for its divine power (reiken)^.
There was, however, still another reason for Yoritomo's profound veneration
for Jizö. In A. D. 11 60, when at the age of fourteen he was banished by Kiyomori to
Hiru-ga-kojima, K^A'^'äi, in Izu province, he several times spent the night in Tököji,Sl^^, a Jizö temple at Izuyama ('P'ÄlU) village, on the top of Mount Higane,^.

There he prayed to the Bodhisattva that he might give felicity to the Minamoto House,and promised to remove the shrine to his new residence, when the time of his glory
1

Shimpen Sagami füdoki, Ch. XXXVII, Ashigara-shimo göri, Sect. XVI, p. 9.

1

Ch.

ä

Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö (1841), Ch. XXXII, Ashigara-shimo göri, Sect. XI, p. 17.

II,

§ I.

2

Ch.

II,

§ 3.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
should have come.

141

He kept word, for when the whole realm was under his sway,hehuiltShögenfi, föäS^, atYuki no shita, S©"!*, in Kamakura, and placed in thistemple a Jizö image, carved by the famous sculptor UNKEI, MMthe shrine of Mount Higane and presented it with ricefields.
gigantic Jizö image of bronze

isHe also repaired

At the present day aseen there and the name of Higane Jizö is well-known ^. According to the Shimpen Kamakura shi (1684)^ Shögenji was called Higanesan in commemoration of the fact, that the Jizö of the sanctuary of Mount Higane
had been removed to this shrine by order of Yoritomo, and had been made its principal idol.

Yoritomo was also said to have placed an Indian Jizö image behind Engakuji,
B^^. in Kamakura. Sanetomo, the third Minamoto Shögun (1192 1219) erected
a temple for this idol in Hatano, ^^If, which he called Kongöji, #1']^, or"Vajra
temple". This name is clear evidence of the sanctuary's belonging to the Shingon
sect. Afterwards the image was removed to the Jizö chapel of Kongöji in Koishikawa, Yedo^.
NII-DONO, rMWi^, i- e. MASAKO,
Yoritomo's consort and Höjö Tokimasa's daughter, was not less devout in worshipping Jizö than the Shögun himself.
She had a private chapel (jihutsudö, ^W^.), where she dedicated a picture ofJizö. This happened on the 24th day (Jizö's special day of worship, as we saw above)of the ninth month of A. D. 1223, and Bishop KWANKI, ||B,S, led the ceremony^.
The author of the Shimpen Kamakura shi^ (1684) relates that in his time the Jizö
image of the Aizendö,
opposite the Shintö shrine of Yoritomo Yoritomosha) in Kamakura, was said to have been the principal tutelary idol of NH NO
AMA or "The Nun Nii", which title Masako wore after Yoritomo's death. She had

—

^^

,

^^^,

{

become a Buddhist nun, but reigned in the name of her sons, reason why the people
called her Ama-Shögun, the "Nun-Shögun". Another tradition said that her tutelary image formerly stood in a Jizö chapel east of Akahashi.
§ 2.

Höjö Tokiyori.

HÖJÖ TOKIYORI, ^bfiBtM, the fifth Shikken of Kamakura (1226— 1263),
who in 1256 became a Buddhist monk and retired to the Saimyöji (hence his nameSaimyöji-Nyüdö), belonged, as well as his consort, to Jizö's worshippers. Westatedabove'' that he1253,

made a big Jizö image the principal idol of Kenchöji, dedicated inand that he further had a thousand other Images of this Bodhisattva placedsame sanctuary. Another tradition said that the main image of Kenchöji

in this1 Zötei Zushü shikö, Ch. XI,±, p. 7, quoting the Kwantö kosenroku,
cords of old battles in Kwantö".
3 Edo meisho zue (1789
2 Ch. IV, p. 2.
1829), Ch. IV, p. 74,* Also called NISHIN,-„"o.
6 Kötei zöho Azuma kagami, Ch. XXVI, p. 30(Jö-ö 2, Qth month).
6 Gh. I, p. 16.
' Ch. III,3.
§—

ifi-ISI.*,er "Re-THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANC.

142

was on the contrary of very small size, namely only one sun two bu high, and thatthe height of its base was only one sun. This small Jizö idol was said to have been
the private tutelary god of a certain SAIDA, ^B9, whom Tokiyori had condemnedto death. Two swords were broken on Saida's neck without killing him, because
he had a devout belief in Jizö and had put this Bodhisattva's small Image in his
cue to Protect his neck. When Tokiyori heard this miracle, he pardoned Saida andmade the Jizö, who had two sword cuts on his back as signs of his having given himas a Substitute for his worshipper, the principal idol of Kenchöji^. This story
reminds us of the miraculous way in which NICHIREN was said to have escaped

selfdeath in A. D. 1263.

As to Tokiyori's consort, we may refer to the story mentioned above^ about
Hadaka Jizö, the "Naked Jizö", the female Jizö Image of Emmyöji in Kamakura,
which was her private tutelary idol and showed its naked body, acting thus as her
Substitute.

Unkei.

§ 3.

We have found three Jizö images attributed to UNKEI, the celebrated sculptor,
who lived at Kamakura in the i2th and I3th centuries of our era. Koyasu Jizöof the Nobu Jizö-dö in Nobu village, Shimo-tsuke province, is mentioned above^,
as well as the principal idol of Shögenji at Kamakura, made by order of Yoritomo*.

^^^

in Shimo-ga-hashi (~F:J^*M)
was the main image of Yözenji,
village, Kawachi district, Shimotsuke province. This was a standing Jizö, about
two shaku long, with a small copper image of this Bodhisattva enclosed in its belly(like a haragomori no ko, BEbI^' ^ a foetus). The small one was said to have come

The

third

,

,

out of a pool*.

We repeatedly came across such small Jizö idols, hidden in bigger ones oflater date.

In this way the divine power of the ancient image was preserved, whereas

the size of the new one was more appropriate toitscondition of principal idol of

the temple.
§ 4.

Works front the Kamakura period.

The Uji shüi monogatari (1213— 1218) mentions Jizö infive passages.

One

Kokuryüji in Sakano village, Inaba province,fromhell by Jizö, is treated above®. The second
who revived after having been saved
relates how an old nun, who had heard that Jizö Bosatsu walked at daybreak, wentout early in the morning to meet him. But she met a gambler, who promised to show
her Jizö's house, and whom she gave her robe when he had led her to the houseof these, the story of the bettö of

1

Wakan

sansai zue,

^SH:^@#, the well-known encyclopaedia written in 1713 by

TERAJIMA RYÖ-AN, #ÄK3c; Sect. Nihon no Sagami, Kamakura no gosan (Ü-Wi), Köfukusan Kenchöji, Ch. LXVII, p. 1075.
Ch.

«

Ch. IV, § I.
« Ch.

2

Ch. III, § 4.

5

Shimotsuke kokushi (1850), Ch. VII, p. 23.

3

III,

§ I.

III,

§2.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

143

man whose little boy of ten years was called Jizö. When the boy came, sheof arespectfully sat

down and worshipped him. And behold, the boy pointed with his

stick to his forehead, and when she looked at this,

it

split

and Jizö's real face ap-

Afterwards the devout nun went to Paradise^,
According to the third tale there was in olden times a man in Yamashina village,

peared!

Yamashiro province, who had made a Jizö image but had put it in a box without
So it stood forgotten in an inner room for three
Then he dreamt that a man passed the house and loudly called Jizö. "Whatis the matter", asked a voice from the inner room. "To-morrow a great many Jizö's
are assembling at the residence of Taishaku Ten (Qäkra, i. e. Indra, the king of theDevas). Shall you come too ?" "I should like to do so," was the answer, "but I cannot
see, for my eyes have not yet been opened". Thereupon the man awoke, and the nextmorning his first work was to open Jizö's eyes and to dedicate the image (to a Jizö

opening its eyes or dedicating it.

years.

temple) ^.

The two remaining passages of this work give the stories of GANO^ and of
FUJIWARA NO HIROKI*, who revived after having been released from hell by
our Bodhisattva^.

—

The Heike monogatari (1225 1250) compare Narichika's joy when seeingShigemori with the joy of "sinners in hell when seeing Jizö Bosatsu"®. The same work

how Jüzenshi no

miya, ~\'t^^^(D'^ possessed a little boy priest, called
Tsurumaru, ^'K^, the messenger from Mudöji, ÜflÖ^f on Hieizan to an assemblyof Hieizan monks. This Jüzenshi no miya, who had his temple at the foot of thisrelates,,

TaiheiW, a manifestation
The monks held a meeting to discuss about the banishment of
the zasu or head priest of the Tendai sect (the abbot of Enryakuji on Hieizan), but
Jüzenshi no miya possessed Tsurumaru and spoke through his mouth. The boy
covered his face with his sleeves and weeping bitterly declared that he, Jüzenshi
no miya, could no longer stay at the foot of the mountain, when the zasu should
be banished. The monks suspected him of fraud and decided to try him by throwing
all their rosaries before his feet and requesting him to restore them to their owners.
Then he proved to be actually possessed by the deity, for without any hesitation
he gave each rosary to its proper owner. The monks, filled with admiration forthis miraculous proof of divine possession, joined their hands and worshipped him*.

sacred mountain, was, according to a passage of theof Jizö Bosatsu.

Uji shüi monogotari, Ch. I, K. T. K. Vol. XVII, p 19.
s« Ch. VI, p. 120.
3 Ch. V, p. 118.
Ch. V, p. 104.
Above, Ch. III, § 2.
6 Ch. II, _h, p. 42; see above, Ch. III,§2.
' Ch. XVIII,
Cf. also the Honchö jinjakö, ?t^l3l^ifi#, written between 1614 andp. 19.
1657 by HAYASHI RAZAN, #^lü (1584—1657), Ch. ±, 2, p. 23. This god seems to be
the same eis Hiyoshi, also called Sannö, who is believed to be Onamuji, i. e. Okuni-nushi no
mikoto.
8 Ch. II, ±, p. 10.
1
2

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

144

The Shasekishü (written before 1312) gives twostories

about Jizö.

In theformer^ an old chapel of this Bodhisattva, with an image, sixteen shaku high, ison the beach of Kamakura and to be constantly visited by thepeople from the neighbourhood. One night all his worshippers had the same dream,
namely that a young Buddhist priest (Jizö himself) appeared to them and took leaveof them because his image had been sold.
The priest of Gwangyöbö, J^^T^, alittle shrine in the Compound of Tödaiji at Nara, had actually bought it. Whenhe had it removed to the Hikaidö,P§^, in Kamakura, the Bodhisattva himself
in the shape of a Buddhist priest of superhuman strength assisted and after haVing
finished the work, disappeared as if he were wiped away. Afterwards, wheh it
had to be repaired, a maker of Buddhist Images, who thought is too difficult torepair such a divine idol, was admonished in a dream by Jizö himself, to do the
Said to be situated—work without fear.
In the second story the Jizö of a temple in
Ichijö district of Kyoto,isKage yuköji, ^^Ö^/hSS-, in thesaid to have protected a woman against the tricks of awicked priest. This woman spent the night in the temple, and the priest deceived
her by going to her when she was asleep and saying to her, as if he were the Bodhisattva

was to commit sexual intercourse with the first man she shouldmeet after having left the temple. The priest intended to be that man, but Jizö
prevented him from finding his clogs at the right moment, and the woman met awidower who married her 2.
The Azuma kagami (written shortly after 1266) states that NII-DONO, YORIhimself, that she

TOMO'S consort, in 1223 offered a picture of Jizö Bosatsu in her private chapeF,
and that HÖJÖ TOKIYORI in 1253 dedicated Kenchöji, with a big Jizö image as
its

principal idol, while a thousand other Jizö's were also placed in the same temple,

and masses were said for the souls of the three Minamoto Shöguns, Nii-dono andthe Höjö's^
Data from later works.

§ 5.

The Shimpen Kamakura shi (1684)^ says that in the author's time there wasa stone Jizö image, called Amihiki (^^| or "Net drawing") Jizö, in a cavern on the
top of a mountain near Kamakura, in the territory of Jökömyöji, ??^^^*. Tradition said that this image had been pulled up from the sea in the net of a fisherman(A. D. 1263— 1328) wasof Yui no hama. FUJIWARA NO TAMESUKE,
believed to have erected it, but according to the inscription on its back CHINKAKU,
M^, was the donor (seshu, Jßzfe^, and JÖSEN, 'ft^IÜ, was the leader of the dedicatory ceremony (kuyö döshi,), which took place in 1312.
,

MM^^

^^M.W

Shasekishü, Ch. II, _h, p. 16.
See above, Ch. IV, § 1.
» Ch. IV, p. 28.
1

3

Shasekishü, Ch. II, Ji, p 18.
See above, Ch. III, § 3.
" With the Ya-hiroi Jizö, cf. above, Ch. II,
§ 6.
2

«

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

145

The Shokoku kojidan^ relates that MUSÖ KOKUSHI, W-MMU (A. D. 1275
when making the garden wall of Saihöji, M^^» a Jizö temple which
he had built, was assisted by a mysterious Buddhist priest, who showed a superhuman strength by carrying immense stones. At Musö's question who he was heanswered that he lived in the Shijö district of Kyoto, and that he should like to haveMusö's kesa (kashäya). After having obtained this sacerdotal dress he went away,
to 1351),

leaving his shakujö (khakkhara) behind.

Afterwards, when the curtain of the Jizö

of Döjö, jE^, in the Shijö district was opened, the image wore Musö's kesa and its
khakkhara had disappeared! Musö kept this staff as a precious treasure, and it waspreserved, still in the author's time, in Tenryüji,^^^'^^, also founded by the same
priest.

The Joronsha wa^ contains the following particulars about a grave monument
On the cemetery of Matsuyama (fölJj) village,
Sösa district, Shimösa province, there is a chapel called the Kajidö, M^f"^, or "Hallof incantation" (of the Shingon sect). In this chapel there is an old grave stone
with a Jizö figure carved on one side, and the name of the priest who erected it(JISSHÖ, Ä'ft), as well as the year in which this took place (A. D. 1253) en the otherside. The villagers call it Tsumekire, TRIR, or "Nail-engraved" Jizö because itis an excellent piece of art. Formerly this stone served as a bridge over a ditch neara village in Katori district, but those who crossed it often feil from their horses
dating from the Kamakura period.

(punished by Jizö for this unintentional sacrilege).

Therefore the people at lastThen they worshipped the Bodhisattva and gave the stone to a Buddhist priest from Matsuyama
lifted up the stone and discovered

the Jizö figure on its lower side.

village who just visited the place.

This man took it home and placed it in the chapelon the cemetery mentioned above.
§ 6.

Jizö represented inart.

A. His shapes, attributes and mudräs.

The Sütra on the Ten Wheels, treated above*, says that Ti-tsang with all theBodhisattvas related with him came from the South, all having assumed the shapesof crävakas, and that they, after having strewn flowers upon the Tathägata, set down
at his feet to listen to his words.

sattvaisThis passage may be the reason why this Bodhi-

mostly represented as a priest.

The Sütra on the mandalas of the Eight Great Boddhisattvas^ describes Kshitigarbha as follows. "He has a cap (i. e. a crown) on his head and wears a necklace
1

Äa*#l^, written in 1850; Ch. IV, p. 17.

*

One of the chief temples of the Rinzai sect, founded in 1342 in Saga village near Kyoto.
iBÜBjitiS, published in 1888; written by different scholars, members of the Joransha,^

devoted to folklore (monthly numbers). Ch. III, p. 22, by SHIBUYA KEISABURÖ,* Sect. I, Ch. I, § 3.
5 Above, Sect. I, Ch. I, § 4.

ü^ÜHBÜ.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

146

of gems. His face is bright and harmonious,

quiet and füll of compassion with all affec-

hand rests underan almsbowl on its
palm; his right hand closes its palm andis held over (the almsbowl), with its palm
downwards, the thumb pinching up theindex.
(This means that) he gives consolation and peacetoallaffectionate
beings".
The almsbowl (i^) is, in SEITAN'S opinion, perhaps a mistake for
Pearl (J^), this Bodhisattva's usual emblem,His

tionate beings.

hisnavel,

but thisleftcarrying

quite

is

hypothetical.

SEITAN^

gives a picture, based upon this description

and
(cf.

found
fig.

in

the

iigarbha"^

One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a Bodhisattva seated upon a lotus, carrying an almsbowl in his left hand and holding his right
hcind over it.
Kokkwa Nr. 156, p. 235, froma picture in the Kakuzenshö, made after thedescription of the Sütra on the mandalas of theEight Great Bodhisattvas (cf. Sect. I, Ch. I, § 4).

^^^^

27).

The "Rules on
Fig. 27.

Kakuzenshö,

the Bodhisattva Kshi-

prescribe

paint his effigy:

asfollows

howto"Make an Image of the

shape of a grävaka, clad in a kashaya, theend of which Covers his left Shoulder. Hisleft hand ought to hold a flower in füll
bloom, his right hand ought to distributefearlessness (i. e. to make the abhayaholding the hand upwards, with its palm to the front).

which consists in
He must be seated on a lotus flower (cf. fig. 28, i. e. the first picture, given by SEITAN
in the Kokkwa, Nr. 156, p. 234, borrowed from the Sonyöshö, ^^^, and from the
Asahakushö, PSI^PMI^)- Again (now follows a second description), the image ofthe Great Man (i. e. Kshitigarbha) seated on a throne, must wear a Celestial Cap(crown) and a kashaya, and carry a lotus flower in his left hand, whereas the rightone must make a mudrä like before (i. e. the abhayamudrä) He must be seatedon a lotus stand of nine layers" (cf. fig. 29, i. e. the second picture, made by SEITAN himself, ibidem). As we remarked above, the editor of this text doubts thegenuineness of this second description. According to SEITAN the Kakuzenshö gives
a similar picture, based upon another Tantric text, but with a precious pearl uponniudrä,,.

the lotus flower.

Another work of the Yoga school, the Mahävairocana sütra*, says that Kshitigarbha Mahäsattva is seated on the Northern side (the Yaksha side) of the Maridala, on
1

Kokhwa, Nr.

»

Above, Sect. II, Ch. II, §1.

156, p. 235.

de not know the time and the author of this werk.
Above, Sect. I, Ch. I, § 5.

2 I
*

;

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

147

a magnificent lotus seat; that great names
are to be given to him, like "Ratnapäni"and "Holder of the Barth" (i. e. Dharanimdhara) (cf. Eitel s. v.), and that he ought
to be
is

surrounded by the highest saints.

He

described as having a colour like that ofa f^^jiS flower and holding a lotus flower
in

his

hand;

precious stones.

he

wears

We

a necklace ofread in another pas-sage of the same work that a large hannermust be erected near his splendid lotus seat,that his name is Jina, "the Most Victorious
One", and that he ought to be surrounded bya numberless crowd of superior relatives.
The semi - Taoistic, semi - Buddhistic
work entitled "Doctrine of the wonderful
Repentance (practised in worship of) the
Ten Merciful Kings" ^ opens with a picture
representing Ti-tsang seated on a throne,shape of a Buddhist priest, with agreat halo behind his shaven head, theurna between his eyebrows, and the khakin the

One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a priest
upon a lotus, with lotus flower andabhayamudrä. Kokkwa Nr. 156, p. 234, from
Fig. 28.

seateda picture in the

Sonyöshö, tnade after. thedescription of the Ti-tsang P'u-sah i-kwei (cf.
Sect. II, Ch. II,§I).

khara in his right hand. On both sides of the throne Stands a young priest, also witha round glory, his hands joined and directed towards Ti-tsang. These are his two
His title is "Tantra-ruler of the Darkness", whose khakkhara shakes
and opens the doors of hell, and whose precious pearl illumines the Dark Palace.
The Yuh-lih or "Calendar of Jade"^, also blending Taoism with Tantric Budfollowers.

dhism, gives a picture representing our Bodhisattva in a sacerdotal robe, with theurna on his forehead, a round halo, and a five-pointed crown. He is riding on atiger, and is escorted by his attendants, two young priests, of whom one carries hismaster's khakkhara, whereas the other holds a long banner adorned with a lotus
flower. The inscription of the banner gives Kshitigarbha's title as "Tantra-ruler of the
Darkness, King Ti-tsang, the Bodhisattva". A boy leads the tiger with a cord.
The Sütra on the Ten Kings^, the Taoistic-Tantric work which spread the belief in the Ten Kings of Hell in China, describes the Six Ti-tsangs (also invented by
the author) as follows. The first carries a cintämani or "jewel which grants all
desires" in his left hand, with the right one makes the "Preaching mudrä". The
attribute and the mudrä of the second are the khakkhara and the varadamudrä
1
3

Above, Sect. II, Ch. i, § i.
Above, Sect. II, Ch. I, § i.

2

Above, Sect. II, Ch.

I,

§ 3.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

148

those

of

the

third,

the"Vajra banner"and the abhayamudrä; those of the fourth
the khakkhara and the "leading and assisting
mudrä"; those of the fifth the precioüs
pearl and the Amrtamudrä, and those of
the sixth the "Banner of Yama" and the"mudrä which completes discrimination"(between good and evil, true and false).
The Genkö Shakusho (written before
A. D. 1346) relates—^^,<i^y*^'^^^^^j('^

how the Shintö priest

Koretaka saw the Six Jizö's in hell, carrying
respectively an incense burner, joining his
palms, and keeping a precioüs pearl, akhakkhara, a flower basket and a rosary^.

The Bussetsu Emmyö Jizö Bosatsu kyö
or "Suträ on Jizö, the Lengthener of Life",
a Japanese work of the Tokugawa period,

One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a Bodhiupon a lotus, with lotus flower
and abhayamudrä. Kokkwa Nr. 156, p. 234,
Fig. 29.

sattva seatedalter the second

description of the Ti-tsang
P'u-sah i-kwei (cf. Sect. II, Ch. II, § i).

describes the Bodhisattva as carrying akhakkhara, whereas his two attendants, awhite and a red boy, respectively hold awhite lotus and a vajra ^.

On ref lecting upon these various Indian,Chinese and Japanese descriptions we arrive

from olden times was represented in two
different shapes: that of a priest and that of a Bodhisattva, and that his oldest
embiems were the lotus, and, as it seems, the alnishowl. The khakkhara and thecintämam became his principal attributes by the influence of the Taoistic-Tantric
literature, which mostly gave him the shape of a priest with an urna and a halo.
The Bodhisattva shape became rare, the priest shape dominated more and more.
Another attribute of Tantric origin was the hanner, which was sometimes placed
upon the lotus in his hands (cf. fig. 30)^. His principal mudrä was the abhayamudrä,
by which he was believed to give fearlessness to his worshippers. The TaoisticTantric priests seem to have invented his two young attendants, who carried his
khakkhara and banner, or a lotus and a vajra. The Yoga school is also responsible
for his six different forms, as well in China as in Japan.
After having drawn these conclusions with regard to China and Japan, we may
ref er to SEITAN's treatise in the Kokkwa, mentioned above*, where he gives theat the conclusion that this Bodhisattva

2 Below, Ch. VI.
Above, Sect. III, Ch. II, § 5.
Butsuzö zul, IV, p. 8 b, central figure of upper row. Cf. Kokkwa Nr. 159, p. 46.
* Kokkwa Nr.
159, pp. 46 sqq., cf. Nr. 156, pp. 233 sqq.
1'THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

149

following details concerning Jizö's representation

The "correct form" with the lotus, as
described in the "Rules on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha", is unknown in Japan. The Japanese Jizö
figure of the Nara period and from before thattime is represented by the so-called Sammaishö
in Japan.

(Hfe0) Jizö of Shöryö-in, Sfil5c,

in Höryüji,

the famous temple at Nara, founded in A. D. 607

by Shötoku Taishi. This image is said to havebeen presented in A. D. 577 to the Emperor
Bidatsu by the king of Kudara, whcse name is
pronounced SHÖMEI, ^Pß ^, in Japanese. Its name,Sammaishö, which might mean "Samädhi-conqueror", is explained as "Three distinguished conin the sense of its having the threeeminent qualities of being the work of a devout
Buddhist, having had an owner like king Shömei,querors"

and being made of sandal wood. This image, anoutline of which is given by SEITAN^ (our fig. 10),has no attributes, but the left hand makes theabhayamudrä, the right one, held down with its
Fig. 30. Jizö with pearl and lotus,
palm in front, makes the varadamudrä, which
upon which a small banner. Butstimeans "bestowing", "blessings" SEITAN, however,zö ziti IV, p. 8b.
considers this to be an other form of the abhayamudrä. The urna on his forehead and his long ears speak of holiness and wisdom,
but no halo surrounds the shaven head of the priest. He is not seated, but standing
upon a lotus.
Most of the Jizö images of the second period (the Heian, Fujiwara and Gempei
times) have a precious pearl in the left hand, whereas the right one is making theabhayamudrä. In the picture, given by Seitan (our fig. 31)^, the left hand carries
three radiant pearls upon a lotus, a very common emblem of holiness. The images
attributed to Köbö Daishi mostly have the pearl (or pearls) and the abhayamudrä.
That of Kwöryüji* in Uzumasa, :ic^ (near Kyoto) and that of Yata-san Nembutsu;^BBlÜ^f^l^*, in Yamato are, according to Seitan, specimens cf this kind. Jizö
is represented as a priest, clad in a sacerdotal robe, with an urna and a round halo,

in,

About this name and the image cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. I, § i.
^ Ibidem, p. 48.
Kokkwa, Nr. 159, p. 47.
* Kokkwa,
Nr. 156, PI. VII, p. 230; cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. II, § 2 (Umoregi*
2

attributed to^

Köbö Daishi).

Cf. above, Sect. III, Ch.III, § 2 (Jizö, the saviour from Hell).

Jizö,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

ISO

F'g- 31
Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus
and carrying three precious pearls in his left
hand, whereas his right band makes theabhayamudrä. Type of the Jizö Images of the
Heian, Fujiwara and Gempei periods (A. D.
•

794— 1185). Kokkwa Nr. 159,

Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus,
with precious pearl and khakkhara. Type of the
Jizö images of the Kamakura and later periods.
Fig. 32.

h'okkii'n Nr.

159, p. 48.

p. 48.

and seated on a lotus. In my opinion, however, the mudrä of the former Image(Umoregi Jizö), is the varada and not the abhayamudrä; moreover, it has neither
an urna nor a halo, and it is standing upon the lotus. The right Shoulder is bare,like in the description of the "Rules on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha".
In the third period (the Kamakura and Tokugawa times, and the Meiji era)
the pearl in the left hand and the khakkhara in the right one were, and are still,
Jizö's common attributes. It is a priest with an urna and with a round halo behindhis head, seated upon a lotus, his left leg hanging down while his right leg is bentwith its foot against the left knee (cf. Seitan's picture^) (our fig. 32), or, as very
often is the case, standing upon the lotus. The Jizö of Mibu dera^, although attributed to Jöchö, ^^, the famous sculptor of the eleventh Century (Fujiwara time),belongs to this type. This is evidence of the fact, acknowledged by SEITAN himself,that these three periods are to be taken cum grano salis. Also the beautiful image
represented in the Kokkwa (Nr. 99, p. 52, pl. V) (our fig. 33), Jizö sitting on the1

Kokkwa, Nr. 159, p. 48.

2

Cf.

above, Sect. III, Ch. II, §i.

Jizö as a priest, seated on a lotus, with a precious pearl in his
the right hand apparently having carried the khakkhara (12 th Century, Fujiwara or Gempei period). From the Kokkwa, Nr. 99, p. 52, PI. V.
Now in the Collection FUCHS, Tübingen.
Fig- 33left,

iiv I i_ii I i^^ivML.

oi_o«^iMLf i::/\rwoun^

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

150

F'g- 3'-J'^°

Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus,
with precious pearl and khakkhara. Type of the^ priest, seated upoii lotus^^

Fig. 32.

and carrying three precious pearls in his left
band, whereas his right hand makes theabhayamudrä. Type o£ the Jizö images of the
Heian, Fujiwara and Gempei periods |A. D.
7941185).

/\'/,/,,,,'Jizü imaiies of the

Kamakura and later periods.

/^.AA,, ,'Nr.

159, p. 48.

Nr. 159, p. 48.

and seated on a lotus. In my opinion, however, the mudrä of the former Image(Umoregi Jizö), is the wirndii and not the iili/iiivdiniulrd : moreover, it has neither
an urna nor a halo, and it is sttiiu/iiii; upon the lotus. The right Shoulder is bare,like in the description of the"Rules on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha".

Kamakura and Tokugawa times, and the Meiji era)
hand and the klnikkhurci in the right one were, and are still,
Jizö's common attributes. It is a priest with an urna and with a round halo behindhis head, seated upon a lotus, his left leg hanging down while his right leg is bent
In thethejiCiirlwithits//;;;'(/

period (thein the leftfoot against the left

knee

(cf.

Seitan's picture')

(cur

fig.

32),

or, asvery

The Jizö of Mibii dcni-, although attrifamous
sculptorofthe eleventh Century (Fujiwara time),'«L"!-'^,
belongs to this type. This is evidence of the fact, acknowledged by SEITAN himself,that these three periods are to be taken cit>H i^raiia sdlis. Also the beautiful image
represented in the Kukkim (Nr. 99, p. 52, pl. V) (our fig. 33), Jizö sitting on the
often

is

the case, Standing upon the lotus.

buted to Jüchv,the

Kokkwa, Nr. 159, p. 48.

Cf.

above, Sect. III, Ch. II,Si-

Jizö as a priest, seated on a lotus, with a precious pearl in his
the right band apparently having carried the khakkhara (12 th Century, Fujiwara or Gempei period). From the A' .AA,. ,;, Nr. 99, p. 52, PI. V.
Now in the Collection FUCHS, Tübingen.
Pig. 33.
left,THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

152

with round haloes behind his

Ictus,

head, back and whole body, has theprecious pearl in his left hand, whereas
theone evidently carried theright

khakkhara which

now lost.

isshows,

style

its

according

to

Yet
the

Kokkwa, that it belongs to the Fujiwara or the Gempei period.
Jizö
images with the khakkhara weresometimes made also in Köbö Daishi'stime, and there are other ones withthe precious pearl and the abhayaniiidrä which date from a later age;but most of the images made in thesethree periods belong to the types described above.

Besides these principal Jizö figures there are a great number of others.

mentions

Seitane.

g.

Oya-ko Jizö(ÜT, "Parent and child") on Köya
Jizö

"Hat wearing")
cn Hieizan, Jizö with a little

boy

in

Tairitsu (WLaE,

ran,

arms

his

(Ko-sodate^)or"Child rearing" Jizö, and the priest

having his hands joined and carrying

As to the name of Emmyö^"Lengthener of Life",
given to the figure whose right kneea pearl.
(^^1t)isJizö,

bent, while the left leg is stretched

down, ^pSjn, this is a mistake due tothespurious sütra, entitled Bussetsu

Einmyö Jizö Bosatsu kyö, i^WÖ^^^^S,^^W--^,
Fig- 34-

J'zö

of Ködai-in, Daigo-ji

inYamashiro.

A priest with two haloes, seated upon lotus andcarrying khakkhara and precious pearl which emits
a thin cloud of smoke. Picture from the Kamakura
period (11921332). Knkküüa Nr. 197, PI. II, p. 457.

—

priestofwrittentheby a Japanese
There

Tokugawa era.

he is Said to have risen out of theground in this attitude. We saw
above* that the priests of the Toku-

Cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. III, §1 (Koyasu Jizö).
This is the epithet of Fiigen Bosatsit, i. e. Samantabhadra.
3 To be treatel below in Ch. VI (Tokugawa period).
* Sect. III, Ch. II,§ 5 (the Six Jizö's).
1-

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

153

gawa period represented the Six Jizö's with various attributes, e. g. a Nyo-i or scepter
which grants all desires, a rosary, an incense burner etc., or joining his palms, whichreminds us of the passage of the Genkö Shakusho, mentioned above^. As to the gravemonuments of the Tokugawa period, there he mostly carries a khakkhara anda cintämani, but sometimes he joins his palms or holds a rosary or cymbals,
whereas archaic ones show him in his antique form, with the lotus flower in his
left hand and making the abhayamudrä with his right hand.
B. Pictures.

A very beautiful picture of Jizö Bosatsu is preserved in Ködai-in, ^i m.
temple within the precincts of the Daigo-ji, SSS^^, at Daigo in Yamashiro province.

maker is unknown, but it probably dates from the Kamakura period. Jizö is represented as a priest, sitting upon a lotus, with a round halo behind his head and a
big round halo behind his whole body, while his hands carry the precious pearl andthe khakkhara. His left foot is resting upon one of the two small lotus flowers in
Itsfront of his lotus seat.

A thin cloud rises from the sacred gern and clouds Sur-

Another beautiful
picture of Jizö, standing upon two lotus flowers, in the shape of a priest with khakkhara and pearl, and with a round halo behind his head, belongs to the collectionsof the Tokyo Imperial Museum. The beings of the six gati, saved by his divine assistance, appear between the rays of the halo in the vapoury cloud which issues fromthe precious pearl in his left hand. The painter of this glorious picture is unknown,round the footbut its styleisof his magnificent throne(our picture 34) ^.

evidence of its belonging to the earlier part of the

Kamakura era.

reproduced in the Kokkwa^ (our picture 35), where we read that, although
the Fujiwara period has produced excellent specimens of Buddhist pictures, JizöIt

iswas seldom represented in that time except in Company with other Buddhas andBodhisattvas (as at Buddha's Nirväna, and in Amitäbha's retinue, when the latter,accompanied by his retinue of 25 Bodhisattvas, welcomes a deceased member ofthe highest of the nine classes of devotees, Coming to Sukhavati, the Pure Land of
the West)*. The Kamakura period, however, began to make individual pictures of
Jizö alone, and among those of the beginning of this period the two mentioned
above are the finest specimens.
On a kakemono, owned by the Reiunji, fift^, a Shingon temple at Tokyo,
an interesting mandala is represented, where Jizö is sitting in the central (i. e. theprincipal) row, at the side of Mahävairocana of the Garbha sphere. In the same row
Mahävairocana of the Vajra sphere, Bheshajya-räja (Yakushi Nyorai) and MaiCh. IV, § 6.

1

Sect. III,2

Kokkwa, Nr. 197 (Oct. 1906), p. 456 sq.

3

Nr. 217 (June 1908), Plate III, p. 333,*

Cf.

above, Sect. III, Ch. III, § 3.

cf. p.

335.

^^i—\^\^fwt-f L_y\i \j\j\jt 11^

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

IS2

with round haloes behind his

L!S,back and whole body, has therivLis pearl in his left hand, whereas

id,

one evidently carried therightik^-hara whichShows,

style
A'//,,,/.

V. a rabelongs to the Fuji-

theGempei period.
the khakkhara-;i-smade also in Köbö Daishi's
there are other ones withitand the abhayafrom a later age;pearl

are a great number of others.

nientions;;1n-ilsit

i

'

":

r

iiis

of K5do'-in, Dc'rc-ii in Ya;cn?i!iio.
w-'h Ivvo hn^j' ?, s'-i^d i-. on ;iUia^ulrarryinsj; kuakkhära and prcrciL'.i-. p -,rl w'. '''.} •"mir;a lliiii clouJ of Si^ioki". Pi-'ui'j fi-O'. i!;-' K^!,iku:;i>Jizö with

arms

nt.

.V

...

a

littlef Ko-sodatc'^)"Lengthener

the figure

H

or

of

Life",

whose right knee

while the left leg is stretchedi-:>7JII,'-p'.iious
..

,

Ji^ö

Jizö

on Köya"Hat wearing")

"

this

is

sütra,

a mistake due toentitledIliissefsii

riosatsu kyü,f^sSjÜ^iiÖ,
writtenbya Japanese."Wof the Tokugawa era.
l.ii. :-:
Therehis said to haverisen out of the^round in this attitude. We saw;

r/i"i!--".i

Ova-kohands joined and carrying
As to the name oi limmyö-

jizö.

^')

..

i'

g.

aring" Jizö, and the priest'\:v.i'.

'

ins

i-\

;.'

(

(m't-..

Hieizan,

j

t'i

e.

'Parent and child")

'/.-.

{

Fie. 34.

belong to the types de-des these principal Jizö figu-

:.

.

A

images made in theseabove.

:^

J.:.

.

of the;;eriods

r.

Jizö

were

,;ad

:ious

1

the

to

it

with

Yet

lost.

accordingA'hich date

;

now

that

',1'

s

is

:'

,//;(l.

i':'',;

peiioä(ll92'--1332).

,

I'.r.

i-;7, Pi. ;i, p. .157-

Cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. III,
This is the epithet of /'•/l...

<iabove ^ that the priests of the Toku-(Koya.-,u Jizö).

i.
e. Samantabhadra.
^ Sect. III, Ch. II,
To betreatelbelow in Ch. VI (Tokugawa period).
§ 5 (the Six Jizö's).

/.';i/-::,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

153

gawa period represented the Six Jizö's with various attributes, e. g. a Xyo-i or scepter
which grants all desires, a rosary, an incense burner etc., or joining his palms, whichreminds us of the passage of the Gciikö ShakitsJio, mentioned above^ As to the gravemonuments of the Tokugawa period, there he mostly
a cintämani,butsometimes he joins

hiscarries a khakkhara andpalms or holds a rosary or cymbals,

whereas archaic ones show him in his antique form, with the lotus flower
left hand and making the abhayamudrä with his right hand.
B.

in hisPidurcs.

A very beautiful picture of Jizö Bosatsu is preserved in Ködai-in, it'^S'r^, atemple within the precincts of the Daigit-ji, WtU^Y'-'f, at Daigo in Yamashiro province.

maker is unknown, but it probably dates from the Kamakura period. Jizö is represented as a priest, sitting upon a lotus, with a round halo behind his head and a
big round halo behind his whole body, while his hands carry the precious pearl andthe khakkhara. His left foot is resting upon one of the two small lotus flowers in
Itsfront of his lotus seat.

A thin cloud rises from the sacred gern and clouds Sur-round themagnificent throne

Ahother beautiful
picture of Jizö, Standing upon two lotus flowers, in the shape of a priest with khakkhara and pearl, and with a round halo behind his head, belongs to the collectionsof the Tokyo Imperial Museum. The beings of the six gati, saved by his divine assistance, appear betv/een the rays of the halo in the vapcury cloud which issues fromthe precious pearl in his left hand. The painter of this glorious picture is unknown,
but
It

its

foot

style

of

his

evidence ofisreproduced in the

is

its

(our picture 34) -.

belonging to the earlier part of the(our picture 35),

Ac/i/ckv;''

where we read

Kamakura era.
that,

although

the Fujiwara period has produced excellent specimens of Buddhist pictures, Jizö

Company with other Buddhas andBodhisattvas (as at Buddha's Nirväna, and in Amitäbha's retinue, when the latter,accompanied by his retinue of 25 Bodhisattvas, welcomes a deceased member ofthe highest of the nine classes of devotees, coming to Sukhavati, the Pure Land of
The Kamakura period, however, began to make individual pictures ofthe West)
was seldom represented

in that time except in'.

Jizö alone, andabove are theamong those of the beginning of this period the two mentioned

finest specimens.

On a kakemono, owned by the Rciiinji,':;:;;i'i;--J',a Shingon temple at Tokyo,

an interesting mandala is represented, where Jizö is sitting in the central (i. e. theprincipal) row, at the side of Mahävairocana of the Garbha sphere. In the same row
Mahävairocana of the Vajra sphere, Bheshajya-räja (Yakushi Nyorai) and MaiCh. IV,

1

Sect. III,-

Kokkii.Hu Nr. 197 (Oct. 1906), p. 456 sq.
Nr. 217 (June 1908), Plate III, p. 333, cf.

s
J

Cf.

i!

6.

above, Sect. III. Ch. III, S 3-

p.

335.

154

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

Fig. 36.

waves.

the

155

Jizö as a priest with khakkhara and pearl, standing on a cloud, saves a child from the{Jizö engi) by KOSE ARIYASU (first half of the I4th Century).
Kokkwa Nr. 25, PI. IV, upper scene.

From a makimono

I3th Century; explaining text written by

JICHIN HÖSHÖ, ^^^P1p^)

;

KOSE

E#^0 (end of the ißth and beginning of the I4th Century, one
Kose school; explaining text by YOSHIDA KENKÖ, ^H^$f the author of the Tsurezure-gusa (who lived 1282 — 1350) KOSE ARIYASU,
half of the I4th Century); KOSE ARIIE, ^^ (same time; ex'^J^
MITSUYASU,

of the leaders of the,;(firstplaining

text

by

KYÖ-UN HÖSHI,kW^U);(same time; explaining text by SESONJITOSA TAKAKANE,

DONO, iör^^M^,

YUKIFUSA, MM^fB, who was killed in battle in 1330)

;

i.

e.

±f4H^

FUJIWARA NOIMAGAWA NORIMASA,(who in 1396 conquered Uesugi Ujinori and died in 1416; called FukuShögun, "Vice-Shögun" explaining text by the painter himself) TOSA MITSUNOBU,'T^J'IIßii^C;;^im (who became

chief ofthe

— 1543;

edokoro,the bureau of drawing

and painting,makimono is entitled Jizö-zöshi, MMMM)'
Further there are seven or eight other makimono's with texts, all made by unknown
in

1496,

and

lived

1445

this

and dealing with this Bodhisattva. Two scenes from that
Kose Ariyasu are reproduced in the Kokkwa'^ (cf. our picture 36), where Jizö
saves a child from the waves. Another number of the same periodical- gives two
scenes from the two scrolls, attributed to TOSA TAKAKANE and preserved in the
famous Yata temple, mentioned above*. Mammei, one of the abbots of this shrine,is seen going to Hades, where Jizö is saving the sinners. There we read the following:"The style of arboreal drawing, the heavy colouring, as well as the genteel touch.
painters and writersof

Nr. 25, PI. IV, p. 20.
Nr. 180, PI. VI and VII, pp. 237 sq.
of Jizö of Yata-dera.
123

Sect. III, Ch. III,

Those of Ariyasu and Ariie also treat the history

§ 2.

II»

'% I

^^

^ ^7^

1

1

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

154

represented, which shows that Jizö

treya arewas considered to belong to the highest deities
of

the

He

Shingon pantheon.

diamond pose

sittingisupon the(cross-legged)inlotus,

with a round glory behind his head and a larger

one behind his back. As to his attributes, thesecintämaui

are thethe left hand) and the(in

Akä^agarbha,
his counterpart among the Eight Great Bodhikhakkluira

especiallysattvas,school,the right hand).

(in

is

worshipped

seated behind

him

(i.

by

the

Yoga

above him,e.

in the second row), holding a lotus with a gem

on it. This picture, attributed to KOSE KANAOKA (towards the end of the gth Century), is
assigned by TAJIMA to an artist of the early

Kamakurapart of theperiod (the end of thei2th or the beginning of the I3th Century)^Intime even the Shöguns

the Ashikaga

themselves,

TAKAUJI

especially

Shögun, who lived 1305

(the

first

— 1358) painted Jizö'sthem up to him in his sancwe shall see below'-.

offer

effigies totuaries, asfrom theseAparthowever,

lia/iCiiioiio's ,many scrolls (uiakiinono's) were painted by thegreat artists of the Kamakura and Ashikaga
periods,

which contained Jizö's ois^i, I^)l5. i. e.

his history, the miracles by which he showed his

power in assisting and saving his worand his favourable responses to theirprayers^. All these traditions were based upon andin accordance with the main sütra devoted to him,
the sütra on his Original Vow, treated above''.
The principal makimono's of this kind,
enumerated in the Kokkica
are painted by
divineshippers'',

J'^ö with pearl and khakkhara.
of the six'/i.
all to besaved by him, appear between the raysof his halo. Picture from de Kamakura
period. Imperial Museum, Tokyo, /v- AA
Nr. 217, Plate III, p. 333.
P'g- 35-

The beings

l'

/.

/

•',

followingthefl-i'flÄl'S
1(i.

TAJIMA,
Ch. VLmasterse.

:

SUMIYOSHI KEION,HÖGEN, iJ;-IlIi')

Sclcct Rclics,

Vol.V,(firstPI.

half of

XL

fSti, kanuö.
• Sect. I, Ch. I,
Nr. 25, p. 20.
g 2.
the second honorary title of Buddhist priests; Iln-in, i£Ep, "Seal of-= y;"|ä,n-ikcu.
•"'"Eye of the Law",
the Law", is the highest title.

-1

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
Wi-

155

^^;^***"'^*ä^,--''^

.

:^;

..f

bat-'»/,-i t

X

Fig. 36.

waves.

1

Jizö as a priest with

From

a

makimonoIkhakkhara andJ i-.ö

,i!l:!)

K.^kki.ii

theI3th Century;byStanding on a cloud, saves a child from the(first half of the
14 th Century).
IV, upper scene.

pearl,KOSE ARIYASU

Nr. 25, PI.

explaining text written by

MITSUYASU, \\^^itWi (end of the

JICHIN HOSHÜ, ?S|irL^llt''J)

;

KOSE

ißth and beginning of the I4th Century, one

YOSHIDA KENKO, "/fffl
the author of the Tsiircziirc-gitsa (who Uved 1282- 1350); KOSE ARIYASU,(firsthalf of the I4th Century); KOSE ARIIE, Ü'^i (same time; exfj"^
plaining text by KYÜ-UN HÖSHI,TOSA TAKAKANE, V.VrS'ä'M(same time; explaining text by SESONJI DONO, liti:? Iß,e. FUJIWARA NO
ofthe leaders of the Kose school;

explaining text by.'ll-j'iKJX^filli);.'f

YUKIFUSA, iUU^ifB, who was

killed in battle in 1330);i.

IMAGAWA NORIMASA,(who in 1396 conquered Uesugi Ujinori and died in 1416; called FukuShögun, "Vice-Shögun" explaining text by the painter himself) TOSA MITSUNOBU,
itiii (who became chief of the edokoro, the bureau of drawing and painting,in 1496, and lived 1445
1543; this makimono is entitled J i:ö-~f'slii, ilil!j!^''£|K).
Further there are seven or eight other makimono's with texts, all made by unknown
painters and writers and dealing with this Bodhisattva. Two scenes from thatof Kose Ariyasu are reproduced in the Kokk^^a'^ (cf. our picture 36), where Jizö
saves a child from the waves. Another number of the same periodical- gives two
scenes from the two scrolls, attributed to TOSA TAKAKANE and preserved in the
famous Yiiid temple, mentioned above''. Mammei, one of the abbots of this shrine,
is Seen going to Hades, where Jizö is saving the siuners. There we read the following:"The style of arboreal drawing, the heavy colouring, as well as the genteel touch,
M*j'l'i^ill?<^;Nr. 25, PI. IV, p. 20.
Nr. 180, PI. VI and VII, pp. 237 sq.
of Jizö of Yata-dera.

;

1

-

"

Sect. III, Ch. III,)?

2.

Those of Ariyasu and Ariie also treat the history

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

156

remind one of the art of Takakane, but after all one falls to find here the latter's
force. It is impossible to ascertain the real author, but no one will hesitate to attribute these pictures to a master artist of the Kasuga school, who must have lived
at about the close of the

Kamakura era".

CHAPTER V.

THE ASHIKAGA PERIOD (1334—1573) AND THE SUCCEEDING TIME
TILL 1603.
§ I.

Ashikaga Takauji.

The Ashikaga period was a glorious time for Jizö's cult. TAKAUJI, JS^'J^Ä^(13051358), the first of the Ashikaga Shöguns, had the strengest belief in this—Bodhisattva of all the great men in Japanese history.

We saw above^, that Takauji in 1335 repeatedly despatched messengers to
the Ki no moto temple to pray there for the peace of the empire, and that in 1338

he repaired the buildings of this sanctuary and presented

itwith rice-fields pro-ducing 800 koku. Also his successors worshipped the Jizö of Ki no moto with great
devotion.

According to the tradition of the Jizö shrine in Yatsu ($^) village, Sagami
province, called Ankokuji, 5cS^, or "Temple which gives peace to the realm",
Takauji erected temples of this name in all provinces, in order to have prayers offered
up there (to Jizö) for the safety of the nation. He promoted the Jizö sanctuary of

Yatsu which existed already under the name of Zenyö-in, ^^|^, and gave it the

new name of Ankokuji^.
The Jizö of Hökaiji, X^^, in Komachi (/hIHI) village, Sagami province, wasmamori honzon or tutelary Image of Takauji. There was also a Jizö picture,
painted by this Shögun himself, among the treasures of this shrine*. An immense
number of Jizö Images (the author says six hundred thousand, to give an idea of
their enormous number), all carved by his order, were preserved in this very sancthe

tuary*.

The temple of Egara Tenjin, ^Jtffi^iftl', at Kamakura possessed a picture representing Jizö, which was drawn by Takauji and on which he had written the following eulogy "Jizö-Son revealed to me in a dream, that I was to draw his effigy. Therefore I made this picture. As he ever5rwhere blesses and saves (the beings of) this:1

Who was Shögun from 1338 to 1358.

^

Sect. III, Ch. I,§ 3.

Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö (1841), Ch. XXV, Ashigara-shimo göri, Sect. IV, p. 34.
* Shimpen Kamakura shi (1684), Ch. VII, p.
S; Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö, Ch. LXXXVIII,
3

Kamakura göri, Sect. XX, p. 10.
^

Heki-san nichiroku, ^tÜFlII, quoted in the Koji ruien,"Ä'"^*,!^,

Sfi^Cnß—,p. 156.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

157

World of sand (the present world), his virtuous actions
are inexhaustible."^(litt,

his "roots of good"^)

A similar picture with the Shögun's autographic praise of cur

Bodhisattva was found in Seikenji, fplM^, a temple in Suruga province^, as wellwhere the same words, written in

as in the Jizö-in at Tatsuta in Owari province,

A. D. 1354, expressed Takauji's firm belief in Jizö.*§ 2.

How the gentry of this time worshipped Jizö.
A. Fourteenth Century.

The Tsurezure-gusa^ relates that the Naidaijin KUGA MICHIMOTO, ^^^M,
carefully washed a wooden Jizö image in the water between the rice fields of Kuga
nawate, !K^%m, at Kyoto. As to the Taiheiki (about 1382), this interesting work,from which we quoted several passages, mentions among the Spots of divine manifestation (reiken) (where the deities often showed their supernatural power) the
Jizö chapel of Rokuhara, a>^^, near Kyoto. The Masu kagami^, ^M., mentions
the Jizö of Kudoku-in, ^^P5ü, near Saionji, MIS^, a magnificent temple on
Kitayama,

in theneighbourhood of thecapital.

We saw above', that the Zen priest SÖKYO, who lived from A. D. 1290 to1374, was considered to be a reincarnation of Jizö, and that the was held in high esteem

by the Emperor Godaigo, the Shögun Ashikaga Yoshiakira, and by Hosokawa Yoriyuki, the latter's shitsuji, ^^, or chief official, who erected a Zen temple devoted
to Jizö's cultIn 1317in order toand appointed Sökyo abbot of this shrine.

MAKI TOMOTADA erected the Jizö-in at Tatsuta in Owari province

pray there for the happiness of his deceased wife's souP. Ya-hiroi Jizö

Kamakura, who "picked up arrows" on the battlefield on behalf
Takauji's brother (13071352), was Tadayoshi's
private tutelary image (mamori honzon)®. Hi-taki Jizö, also called Black Jizö, ofthe Nikai-dö or Two-storied Jizö chapel in the Compound of Kakuonji at Kamakura, who burned himself by saving the sinners in hell after having assumed theshape of a demon of the Netherworld, was worshipped by the Shitsuji of Kwantö,
who in A. D. 1385 requested Bishop Rai-in to open this idol's eyes and to dedicate
in Jököniyöji atofit

ASHIKAGA TADAYOSHI,—

for the second time ^°.

In 1376 the Buddhist priest GIDÖ,

H*^, i. e. SHÜSHIN, )S]jf ", at the request

2 Shimpen Kamakurashi, Ch. II, p. 15.
^ Ibidem.
#1fi, zenkon.
Owari meisho zue, zempen (1841), Ch. IV, p. 27.
5 ^^^, composed from 1334 to 1339 by YOSHIDA KENKÖ (KENKÖ HÖSHI) (1283 bis
1

4

~"

Kokubun taikwan, Nikki söshi bu, p. 79.
' Sect. III, Ch. III,
1340 1350, Kokubun taikwan, rekishi bu, I, p. 45.
§ 3.
" Above, Ch. III, § 2.
» Above, Ch. II, § 6.
8 Above, Ch. III,§ 3.
" Who lived 1325 1388; he was the author of the Nikköshü, XÄ, in which book thesedetails were found by Kawai Tsunehisa, the author of the Shimpen Kamakura shi.
1350)

6

;

—

—

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

158
of UESUGI YOSHINORI,

Jh^HbS, the Shitsuji of Kwantö, residing in Kamakura,

performed the ceremony, of erecting the central pillar of the main hall of Höonji,?iiS^, a new Jizö temple at Kamakura, built by Yoshinori, who personally took
part in the ceremony.

Three hundred years later, the time of the author of the

Kamakura shi (1684), the Jizö image of this temple, which then stoodin the Hokkedö, •]^0'^, the jibutsudö, ^#^, er "Private Buddha chapel" ofYORIShinipen

TOMO, was repaired, and in its interior a written document was found statingthat "TAKUMA kamon Högen JÖKWÖ, '^f^WWüMW^, made this image anderected it on behalf of (i. e. at the request of) Uesugi Yoshinori" ^.

This JÖKWÖ wasa well-known painter of the Takuma school, who was apparently also a sculptor.

B. Fifteenth Century.

When treating the Six Jizö's we mentioned the new temple dedicated to ourBodhisattva in A. D. 1495 by the Shögun ASHIKAGA YOSHIZUMI at Roku Jizö
village,near the capitaF.

In A. D. 1456

Kamakura.

ASHIKAGA NARIUJI visited the Black Jizö of Shingon-in at

This took place on the 24th day of thefirstmonth.

The fact that

NARIUJI came there in the beginning of the year was a sign of his strong belief in Jizö.
Yet the Hachiman shrine at Tsuru-ga-oka was deemed the höhest sanctuary by thisson of MOCHIUJI, the fourth Kwanryö of Kamakura, for there he went to pray
before visiting any other temple in the new year. As to the Black Jizö, this was thesame image which we mentioned above' as having a chapel in the Compound of
Kakuonji*.
Further, the ancient Jizö shrine at Suzuka no Seki in Ise province, attributed—

Dengyö Daishi, was, as we saw above^, rebuilt in the Bummei era (1469 1486)
after having burnt down in A. D. 1260, and the ceremony of opening the eyes of
the image was performed by the famous Rinzai priest IKKYU OSHÖ.
Finally, two Roku Jizö-tö or "Six Jizö-stüpas" (pagodas) were erected in A. D.
1432 and 1444 in Higo province, as we learned from the Higo kokushi^. In Minami
seki, ftlBl, a village inTamana, a district of the same province, there was at the timeof the author of the same work (A. D. 1772) a so-called Iwa-Jizö, ^Ü&l^, or "RockJizö", which according to an inscription upon one of its sides had been erected in
A. D. 1471. This image, probably carved in a rock, was said to be always wet attohigh tide on the i5th day of the first month. This is the day of the Chinese lantern
festival,
1*

when spring is welcomed, the very day on which the fishermen of Amoy

2 Above, Ch. II,
3 ch. V, § 2.
Shimpen Kamakura shi, Ch. II, p. 6.
§ 5.
Kamakura nenjü gyöji, Ü^^tf ^t#, also called Nariuji no nenjü gyöji, ÖSit^^'fi^^,because it contains Nariuji's actions during a whole year; written in A. D. 1456 by EBINASUETAKA,a vassal of Nariuji; p. 24, 24th day of the first month.
6 Ch. II, § 3.
« Above, Ch. III,§ 5.

^^^^^,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG,

159

worshipped Ti-tsang on the sacred island of P'u-to-shan, as we learned above fromBOERSCHMANN'S diary^. This day of resurrection of natura seems to have become an
important day in the cult of the saviour of the dead. As to the days specially devoted
tohim, these are, as we saw above, the 24th of each month (especially, of course,month, when the gates of hell are open and the souls of the dead obtainand the 30th of the 7th month, Ti-tsang's birthday, in the evening of which
the dead return to hell and the gates are closed. In the Butsuzö zui^ Jizö is represented
as the patron deity of the 24th day of each month.
of the 7thfood),

C. Sixteenth Century.

The ancient Jizö sanctuary at Ki no moto was, as we stated above,^ daily visitedby ASAI SUKEMASA (1495— 1546), his son HISEMASA (1524— 1573) and his
grandson NAGAMASA (1545 1573), because this Jizö in A. D. 1516 had heard
Sukemasa's prayer and had given great power to him and his house. Also TOYO-—TOMI HIDEYOSHI was very grateful to this Jizö and in 1576 built a large temple
for him, because his divine protection had caused Hideyoshi's recovery from a severe
disease*.

Even on seven mirrors, made in A. D. 1531 and considered to be the sJiintai
or "god-bodies" of Sannö, one of the principal Shintö deities, Jizö was represented,
seated on the lotus and carrying his pearl and staff^.

As to Shögun Jizö, the patron deity of the warrior class, in the Tembun era(1532 1554) his image was placed at the main gate of the castle of lihitsu by thegeneral YAMAMURO TSUNETAKA, that he might protect the castle against theenemy*. TAKEDA SHINGEN, one of the great men of Kai province, who lived 1521
to 1573, used to pray to the Shögun Jizö of Hözö-in on Atago yama, who in 1584
heard the prayer of leyasu's vassals and caused leyasu to conquer Hideyoshi'. We
also saw how in 1539 TAKEDA SHINGEN erected and worshipped an image of
Shögun Jizö in his camp and after having beaten his enemies built a shrine for it^.
In 1567 the same great daimyö dedicated a Jizö chapel in the Compound of Hözenji,?i^^, a temple in Kagami village, Koma district, Kai province^. In 1563 ANA-—YAMA NOBUGIMI, iA^llifM©, presented one kwammon (one thousand momme incash) to the Shögun Jizö of Chösenji, :^;^^, a temple erected in 1522 in Shimo-yama village, in the same district^".
The tutelary deity of the Kishiwada castle in Izumi province was a big Jizö
image which according to the tradition had been carried ashore by an octopus(tako) in the Kemmu era (A.D. 1334
1335). As the empire was in great disorder—

2 Ch. III, p. 4 b.
3 ch. I,
Sect. II, Ch. V, § 5.
§ 3.
« Above, Ch. II, § 6.
= Above, Ch. II, § 2.
Ibidem.
» Kaikokushi, Ch. LXXXV,
8 Ibidem.
»#3!, Nr. 13, p. 7.
i» Kaikokushi. Ch. LXXVII,##SB,Nr. 15, p. 8.
1*'

Ibidem.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i6o

at that time, nobody worshipped the idol, which was thrown into the moatof the—Kishiwada Castle. In the Tenshö era (1573 1591) warriors from Kii province came
to attack the Castle, but from the moat a tall bcnze rose and brandishing a sword
fought against them with such an impetuous force, that they fled in great fright.
Then the mysterious bcnze disappeared, but an octopus was often seen swimmingin the moat. The lord of the Castle, a great general, ordered his vassals to catch theanimal, and while they were seeking for it they found the Jizö image instead of theoctopus. The general, convinced that the tall priest had been this Jizö himself,
made it the principal idol of Tenshöji, ^ft^, in Kishiwada machi, ^^nfflEST (where
it still stood in 1700) and worshipped it carefully.
From that time it was called
Tako Jizö, i'^^M., or "Octopus Jizö^.
In the Eiroku era (1558
1569) TAKEDA SHINGEN placed an ancient Jizö—

image, attributed to GYOGI BOSATSU, in Tököji, also in Koma district, and after-wards

ASANO NAGAMASA,

Hideyoshi's brother-in-law,presented

fivebags ofunhulled rice to this shrine^.

As to Koyasu Jizö, we saw above^ that HÖJÖ UJIMASA in 1568 built a chapelof this deity in Odawara, Sagami province, and that he afterwards again sent offerings
to this sanctuary.

The warriors of this time also erected Jizö Images, on behalf of the dead. Thus
1549 the general SHIONOYA YOSHITSUNA tried to place his father's soulunder the Bodhisattva's protection, and another stone image of Jizö, the principal
inidol of Höjuji in lida village (Kai province)

was the grave post of IIDA TORAHARU,

who died in 1575. A third idol, also made of stone and representing Jizö, the leader
to Paradise, stood in another village of the same province and wore the inscription:"Grave of Ömura, Lord of Iga"
Tenshö era, 1573 1591)*.

—(a vassal of theTakeda family, who lived in the

CHOSOKABE MOTOCHIKA, iÄ'g'^^Xll (1539— 1599), the famous Tosa no
kami, Nobunaga's great general, who under Hideyoshi's reign took part in the ex-

was a devout believer in Jizö, as we learn from the ZenThemainorisanshi'".
honzon or tutelary god of IKEDA TERUMASA, MEHÄÜST
another celebrated general of Nobunaga, afterwards became the(1564 1613)
principal idol of Jizöji in Sumoto machi, Awaji province®.
Especially the gentry of Kai province had a great belief in Jizö's divine power,
and in none of its districts his shrines were so numerous as in Koma district, where
beyond those mentioned above Kenshöji, Mtt^, in Egusa village, as well as Chöseipedition against Korea,

—

1
2

,

Senshüshi (A. D. 1700), cf. above, Ch. II, § 6, Ch. IV, p. 16.
^ ch. III, § i.
« Above, Ch. III, § 3.
Above, Ch. I, § 5.

Gh. VIII, p. 40; as to this work cf. above, Ch. III, § 5.
Awaji meisho zue, 'M^^^M^, written by AKATSUKI
wrote the Unkin zuihitsu (cf. above, Ch. III, § 2).
5

8

KANENARI.

Who in 1861

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
in,

i6i

^&K., dated from this time. The former temple was built by EGUSA NOBUYASU,

xt^^M, who lived in the Tenshö era (1573 — 1591), the latter by the general
KANAMARU TORAYOSHI, ^%%^, in the Tembun era (1532— 1554)'.
Thus we see the enormous influenae of the cult of our gentle Bodhisattva upon
the mighty warriors of this time.

CHAPTER VI.

THE TOKUGAWA PERIOD AND THE MEIJI ERA (A. D. 1603— 1912).
§ I.

Possession and funishment.

In the former periods the Jizö cult was practised mainly by the higher classes(especially by the warriors)and by the priests. The seventeenth Century, however,saw it spread among the lower people. This was the time when our Bodhisattva
became, next to Amida and Kwannon, the most populär deity of daily life, as weknow him at the present day. In accordance with this fact a large number of tales
became current about his divine power, not only in assisting and protecting his worshippers, but also in possessing and severely punishing those who had def iled or derided
his Images.

sattva,On having come into the hands of the lower classes, the gentle Bodhi-

whom the gentry had made their tutelary god even on the battlefield, becamea god of wrath to sacrilegious people and lascivious priests.

The Kwösekishü^ (A. D. 1692) gives several tales about ancient stone Imagesof Jizö, which severely punished those who had def iled them, even if they had unintentionally committed this sacrilege. A woman in Tamatsukuri at Osaka, who
after having washed her futano, a cloth worn by women around the loins, had hungit out to dry upon an old Jizö Image, that very night got mad and ran about quite
naked. This was the curse of the Bodhisattva, who possessed her and loudly criedthrough her mouth: "Why did you defile me by hanging your dirty cloth upon me?
This is a very wicked deed, which shall be punished severely unless you quickly wash
and clean me." Her neighbours, who heard these words, advised her mother towash the Image with clear water and worship it with offerings of incense and flowers,
praying that it might forgive the great sin committed by'her daughter. When she
did so, the patient actually recovered. This was also the case with a little boy, whoby mistake had defiled the same image and was punished by getting severely ill^.
A man who climbed upon the Shoulders of a Jizö on Higashi-yama at Kyoto,
to repair the roof of the shed in which the image was placed, feit his whole bodyswell up that very night and died within three days. Heavy sexual diseases were the123

Kaikokushi,' Ch. LXXXIII, Nr. 11, p. 10, and Ch. LXXXV, Nr. 13, p. i.
About this work cf. Sect. III, Ch. I, § 5.

Kwösekishü. Ch. I,

p. 42.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

l62

consequences of defiling an old stone Jizö in the Kaji street at Osaka or even ofhitting it with a pebble^.

A peasant in Yamahata village, Takayasu district, Kawachi province, in A. D.
1684 with his spade broke a stone Jizö, standing near his rice field.

The head of

the idol was cut off and feil down on the field, but the peasant immediately got aswelling on his head. For a year he suffered heavily, and at last he died with a broken

neck, just on the anniversary of his sacrilege. His son, who was afraid that his father

would be punished in hell, begged the priest of a neighbouring temple to say masses
for his soul^.

Wiping the face of the Jizö of Jürin-in, +1^1%, in Sakai (Izumi province)with a coarse towel was punished by disease (painfully swollen feet) and recovery
was not obtained by the culprits before the abbot of the temple had made a goma
offering^ and had apologized on their behalf*. As to the Jizö of the Amida shrine
in Nagano village, Kawachi province, if the doors of the butsudan, in which his image
stood, were left open at night, the Bodhisattva's anger was evident by the fact thatthe pilgrims who slept near the butsudan underwent makura-gaeshi ("pillow-changing"), i. e. they were turned from east to west during their sleep^
A man who had hit with a bullet the stone Jizö standing at the roadside near
Daifuku village, ';)^MMy in Yamato province, fainted at the same moment and became a cripple for his whole life®. Another Jizö, at Kyoto, who in a dream had invain ordered a lascivious priest to leave his temple, in a second dream pushed his
staff into the man's right eye, which he lost after having suffered much pain'.
Disease and death were the consequences of the crime of a scoundrel who tried toviolate a woman, praying in a Jizö temple atlogawa, 5Bl^M, in Öshü. The Bodhisattva
himself, in the shape of a priest with a khakkhara in his band, came to the rescue
and angrily ordered the fellow to go away. Then the latter drew his sword, cut down
the divine priest and fled. The next day the villagers found the Jizö image lying
in the garden, with a sword-cut on its body. Now the culprit, who was among the
big crowd which rapidly gathered before the gate, understood the heinousness of
his crime, but his repentance came too late, for he soon feil ill and died. The othervillagers were all convinced that Jizö had punished him^.

Emmyö Jizö, the "Lengthener of Life".
A. The sütra on Emmyö Jizö.
The Bussetsu Emmyö Jizö Bosatsu kyö, i^MM'^i'&M^MW-, or "Sütra spoken§ 2.

by Buddha on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha, the Lengthener of Life"
L. c, Ch.

is

the

werk

2 L. c, Ch. II, p. 2.
3 cf. above, Sect. II, Ch. II, § i.
I, p. 43.
^ ibidem, cf. above, Sect. III, Ch. I,
Kwösekishü, Ch. II, p. 3.
§ 5.
' L. c, Ch. I, p. 20.
Jizö Bosatsu riyaku shü (1691), Ch. II, p. 28.
8 Jizö Bosatsu reiken ki (1684), Ch. V, p. 7.

1

*
•5

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

163

of a Japanese priest of the Tokugawa period, althoughtion from the Sanscrit by the famousit

pretends to be a transla-

AMOGHAVAJRA (A. D. 704—774), mentioned

above^ as the translator of the "Sütra on the mandala of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas" and the propagator of the Tantric doctrine in China. I possess an edition

from 1679, entitled Emmyö Jizö kyö shö, IS'^Sfel^^^, er"Copy of the Emmyö Jizö kyö", with a preface and an extensive commentary of
the Japanese 9ramana RYÖTA^, written in Empö 6 (1678). This priest statesin the preface, that the place of assembly mentioned in this sütra is the same asthat of the "Sütra on the Ten Wheels", namely Mount Khalatika (Kha-la-ti-ya) ^.
of this book, dating

We may add that also in the "Rules on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha" the Buddha
Law on this mountain*.
The author of the Emmyö Jizö kyö evidently borrowed all the ideas, laid downin this sütra, from the sütras and other works, mentioned above; here and there,is

Said to have explained the

however, he added something of his own invention.

RYÖTA f urther remarks that, although there are no dhäratii explained in this work,
yet its mystic nature is evident from this sentence: "Emmyö Bosatsu is the original
shape of the central Fudö, (explained by) the character

PST^.

as meaning Fudö Myö-ö, the well-known deity, and the character

Fudö is explainedpST

as the sound a,the "mother of the tantras", i. e. the mother of all other mystic sounds.

This soundseems to explain which kind of original shape is meant. The Tantric school applied
the signs of the lanca writing, used in Tibetan Buddhist works, to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, giving them a mystic meaning, as we remarked above with regard to Kshitiis the transcription of the first of these fifty mystic sounds, which we
garbha*.
find mentioned and explained in MIURA KENSUKE'S Bukkyö iroha jiten''.
The
expression "central" psrhaps indicates Fudö Myö-ö's position in a maridala, as wesee him standing in the centre of the left group of the great mandala of Töji inthe Musee Guimet ^. It is evident, at any rate, that the author in composing thisM

sütra also used mystic works.

RYÖTA states that this sütra is mentioned neither in the Jögenroku, M'Jt^,or "Records of the Jögen era (1636or "Secret records of the eight— 1637)" norf amilies".

in the Hakke hiroku, A^ipl!«M,
This fact seems to indicate that it was

written after 1637, which agrees with the Statement of a modern Japanese authority(quoted by me in my treatise on theTengu*), who declared it to be the work of a Ja2 3^3:.
I, Ch. I, § 4.
above, Sect. I, Ch. I, §3.
* Cf. Sect II, Ch. II, § I.
5 This sentence is found in Ch. II, p. 22a: 1&'^MM'¥ •t-'^WlM'py^^
6 Cf. above, Sect. I, Ch. I,§ 5 and Sect. III, Ch. III, § 3.
^ Vol. III, p. 318, s. V. a, where this mystic sign is treated.
* Cf
DE MILLOUE, Petit Guide illustrS du Musee Guimet, 46 recension, p. 240.
8 Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vol. XXXVI, Part3, p. 87.
1

Sect.

3 Cf.

.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

164
panese author of the Tokugawa period.

HIRATA^ stated that it was written in Japan,

which is evident from the language.
The sütra is divided into two chapters, the first of which contains the Buddha's
praise of Jizö, while in the second the Bodhisattva himself appears and promises
to save the living beings of the present and the future worlds. One day, when the
Buddha in a great assembly of bhikshus, Bodhisattvas, Devas, Nägas, Yakshas
etc., who from the ten quarters had come to Mount Khalatika, had spoken on some
topic of the Mahäyäna doctrine, Qakra, called the "Stainless birth",M^^, asked him

how the living beings of the period of declining Dharma, after the Buddha's entering
Nirväna and after the relapse of the Saddharma and the Pratirüpaka periods, should
be saved. The Buddha answered: "There is a Bodhisattva called Emmyö Jizö Bosatsu, who every day at daybreak enters all the Samädhis^ and errs about on the
Six Roads (gati) relieving (the beings of these Roads) from their suf ferings and giving
them joy. If those being on the three (evil) roads (animals, pretas and inhabitants,of hell) see this Bodhisattva's body and hear his name, they are reborn among men

or devas, or in Sukhävati. And if those being on the three good roads (devas, asuras
and men), hear his name, they are reborn in a Buddha land after having received
their present retribution. How much more certain is their reaching their aim (tobe reborn in Sukhävati), if by remembering (his name) the eyes of their hearts are
opened! Further, this Bodhisattva has obtained (the power of bestowing) ten kindsof blessings, to wit: easy delivery of women, completeness (i. e. good condition)complete getting ridof the six roots (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and thought)of all diseases; a long life; sharp-wittedness and wisdom; fullness of treasures;
love and respect from the people; complete ripening of cereals and rice; protection;of the spirits; testification of the Great Bodhi.

Further, he takes

away the eightgreat frights, i. e. he causes wind and rain to blow and fall in time, other countries
one's own country not to get into reby his influence sun and moon are not eclipsed, the stars do not change,demons and spirits do not come, famine and thirst do not break out, and the people

not to rise (against that of his worshippers),

bellion;do notfall ill."

The Buddha continued: "If in future worlds there shall be living beings who
receive and keep this sütra and respectfully make offerings to this Bodhisattva,
there shall be no calamity within a hundred yojanas, and no unlucky omens ofevil dreams or evil faces (shall annoy them)demons and spirits, Kumbhändas etc.
Celestial dogs (Tengu) and Earth-lords,
shall never get a chance (to seize them)dh-S', the Spirit of the Great Year^ (the planet Jupiter), spirits of mountains and;;^Kokon yömikö, Ch. I.

About the different sets of Samädhi cf. KERN, Manual of Buddhism, p. 56.
^ ja^t^"^, the planet Jupiter, the revolution of which in twelve years constitutes a "greatyear" (cf. GILES, Dict, Nr. 10382).
-

,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

165••

and seas, of water and fire, spirits of dearth and famine, spiritsof graves, snake spirits, spirits of magic formulae and curses, spirits of manifest
power, spirits of the roads, of the furnace and the höuse, etc., all these spirits, when
Hearing this sütra or this Bodhisattva's name, shall spit out all their heterodox
feelings and shall spontaneously understand the original emptiness (the unreality ofall phenotnena) and soon testify of Bodhi."
At Qakra's question as to the way in which Emmyö Bosatsu moves about on
the six Roads and how he succeeds in saving the living beings, the Buddha enumerates
the numberless shapes which Jizö assumes (that of a Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha, qrävaka, Brahma, Qakra, Yama, Vaigravana, sun, moon, stars, acakravarti räja, a lower king, a monk or a nun, a merchant or a peasant, an elephant or a lion, an ox or a horse, the great Barth or the great Sea, etc. etc., in shortthe shapes of all the beings of the three worlds of desire, form and f ormlessness)his body being a Dharma body, independent and omnipresent. Thus he saves theof trees, of rivers

living beings of the Six Gati.

of total conversion,

If

the living beings of the future shall not be capable-^>ij», they only must with their whole hearts worship Emmyö

Bosatsu and make offerings to him, and then swords and sticks-and poison shallbe powerless against them, spells, curses and demons shall turn their power against
those who sent them off.

When Qakra asked, why this Bodhisattva is called Emmyö and what is his appearance, the Buddha answered: "The true, good Bodhisattva is called Nyo-i-rin\^n^tf§, or "Wheel which grants all desires", because his heart is bright and perfect.
He is called Kwanjizai, HäQ^^, or "Contemplating Independent One", because his

He is called Emmyö, IS"^, or "Lengthener
He is called Jizö, or "Receptacle of theEarth", because his heart is exempt from breaking, MtS^JJc. He is called

heart is free from obstacles or restraints.

of Life", because his heart is free from birth or death.

Daibosatsu or "Great Bodhisattva", because his heartislimitless,and Mahäsattva,

because his heart is formless.""Then the Great Earth shooksix

times,

and

Emmyö Bosatsu appeared outof the earth, with his right knee bent and with his (right)

hand supporting his ear.

His left knee was stretched down, while his (left) hand kept a khakkhara^.

He said

Buddha: "Every day at daybreak I enter the samädhis, and entering all thehells I relieve the inhabitants from their sufferings; and in the Buddhaless worlds
I shall save the living beings, so that the present and the future ages shall be well led toto the1

Cintäcakra,

cf.

ivM^^,

nyo-i liöju,

thecintämam or "precicus

pearl

which grants

all desires".

This title, as well as that of Nyo-i-rin, is the special title of Avalokite<;vara.
This pose reminds us of the "Enchanter's pose" {Laiita), mentioned by WADDELL,
Lamaism, p. 336, who says the following: "After the manner of "The Enchanter" Manjugri.
Here the right leg hangs down with an inclination slightly inwards and the left is loosely bent."
In cur text, however, the right knee is said to be bent and the left stretched down.
2

ä

"•I

;

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i66

salvation.

If afterthe Buddha's extinguishing all men and women wish to obtain

my blessings, and if they do not ask about the unluckiness of the days or discuss
about impure matters, and if they obey and feed their parents and serve their teachersand eiders and if their words and appearances are constantly harmonious (peaceful)if they do not excite the people or kill them or commit debauchery; if they on theten fasting days^, or on the six fasting days^, or on the eighteenth and twenty fourthdays only read this Sütra with their whole hearts and call my name, I by meansof the majestic, divine power of the Dharma eye shall forthwith turn their karma
and cause them to obtain manifest fruit (of these virtuous deeds) and I shall relieve
them from the punishments of the Avici hell, and they shall obtain Bodhi'."Then foUows Jizö's great vow, not to reach Buddhaship before having saved
all the living beings. The Buddha praised him and intrusted to him the living beingsof the future wicked ages, which should suffer punishments. "Lead the present
and the future worlds", said he, "so well, that they do not for a moment fall uponan evil path, much less into the Avici hell." The Bodhisattva answered: "Buddha
venerated by the world, be without care; I shall save the living beings of the six
gati. If there are heavy sufferings to be undergone, I myself shall as a Substitute;,receive these sufferings (in the place of the sinners), otherwise I shall not take Perfect Enlightement.'*

Then the Buddha praised him again as the great friend and leader of the senand death, who should be their refuge in the unhappy periodof the declining Dharma, when war and plunder should prevail.

tient beings in birth

Thereupon all the worlds shook six times, and the Bodhisattvas MafijuQri, Samantabhadra, Vajragarbha, -^P^'J^, Äkägagarbha and Avalokiteqvara vowed not
to receive Buddhaship if they not should enlighten the hearts of those who in future
should hear this sütra or Emmyö Jizö's name, and if they (the Bodhisattvas) should
not appear before them (the believers) and entirely fulfill their wishes.
Brahma, Qakra and the four Deva kings rained heavenly flowers upon the Tathägata and vowed to protect those who, not disregarding the ideas of right and wrong
and not despising the rewards and punishments, should keep to this sütra and reflect upon this Bodhisattva. "We and our relatives", said they, "shall embrace andprotect them, and we shall not leave them day or night, and we shall cause theircountries to be exempt from all calamities within a hundred yojanas, and theirpeople to get peace and rest. Their cereals shall ripen, their wishes shall be fulfilled.
If not, we shall not be named Protectors of the world and we shall not return to theOriginal Intelligence.">

The first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty third, twenty fourth, twenty

eighth, twenty ninth and thirthieth days of each month.
^

month.

The eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, twenty third, twenty ninth and thirtieth days of eachTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

167"At that time two boys stood as attendants at Jizö's left and right sides. Oneof them, who stood on the left, and was called Shözen, ^M, the "Ruler of thegood", was white and held a white lotus flower in his hand; he tempers and rules
the Dharma nature. The other, named Shö-aku, ^Mi, or "Ruler of the evil", whostood on the right, was red and held a vajra staff in his hand; he takes away andsuppresses ignorance^. The Buddha instructed the big crowd as foUows: 'You ought
to know that these two boys are the two hands and the two feet of the Dharma natureand of the ignorance. i3tZimiFf#ÄÄ^,-^^#Ä;£äfe^Öa|3gi?ia?i'&,-ig

Emmyö Bosatsu is the original shape of the central Fudö, (explained by) the chaare living beings who know this nature (of Jizö), they certainly

racter pSf.

If thereshall bringabout their aim,

anger and

lust)

i.

e.

they shall extinguish the three poisons (avarice,and obtain independent power.

Ifthey wish to be reborn in a

Buddha land, they shall get this birth according to their wish.

If allthe living

beings of future ages revere and worship Emmyö Bosatsu, no doubt or error shallarise in their hearts, all the wishes of their life time shall be fulfilled,

and they

shall afterwards be reborn inSukhävati and obtain "forbearance of the birthless" (ex-plained by "knowledge of the True Reason"^).'
sütra

all

When the Buddha had finished thisthose assembled were very much rejoiced, and accepting his words withthem and put them into practice."
The description of Jizö's appearance and of that of his two attendants, Jizö's
Coming out of the earth and his declaring his willingness to suffer as a Substitutefor the sinners, and the explanation of the meaning of the two attendants are themost interesting points of this sütra. As these two boys are also represented on the
pictures of the "Doctrine of the wonderful Repentance (practised in worship of)
the Ten Merciful Kings", and of the Yuh lih, described above,* they were evidently
not invented in Japan. Apparently they are the good and the menacing genii of thisBodhisattva. As I remarked before*, Mr. PETRUCCI had the kindness of pointing
out to me the existence of such genii accompanying Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,
and it Struck me at once that this fact was in accordance with the words of thissütra. Further, Mr. PETRUCCI kindly gave me a photograph of a wooden Jizö
image in his possession, accompanied by the two attendants with the lotus and thefaith they respectfuUy received"lack of clear understanding", i. e. avidyä, ignorance, the first of the twelve Nidänas, "causes", links in the chain of cause cind effect. Being the error of deeming transientthings to be permanent, it is the root of all the other Nidänas. Cf KERN, Manual of Buddhism,.

p. 48.
^s*i£*..S, explained by the commentator as
Above, Sect. II, Ch. I, §§2 and 3.
Sect. I, Ch. II, § 3.

®lfES.

Fudö Myö-ö is often accompanied by two similar attendants, alsowith lotus and staff or club. This is e. g. the case with a bronze statue of this Vidyäräja in the
Leiden Ethnographical Museum.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i68

staff

(fig.

seen aremember

I

37).

have

to

shrine with alittlewoodenJizö image, at the inside of the doorsof which these attendants were painted

exactly in thesome way as they are
The Emmyö

described in this sütra.

kyö

Jizö

may haveintensified

thebelief in this Badhisattva,

which wasalready very strengthesehaving

after

for

in

centuries

days,

enjoyedspecial favour of the highest classesof Japan.

B.

Templesof

Emmyö Jizö.

We learned from a passage oftheShimpen Kamakura shi'^, quoted

above^, that there was an

Emmyöjior "Shrine of the Lengthener of Life"

Kome-chö at Kamakura, with
Hadaka Jizö, a naked, female image,as its principal idol.
The name ofin thethis shrine indicates that at that time

(A.

D.

1684)

the

Bodhisattva

wasworshipped there as the "Lengthenerof Life".

a priest with pearl and khakkhara,accompanied by his two young attendants, Shözeii
(benevolent. carrying a lotus) and Shö-aku (menacing,carrying a stick or club).
Wooden image in the
Fig- 37- Jizö as

possession of

Mr PETRUCCI, Brüssels.

The Edo meisho zue^ states that
the Emmyö Jizö of Shöshuji, fh^^,in Hiroo, MM^, had very much reihen,
i.

e. miraculous power.

A large numberof pilgrims continually flocked to his

shrine,and as they usedcalled him Hikagiri,

to fixa numberofdays for praying to him, the people

Pß, or "Day-limit" Jizö. This was at the end of the eighteenth

and in the beginning of the nineteenth Century.
According to the Shimotsuke kokushi* (written in 1850) the principal imageof the Emmyö Jizö-dö {'^.) in Utsunomiya, ^#^, Kawachi district, on the roadto Nikkö, was a Standing Jizö, about 9 shaku long, inside of which a small tutelaryidol, left by the priest SÖ-EN, ^IH (A. D. 1032
im), was preserved.

—

1

*

a Ch. III,
2 Sect. III, Ch. III,
Ch. VII, p. 16.
§ 4.
Ch. VII, p. 26; about this book cf. above, Ch. III, § i.

p. 27.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

169

Another chapel of the same name Stands on the left side of the Niö-gate of
Asakusadera in Tokyo. From the Anei era (1772 1780) down to the present day—

many pilgrims visit this chapel, the Image of which is called Ingwa /üö/@l^, byUnglazed earthen vessels (kawarake), filled with salt, are offered to him.
According to the Asakusa shi, ?^^i^, there were eleven prayer-wheels near thisthe people.

image;

ifthese wheels turned to the right, this was a sign that the prayers should

be fulfilled, but if they turned to the left, there was no hope of success^.

As to the name Ingwa Jizö, this was also given to an old image of the Bodhisattva, found somewhere in the mountains and erected before the tamagaki (picket
fence) of Inari jinja at Nishi-no-miya (Settsu province) Prayers made to this image
were sure to be heard^.
.

§ 3.

Seventeenth Century.

The Kwösekishü (A. D. 1692) which gave us söme tales about divine punishment of sacrilegious people, and about protection against lightning, fire and thieves,as well as about Jizö's bestowing easy birth upon women living near his sanctuary*,
also contains a legend concerning his protecting a little boy against his cruel step-

mother. She had forced the child to offer nigiri-meshi (i. e. musubi, rice made into
balls) to a stone Jizö near Höryüji at Nara, where she lived near by, and had ordered

him to put the rice into Jizö's hands, although she knew that he could not reachthem.

When the poor boy, whom she refused all food if he did not obey, supplicatedhand in which
he held his staff and accepted the offering. Then the boy went home and said that
Jizö had taken the offering, whereupon the woman, thinking that he had thrown
the rice into the gutter, became very angry and beat him severely. But the weeping
child begged her to go and look herseif. Then she went to the image and was astonthe image to take the rice, the merciful Bodhisattva stretched theished to see that Jizö held half of the rice in his hand, while grains sticking near

Deeply moved by thishis mouth were evidence of his having eaten the other half.

how Jizö had protected the child against her cruelty, andthenceforth treated the boy as if she were his own mother. This story, spreadingsight, sheunderstood

rapidly to the neighbouring villages, attracted crowds of pilgrims to this sacred image

whom they offered and prayed to obtain his mighty protection °.
Another passage of the same work* teils us how in A. D. 1648 a man in Ötsu(Izumi province), who intended to build a new house, dreamt that a high priest
appeared to him and said: "I live in the ground on which your house is to be built;
He actually found a stone Jizö, exactly similar
please dig me out beforehand".
of Jizö-Son, to1
2"Cause and effect".
Füzoku gwahö, Nr. 141 (May, 1897), P- 8.

8 Ryütei
Ch. I, p. 53.
*

Mkki,

B^^tl,

Above, Ch. III, §1.

written bysRYÜTEI TANEHIKO,

Kwösekishü, Ch.

II, p. 11.

«

B^M^ (1782— 1842);
Ch. II, p. i.
12

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i68

staff

(fig.

seen a37).

remember

I

have

to

wocdenshrine with alittleJizö image, at the inside of the doorsof which these attendants were painted

exactiy in thesome way as they are
The liiiniiyö

described in this sütra.

Jizö

may haveAvr"»

belief in this B^dhisattva,

very

already

strenghavingafterwhich was
these

in

days,

enjoyedcenturies

for

the

intensified

special favcur of the highest ciassesof Japan.

B.

7V;///>/t-.s

We
tlie

('/

liiinnvö

Ji:<'>.

from a passage

learned

Sliiinpcii K'-iiihikufii

slii\

of

quotedabove-, that there was an linunyöji
or "Shriiie of the Lengthener of Life"in theKome-chö at Kamakura, with

Ih'.dcikii

as

its

a naked, female image,

Ji'-i'i.

principal

idol.

Tlie

name

of

this shrine indicates that at that time

(A.

D.

1684)

the

Bndhisattva

waswcrshipped there as the "Len;5thenerof Life".

The lulii
F'g- 37- Jizö as a priest with pearl and khakkliara,
accompanied by his two young attendants, >//"i"'/,' (menacing,(benevolent carrying a lotus) andcarrying a stick er club).
Wooden image in the,>possession of

Mr PETRUCCI, Brüssels.

incislicziic'-''

states that

the Emmyö Jizö of Shöslmji, fö^-.'j',in Iliriid, ViV/t, had very much vcikcii,
i.

e. miraculous power.

A large number

continuaUy flocked to his
fix a number of days for praying to him, the peopleof pilgrims

shrine,and as they usedcalied him Ilikif^iri,andI! l'H:toor '"Day-hmit" Jizö. This was at the end of the eighteenth

beginning of the nineteenth Century.
According to the S/iimcisiikc kokiis/ii'^ (written
in thein1850)

the principal image['tsiiiiniiiiyti, '\''W/l'''t, Kawachi district, on the road('v;)
was a Standing Jizö, about 9 shaku long, inside of which a small tutelaryidol, left by the priest SÖ-EN, 'I;liil (A. D. 1032
im), was preserved.

of the I:iiiniyö

inJi:j'-[ii'ito Nikkö,

Ch. VII,
Ch. VII,

p. 16.
p.

-Sect. III, Ch. III,

26; about this bookcf.

;<
Ch. III,
4.
above, Ch. III, S i.
•'

p. 27.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

169

Another chapel of the same name Stands on the left side of the Xiö-gate of
Asakusadera in Tokyo. From the Anei era (1772 1780) down to the present day
many pilgrims visit this chapel, the image of which is called higu'a //cö,MM3i: by
the people. Unglazed earthen vessels flumarake), filled with salt, are offered to him.
According to the Asakusa slü, ik.^^'^^-, there were eleven prayer-wheels near thisimage if these wheels turned to the right, this was a sign that the prayers should—;

was no hope of success-.
As to the name InguCi Jizö, this was also given to an old image of the Bodhisattva, found somewhere in the mountains and erected before the tdiiiüi^dJä (picket
be fulfilled, but

ifthey turned to the

left,

there

fence) of Inari jinja at Nishi-no-miya (Settsu province). Prayers made to this image

were sure to be heard^.
4;

3.

Seventeenth Century.

The Kuvsckishü (A. D. 1692) which gave us some tales about divine punishment of sacrilegious people, and about protection against lightning, fire and thieves,as well as about Jizö's bestowing easy birth upon women living near his sanctuary*,
also contains a legend concerning his protecting alittleboy against his cruei step-

She had forced the child to offer nigiri-mcshi
e. inusubi, rice made into
balls) to a stone Jizö near Höryüji at Nara, where she lived near by, and had orderedmother.

(i.

him to put the rice into Jizö's hands, although she knew that he could not reachthem.

When the poor boy, whom she refused all food if he did not obey, supplicatedhand in which
he held his staff and accepted the offering. Then the boy went home and said that
Jizö had taken the offering, whereupon the woman, thinking that he had thrown
the rice into the gutter, became very angry and beat him severely. But the weeping
child begged her to go and lock herseif. Then she went to the image and was aston-

the image to take the rice, the merciful Bodhisattva stretched theished to see that Jizö held half of the rice in his hand, while grains sticking nearhismouth were evidence of his having eaten the other half. Deeply moved by thishow Jizö had protected the child against her cruelty, andthenceforth treated the boy as if she were his own mother. This story, spreadingsight,

she understood

rapidly to the neighbouring villages, attracted crowds of pilgrims to this sacred imageof Jizö-Son,towhom they offered and prayed to obtain his mighty protection'.

Another passage of the same work" teils us how in A. D. 1648 a man in Ütsuwho intended to build a new house, dreamt that a high priest
appeared to him and said: "I live in the ground on which your house is to be built;
He actually found a stone Jizö, exactly similar
please dig me out beforehand".
(Izumi province),^"Cause and effect".

Fücofiu gi^ahö, Nr. 141 (May, 1897), p. 8.
3 Ryütci
hikki,
written by RYÜTEI
Ön^V^iEjli,
2

Ch. I,i

TANEHIKO, m^\^M (1782— 1842);

p. 53.

Above, Ch. III, § I.

K'Li'üschisliü,

Ch.

ri,

p. II.

"

Ch. II,

p. I.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

170

The people built a little chapel for the image, which theyworshipped with offerings of incense, flowers and lights.
Of the Jizö Bosatsu reihen ki (1684) and the Jizö Bosatsu riyaku shü (1691),
from which works we quoted several tales about Jizö's divine power in curing thesick, giving easy birth, punishing evil priests and sacrilegious laymen, and working
as a Substitute for a devout peasant on the fields of his lord, the former work gives
also the following story^. A married couple had a very streng belief in the Jizö ofan old temple in Matsushima village (Öshü), and on the i8th and 24th of every
month they went to this shrine and spent the night there, praying for "birai no zenkwa",^^(DW^, "good fruits (i. e. happiness) in future (existences)". One day a severe
fire broke out in the village, and many houses were burnt down, but their house,to the priest of his dream.

although surrounded byfire,escaped in a miraculous way.

A little boy assistedthem in taking their furniture out of the house, and disappeared as soon as thefire was extinguished.
That night he appeared to them in their dreams and said:"My feet are burnt for your sake." When going to the temple they saw that theimage were burnt, and understood that the Bodhisattva himself
had assisted them and saved their house.
The Seiyö zakki (A. D. 1656) and the Garan kaiki ki (A. D. 1689) were quoted
above, the former work with regard to Shögun Jizö of Atago^, the latter concerning
the religious Performances which from the I4th to the 24th day of the third month
took place at the Jizö shrine of Mibu in the Shijö district of Kyoto ^ and about theceremonies in the temple of Koyasu Jizö in Tsuna district, Awaji province*.
The Shimpen Kamakura shi (A. D. 1684)" mentions a tsuji-dö, it^, or "chapel
at a crossroad", with an image of Shioname Jizö, ^^iÄI^, or "Salt-tasting Jizö",
to which the salt traders of Mu-ura, asM, used to offer salt when going to Kamakura
to seil their wäre. There was a legend which said that this image had formerly emitted
light tili a trader had thrown it down to cause it to taste salt. With regard to salt
offerings made to Jizö we may refer to the passage of the Honchö zokugen shi, quoted
above®, where a kawarake (an unglazed earthen vessel) was said to be offered to
Hanakake Jizö of Honseiji, in Fukagawa district at Yedo, by grateful patients curedby his divine protection. Also Ingwa Jizö of Asakusa is worshipped in the sameway'.
Another instance of the curious way in which the people used to explain quite
simple names like Shioname Jizö, who of course was called so on account of the salt
offerings made to him, is the legend connected with the name of Dokomo Jizö, "Everywhere Jizö" in Shökaku-in, lE^^, at Tsuru-ga-oka, which image in olden times
had stood in a chapel in the Compound of Chiganji, ^J^^, in Kamakura. Althoughfeet of the Jizö

1

Ch. IV, p. 19.

Above, Ch. III, § I.
' Above, this Chapter, § 2.

*

2

^

Above, Ch. II, § 6.
Ch. II, p. 83.

3

Above, Ch. II, § i.

8 Above,

Ch. III, § 5.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

171

the natne of this "Omnipresent Jizö" needs no further explication, the people in-vented a story to explain it. They said that one day he had appeared to the guardianof his chapel, when this priest had decided to leave the place because he was so ex-tremely poor that he had nothing to offer to the Bodhisattva, and that he had saidtohim: "Doko mo,doko mo", "Everjrwhere, everjrwhere".

The priest understood

the meaning of these words, namely that wherever he went he should find misery,

because the world is filled with it.

Then he decided to stay, and remained there to

his death^.

The Yedo susume (1677) told us how Shögun Jizö of Atago yama in the Shiba
district of Yedo was believed to protect his beUevers against their enemies and against
fire^, and the Kyö-warabe (1658) mentioned the cult of Haraohi no Jizö by pregnant
women^. According to the Nanto meisho shü'^ (1675) a very small Jizö image, called
Yonaki, ^'^, no Jizö or "Jizö who wept at night", only one shaku long, was hiddenin the principal idol of the Nembutsudö, ^f^^, at Nara, which also represented
our Bodhisattva. This small idol, made of aloes wood, was said to have been thetutelary deity of Itojo, a courtesan who wore it on her body.

A Buddhist priest heard

this Jizö crying like a child in the midst of the night, apparently because he disliked

immoral Company. He asked and obtained the idol and made a big Jizö image
inside of which he placed the small one.
Another Yonaki Jizö (of Daijöji, "^W^, at Okano, l^if) is mentioned in
the Röö chawa^ (1742), where the 24th day of the month is said to be the day of
this

his festival.

The Setsuyö gundan {1698), which gave us Information about ancient Jizö
Images worshipped in those days and attributed to Gyögi Bosatsu, Köbö Daishi,
Jikaku Daishi, Eshin sözu and Jöchö, as well as about Jizö's healing the sick, giving'

easy birth, acting as a Substitute, saving the souls from hell and leading them toparadise, this same work mentions a Jizö-zuka, i'iS.W^, or "Jizö-grave" in Saideramura, '&'ß3"^M, Shimanoshimo district, Settsu province. This spot was called thus
because in olden times a brilliant light which rose from the earth had led to the discovery of a Jizö image, lying in the ground®. A Yo-ake, I^Bfl, or "Daybreak" Jizö,
whose name might indicate his function of "Enlightener of the Darkness (of Hell)",
was worshipped in a chapel in the Compound of Chöshinji, M>£>^, in the Nishiteramachi at Osaka ^.
In cur Paragraph on Jizö as the healer of the sick^, we related how in 1673
EIKÖ, the Daimyö of Sanuki, and in 1692 TOKUGAWA TSUNAEDA, Daimyö ofMite, successfully prayed to Jizö for recovery from intermittent fever.
1

Shimpen Kamakura shi, Ch. IV, 22,« Ch. II, p. 6.
^ Above, Ch. III, § i.
Above, Ch. II, § 6.
5 Kinsei kidan zenshü (Zoku Teikoku bunko, Vol. XL VII), p. 356.
^ Setsuyö gundan, Ch. IX, p. 22.
' L. c, Ch. XII,
8 Above, Ch. III,
p. 32.
§ 5.

2

12*

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

172—

The Roku Jizö mairi at Yedo began in the Genroku era (1688 1703), whenin 1691 the priest MUKÜ had erected six Jizö's on different spots of Yedo, and six
other Jizö's, erected in 1716 by the priest SEIGEN, were tbenceforth visited in thesame way^.
In Shimo Nagayoshi village, "F;^'^:^, Kazusa province, there is a Jizö-dö(chapel), the principal idol of which is called Ikimi {^M) Jizö or "The living Jizö".
Tradition says that in the Genroku era Bishop YÜTEN, ^^ff'jE.^, visited this village
and passed the night in the house of a certain Hayashi Shirözaemon. This man
asked his opinion about a stränge dream which he had had about snake's eggs in
his ho\ise, as he did not know whether it were a good or a bad omen. The bishop
advised him to erect a Jizö chapel and worship Jizö, and promised to carve a Jizö
image for him. After having indicated the spot where the chapel had to be erected,
the bishop went home. Afterwards, when he had become jüshoku (superior) of
Zöjöji in Shiba (Yedo), he kept his promise and sent Shirözaemon this image, forwhich he erected the chapel still to be seen there (at least in 1901). From then Jizö'sprotection gave great wealth and felicity to this family, but Shirözaemon's grandson,
who did not believe in the Bodhisattva, neglected the chapel, which decayed without
being repaired. Then the house feil into poverty and continuous disease, tili theman repaired the chapel and worshipped the image following the advice of a diviner
at Yedo. Then wealth and health returned to the house, and soon the rumour of
this Jizö's divine power spread. Old and young, men ^nd women flocked from far
and near to his chapel and worshipped his miraculous image ^.
We have seen above* that the Genroku era (1688 1703) was probably the time
when the cult of Jizö of the Sai no kawara began to spread. We supposed that his
Images, from olden times often placed along the roads, had superseded the ancient
Sae no kami at the crossways towards the end of the seventeenth Century, and that
he also became the special protector of the souls of deceased children about thesame time.

—

Accordingtothe Shinchomonshü,^^MÄ (about 1700)^,

1694 a little
asked for some shari-sui ("relic-water"). After havinginboy in Yedo, who was ill,
drunk this he bowed before the image of Jizö and called himself "the Bodhisattva'splay-thing". Then he recited some prayers and died. This short tale illustrates
Jizö's being considered the friend and protector of the little ones, especially when
they were going to the other world.
Finally, we learn from HAYASHI RAZAN, :^^lll, the famous scholar who
above, Ch. II, § 5.
D. 1636
1718.
3 Füzoku gwahö, Nr. 238 (Sept. 1901), p. 40.
* Ch. III, § 2, B.
5 Kinsei kidan zenshü, p. 182.
1

Cf.

2 A.

—

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

173—

lived 1584
1657, that Jizö was believed to be the honchi, :$iÖ, of Hiyoshi no Jüzenshi no miya, H^O+Üßfli©^, i. e. that this Shintö deity was a manifestation(avatar) of the Bodhisattva^.

§ 4. Eighteenth Century.

Hanakake or "Noseless" Jizö of Honseiji in Fukagawa at Yedo, famous forcuring all kinds of diseases, was erected in 1717, and worshipped by thousands ofpilgrims according to KIKUOKA SENRYÖ, the author of the Honchö zokugen shi(written in1746), quoted above^.

— 1725),

ARAI HAKUSEKI, ff^Ö^, the celebrated

image stood in the cemeteryand that from the i6th day of
the yth month of Kyöhö 2 (171 7) tili the end of the ninth month such large crowdsof pilgrims went there, that the enormous sum of 2500 ryö (one ryö was about 10yen) was offered by them. According to HAKUSEKI the first year of the Manjiera (1658) was written on the back of the image as the time of its erection. No-

historian (1656

states that this noseless stoneof Honseiji in the Honjo district (this is a mistake),

body, says he, knew why so many pilgrims came to worship this Jizö especially inthose months^.

We saw above*, that in 1745 a woman erected a big bronze image of Jizö on
Köya san on behalf of the soul öf her deceased husbänd.
As to the cult bf Emmyö Jizö of Shöshuji at Hiroo, mentioned in the Edo meishozue,

we may refer to the second paragraph of this chapter.
In the Kwampö era (1741— 1743) an image

Shögun Jizö was placed in the^Atago-sha (a Shintö shrine) in Yukinoshita mura, Sagami province, as we learned
above^ from the Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö.
The Saezurigusa gives a funny story about a stone image of Jizö in Shinagawa
near Yedo. In 1776 the rumour spread that this Jizö was heard reciting holy texts.
Crowds of peopls went there to listen and actually heard a humming sound which
seemed to be produced by the image. But the miracle turned out to be a very simple
matter, for when the amaoi (the covering to protect the image against rain) wasof

taken off, a nest of bees proved to be the cause of the sound!

The Füzoku gwahö^ enumerates 48 Jizö's visited in the southern part of Yedo,
as well as the 48 Jizö's of the Bluff (Yama-no-te) and those of the eastern part ofthe city. The custom of visiting 48 Jizö's in a special part of Yedo arose in the Kwanseiera (1789
1800) and was continued to the present day. This so-called "Yedo nanihö(yama-no-te, töhö) shijü hachi jo Jizö son mairi, XLß^^ (lll©^, ^^) 13+ Aß/?
MMM-^j arid also the Nijü hachi jo Jizö son mairi or "Visiting 28 Jizö's" (based upon—1

Honchö jinja kö (after 1614), Ch. I, 2, p. 23;

Ch. III, §5.
4 Ch. III,
§ 3.

2

cf.

above, Sect. III, Ch. IV, § 4.

3

Hakuseki sensei shinsho, Ö5:5fe4.iW#, Ch. VIII, p. 2.

6

Ch. II, § 6.

8

Nr. 67 (Febr. 1894), P- 75-

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

174
the 28 blessings bestowed by this Bodhisattva

upon his believers according to theon his Original Vow'^ ) were and are practised in imitation of the well-known

SiliraKicannon sanjüsanjo mairi or "Visiting the 33 Kwannon shrines".
Among the 48 Jizö's of the South of Yedo we find eight Enmiyö Jizö's, fourKoyasu. one Kosodatc haraohi, "T'WflS.'^, one Haraohi and one Ko-kaeshi (~FjS) Jizö.
Hi-yoke, i/c|^, Hi-keshi, Atff, and Shögun Jizö ward off and extinguish fire, while
Byöchi (^^Jn) Jizö eures the sick. Nyotai migawari, ~^^.ßlt\K ("Female Substitute"),and Migawari Jizö act as Substitutes for the believers. On the Bluff there are three
Koyasu and two Haraohi Jizö's, two Migawari and four Karada-san (ItaMPSUl)
Jizö's. Also on the east side one Koyasu, two Anzan, -icM. ("Easy birth"), two
Ko-sodate, one Ko-sazukc, -fS ("Child giving"), and four Karada-san Jizö's arefound, while 1-5, S3E ("Medical King") Jizö is apparently believed to eure disease,and Ibo, J^ ("Wart") Jizö is invoeated against warts. In the South of the eity two,and in the East one Shio ("Salt") Jizö remind us of the salt offerings mentioned
before. Further, we find Gwamman, ISÜJfS, Mangwan, ffiH, and Nichigen gwamman (HPSüirtl) Jizö (i. e. "Vow-fulfilling" and "Day-limit (cf. Hi-kagiri) Vowfulfilling" Jizö, as well as Negaijö, )M.Ä ("Wish-fulfilling") and Nyo-i-man, ^tl^siS("Late at night") and Asahi (|9 H ) Jizö evi("Will-fulfilling") Jizö. Yofuka,^M

dently guard their worshippers during the night and at daybreak, Yakuyoke, JgII^("Removing danger") Jizö protects them against all kinds of danger, Ki-koku, |§S("Returning to one's country") Jizö causes them to return safely to their country
or province, Mi-okuri (M^) Jizö accompanies them when setting out on a journey,
whieh may mean also the journey to Paradise (ef. Indö Jizö). Shusse (HÜfir) Jizö
causes them to rise in the world, Tokuju (^^) Jizö gives them virtue and long life,
Kai-im (p§3l) J izöeauses their fortuneto ehange for the better, Fukimian (ilSf^) Jizö
gives them fullness of felicity, Yo-tsugi (tfirnP]) Jizö blesses them with descendants(heirs),whereas Ta-ue(tHffi.)Jizö apparently assists the peasants.

Thus a large number of names were given to this populär Bodhisattva, whose^rines were visited by the Yedo people in a fixed order down to the present day.
§ 5.

Nineteenth Century.

The Shimpen Aizu füdoki^ states that in the Compound of Saikwöji, M^^,
inWakamatsu, the capital of the Aizu district (Iwashiro provinee), there was a Jizö
ehapel with a Hikagiri or "Day-limit" Jizö. We found the same name, given to
Emmyö Jizö of Shöshuji, explained as indicating that the pilgrims used to fix a numberof days for him^. The Jizö of Saikwöji was visited by many believers.
above, Sect. I, Ch. I, § 2.
composed in 1809 by the Daimyö of Aizu.

1

Cf.

2

^li'#i|:®.±sE.,

V, p. 23.
3 This Chapter, § 2, B.

Ch. XIX, Section Wakamatsu,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

175

The Kaikokushi (1814) taught us about the cults of Shögun and Koyasu Jizö
Kai province, still prevailing in the author's days^.
The Shözan chomon kishü (1849) gave an interesting account about two Jizö
images, made of stone and placed in the field on behalf of the souls of two horses.
This happened in Mino province in 1826 2. According to the same work the Jizöof Tomi mura, "S^, some ten miles west of Yedo, was believed to walk about atnight, for which reason he had the very profane maiie of Tomi no yobai Jizö fyobai
is going out secretly to have illicit intercourse with another person)
It is a curious
peculiarity of the Japanese people that they may combine a strong faith in a deity(for this Jizö had much reihen! ) with the most shocking profanity against the samein,divine being.

The Shimpen Sagami füdoki kö (1841), which we quoted above^ with regard toa Jizö who was famous for curing the nipples of women, who prayed to him, also
relates

about a Jizö standing in a chapel at Fuktisei (fS;^) village, in Ashigara Kami

Sagami province. This Jizö was called Keshö, ftf^, or "Transformed
and adorned" Jizö, because those who prayed to him used to cover the Bodhisattva's
face withshiroi (ÖI&', the whitelead cosmetic used for powdering the face) orwith gofun, ^1^ (chalk or carbonate of lime prepared by burning Shells)*.
The Owari meisho zue (1841) mentions Nawate (M^) Jizö (nawate is a paththrough the ricefields) at Roku Jizö mura^, who was known as a Bodhisattva of
district,

surpassing miraculous power®.

The Shimotsuke kokushi (1850) gave us details about Koyasu and Emmyö Jizö,
as well as about Hashika Jizö, famous for curing the measles, and the ancient Jizö
of Iwafune, who were all worshipped from olden times down to the author's time.
The Saezurigusa (1859), quoted abovewith regard to Shögun Jizö as Hachiman's
shintai'^ and the healing Jizö of Yöshü-in at Nagoya*, mentions Ingwa, 0:^,Fumibako, !)tfs, and Zenizuka (%M^) Jizö in Asakusa-dera, Hanakake ("Noseless")
Jizö in Fukagawa (Yedo), Ushiro-muki (^ff»], "Turningbackwards") Jizö in Minowa(Közuke province), Meyami ("Disease of the eyes"), Bake, ft ("Transformation"^,Shibarare ("Bound, tied") Jizö in Kyoto,® as well as Höroku,
Jizö in^^ ("Earthen pan")

Atsuta (Owari province)^".

The Köya no shiori (1895) gave us the names of three Jizö images on Köya san,namely Indö, Kazutori and Dokumi Jizö, given them on account of their leading
the souls to the Pure Land, counting the times of visiting the Oku-in, and tasting
the offerings for the ancestral halP^.

s ch. III,
2 Above, Ch. III,Ch. 11, § 6, and Ch. III, § i.
§ 3.
§ 5.
s cf. above, Ch. II,
Ch. XX, Ashigara Kami göri, Ch. IX, p. 28,§ 5.
^ Owari meisho zue, köhen, Ch. I, p. 21.
' Above, Ch. II, § 6.
8 Above, Ch. III,^ Saezurigusa, Ch. CI, p.
25.
§ 5.
10 Ch. CXVI, p. 29.
11 Above, Ch. II,
§ 2.
1

«

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

176

A modern Japanese work on the Tantric school in Japan, entitled HimitSU firin,^^^^W, or "Dictionary of Mystics", states that in the Kongö-kai or "Diamond(Vajra) World" (of the ideas) Jizö is not represented, only an "Earth-god", i^P},on the Southern side of the central group (on the inner corner, on the other corners

the gods of wind, water andfire

are placed).

Äkätjagarbha is seen there in theand Vajragarbha on the southernsame group; but Kshitigarbha does not appear. On the southern side

central southern group (on the nothern side),
side of themandala, however, there is a Bodhisattva called Vajraketu or "Vajra-flag"of this(Kongö-dö, ^Wi^.), who is declared identical with Kshitigarbha. The banner orflag is actually one of his common attributes according to the Tantric doctrine, and
it isoften placed upon the lotus in his hand.

Other secret names^ of Jizö are Higwan

fiM^W\, Hibin Kongo, f&^.^m, and Yogwan Kongo, ^M^Wi, i. e.
"Vajra of the Compassionate Vow, "Vajra of Compassion", "Vajra of the Granted
Kongo,Vow".
As to the Taizö-kai or "World of the Womb-receptacle" (i. e. of the phenomena),
the name Jizö is found there among those of nine "Venerable Ones", ^, represented

on the northern side of the mandala. According to an old tradition six of these nine
were called the Six Jizö's, whose names we have given above^; one of these six was
the name Jizö itself. He is represented sitting on a red lotus; his right hand, kept
before his breast, holds a precious pearl, while his left hand carries a nyo-i hödö,^n!sX'^, or a "precious banner which grants all desires" his image is flesh-coloured.
The principal Jizö shape of the Secret Doctrine is said in this work to be the Bodhisattva type. As to his magic formulae ("true words", shingon), these are as follows:'^m^^'0.'E.M%Ti>P[, and V^m^^M^^Mt^, beginning with Öm (Bg) andending with svähä ('3Wi), the final benediction usually closing such formulae.
The other characters are meaningless abracadabra, although the author of the Himitsu
jirin, a bishop of the Shingon sect, explains the three t^ as the three yäna,as"wonderful", andas sudäna, which he asserts to indicate the Dharmakaya(Dharma-body) The first shingon (the ordinary one) is that of the Jizö-in (1%)
;

^H0S

0^^

.

Taizö-mandara, the second that of the Kwannon-in of the same mandara.

of theTheir tnudräs are also different; the first is described as "clasping the two fists together, with the middle fingers erected but not joined."

This

is

the "flag-mudrä"(setumudrä, ^^P, ki-in), in which the two fists clasped together are said to represent
the füll

moon, expressing the great charity and compassion of the buddha-heart,

while the two middle fingers, stretched and opened, indicate the banner of impartiality

and innate wisdom which waves above the world beneath and illuminesit.

iComposed hy th^ Daisözu {it^U, Bishop) TOMITA GYÖJUN (orKÖJUN), ^fflütt, andTokyo branch of the Kap-sekai-sha, inJ^ft^fJ:, in Tokyo, Meiji 44 (1911). Pp.
346, 492 sq., 718, 1122. Cf. SEITAN, Kokkwa Nrs. 154, 156, 159, 160.
edited by the3

Above, Ch. II, § 5.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

177

As to the mudrä of the Kwannon-in, this is according to the Mahävairocana sütra^as foUows: fists joined, with both the ring fingers and the thumbs erected and joined.
A third mudrä shows the same form, but with the little fingers also erected and joined.
The Lanca sign for the syllable ha is used as his mystic sign, as we stated before.
Special value is attached to the Sütra on Mahävairocana, Dai Nichi Nyorai, of whose
innate wisdom Jizö is said to be a manifestation on the southern side of the Kongökai, while the Jizö on the western side of the Taizö-kai is said to represent this Dhyänibuddha's impartiality.
All these details,

borrowed from ancient books of the Tantric school, are stillof great importance to the priests and adherents of the Shingon sect, and are treatedand explained by them with great earnestness.
The Füzoku gwahö, finally, gave us information about the numerous Jizö'sof Yedo, worshipped to the present day^, and about the curious marriage customs
still prevailing in some villages, where Jizö Images were placed before the houseof the newly married couple*.
As to grave monuments with Jizö figures, these are erected on behalf of thedead now-a-days as well as formerly, as we stated above*.
Thus we see that New Japan goes on worshipping this mighty Boddhisattva
and imploring his assistance and protection in all the phases of human life.

CHAPTER VII.
CONCLUSIONS.
§ I.

Ti-tsang in China.

When looking back upon the long road of Kshitigarbha's history, we see him
rising higher

people.

and higher andhisworship spreading more and more among the

In India he was a Bodhisattva of secondary rank, notmuch worshipped

before the Tantric School proclaimed him to be one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas.

This was also the main reason why Tibet knew and worshipped him; in Turkistan,

however, his cult seems to have had a broader base, as far as we may judge fromthe results of the scientific expeditions.

Chinese works taught us that Ti-tsang's cult spread in the neighbourhood of Nan-king in the first half of the fifth Century, and that his effigy was painted by a famous
Chinese artist in the beginning of the sixth Century. The seventh Century broughtHÜEN-TSANG'S new translation of the Sütra on the Ten Wheels as well as the firsttranslation of the Sütra on Kshitigarbha's Original

Vow, and in the eighth Century

the Tantric School introduced the cult of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas.
1

Cf. above, Sect. I, Ch. I, § 5.

Above, this chapter, § 4.
3 Above, Ch. III, § i.

2«

Ch. III, § 3.

Further,

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

178

six Ti-tsangs were invented for saving the beings of the six gati.

Moreover, Taoism

blended with Buddhism created the idea of the Ten Kings of Hell and placed Ti-tsang

above these kings as the Supreme Lord of the Dark Region. These Ten Kings, well-known in China, are rarely met with in Japan, whereas the conception of the Six
Ti-tsangs, extremely populär in the Land of the Rising Sun, did not spread in China.

The interesting Chinese works, which blend Taoism with Buddhism, all belong
to the Tantric doctrine and call Ti-tsang "the Tantra-ruler of Darkness", who ranks

above the Ten Kings and determines the fate of the souls. At the same time, however,they sometimes describe him as the compassionate priest, whose khakkhara shakes
and opens the doors of hell, and whose precious pearl illumines the Region of Darkness.
In a Japanese work of this kind, attributed to NICHIREN, the Bodhisattva is identified

with Yama, the fifth of the Ten Kings.

The Yuh-lih showed us Ti-tsang and Kwan-yin, the two compassionate saviours
from hell, agreeing in preaching repentance as the way to salvation. On his birthday, the thirtieth day of the seventh month, in the evening of which the Uliambana,
the festival of the dead, comes to an end and hell is closed, Ti-tsang preached forgiveness to be given to repentant sinners, to the Ten Kings of Hell who came toworship him. This idea was sanctioned by Shang-Ti, the Taoistic Emperor of Heaven
and the supreme Judge of the dead, and applauded by Kwan-yin.
A Korean prince of the eighth Century, whose holy body after death was gilded
and enshrined on Mount Kiu-hwa, was declared to be a manifestation of Ti-tsang.
The great number of pilgrims who visited his shrine from olden times proves theintensity of the Ti-tsang cult from the eighth Century down to the present day.
To the Chinese Buddhists Ti-tsang still ranks next to Kwan-yin, with whom
he is often connected. He is represented either as a Bodhisattva or as a priest, hisordinary shape in Japan; in mandalas of the Tantric School he mostly appears asa Bodhisattva, and also in sanctuaries of other sects he is represented in this way.
In many temples special halls or buildings are devoted to

Ten Kings

him as well as to theof Hell.

§ 2.

Jizö in Japan.

Neither the ancient Japanese annals nor the old füdoki and monogatari mention

The f irst work which speaks about him, the Fusö ryakki, dates fromthe I2th Century. This indicates that his cult was not much spread before that time.
Yet there are ancient Jizö sanctuaries which were erected in earlier times, e. g.
those of Ki no moto and Iwafune (8th Century), and that of Mibu (probably gth
Century), as well as old Jizö images, attributed to famous priests as GYÖGI BOSATSU(8th Century), KÖBÖ, DENGYÖ and JIKAKU DAISHI (gth Century). Although
the traditions about the makers of those images are not trustworthy, the fact thatthe names of those priests were so often mentioned in this respect seems to point
this Bodhisattva.

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

179

having introduced and propagated the belief in this Bodhisattva, known
and worshipped in China as early as the fifth Century.
The cult of the Six Jizö's seems to date from the ninth Century, when the Shingon
priests (KÖBÖ c. s.) seem to have introduced them from China and the Tendai sect
took them up. They became very populär. In the twelfth Century TAI RA KIYOMORI placed them at the six roads leading to the capital, that they might protect
the passers-by. This was the first instance of Jizö being worshipped as a deity of
the roads. Their effigies were carved on hexagonal stone lanterns on behalf of thesouls of the dead, and their Images were placed along the roads. Yet it seems tohave taken many centuries before they superseded the ancient Sae no kami, thephallic gods of the crossways. The so-called Roku Jizö mairi, i. e. successively visiting six Jizö shrines, was started in Yedo towards the close of the lyth Century.
Shögun Jizö, the "Conqueror of the Armies" (a translation of the sanscritword prasenajit) is not mentioned in the sütras nor in other Chinese texts; yet
He is saidin Annam Ti-tsang is sometimes represented riding on horseback.
time
A.
D.
the
to have been worshipped for the firstabout
800 byHossö priest
ENCHIN HÖSHI of Kiyomizu-dera at Kyoto on behalf of his friend Tamaramaro.
This Shögun Jizö was identified with Atago Gongen, the "Manifestation of
Mount Atago" at Kyoto, an ancient Thundergod who was believed to protect his
worshippers against fire. As Atago was the centre of the first shugendö priests,
who belonged to the Shingon sect, and ENCHIN, a Hossö priest, was as such also
an adept of the Yoga doctrine, the cult of Shögun Jizö apparently belonged to theTantric school. This Jizö, represented on horseback, carrying a khakkhara and a
precious pearl, and wearing a helmet on his head and a sacerdotal robe over hisarmour, was very much worshipped by the warriors of later times as their tutelary
god, whose Images they erected on the battlefields and at the entrances of theirCastles. In their hands the peaceful saviour of the living beings even became a shintai
or "god-body" of the war-god Hachiman. As Atago-Gongen the function of theancient Thundergod who had been declared his avatar or manifestation was transferred to him, so that we found him worshipped throughout Japan as a protector
against fire as well as against the armies of the enemy.
From olden times Koyasu Jizö was the giver of easy birth. The celebrated Jizö'sof Ki no moto and Mibu were famous in this respect, and sand from the Compoundof the Mibu temple was considered an excellent charm for obtaining easy birth,when being applied to the body or held in the band. The old custom of placing Jizö
Images before the house of a newly married couple in the bridal night is interesting
to theirwith regard to thesefacts.

Jizö's original and main function, that of saving the souls from hell, was treatedmany old legends.

Even King Yama, who was sometimes identified withhim, had to bow before him and to release the culprits, whom he, Jizö, wished toof inTHE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.

i8o

send back to the upper world.

In the seventeenth Century he seems to have become

the special protector of the souls of deceased children who had to pile up pebbles on

no wonder that his effigy was engraved on
is still done at the present day.
The erection of these monuments had, however, a double aim, for Jizö was not only believed to save the soulsfrom hell, but also to lead them to Paradise.
The latter idea became more prevalent in the Kamakura period, after the founding of the Jödo sect (in A. D. 1174), when Sukhävati, the "Pure Land", had become
the aim of all devout believers in Amida (i. e. Amitäbha), the Lord of this blissful
Paradise. Yet Amitäbha and his heaven were known in Japan much earlier, andin the tenth Century this doctrine was preached by the famous ESHIN SÖZU, who
was also a believer in Jizö. In the magnificent picture, painted by this priest, we
see Jizö, with the precious pearl in his left hand and with his right making the abhayamudrä (which bestows fearlessness upon the worshippers) sitting at Amitäbha'sside, who, accompanied by his twenty five Bodhisattvas, descends to welcome thesoul of a holy man. This is evidence of Jizö's playing one of the principal parts in
Amida's heaven, and it explains his ever rising popularity after the spreading of the
Jödo sect. His connection with Amida is also clear from the fact that in A. D. 1030
Jötomon-in, the Emperor Ichijö's consort, had a chapel built in which she erected
images of Amida, Kwannon and Seishi (his chief attendants), Jizö and Nagärjuna,
the first teacher of the Amitäbha doctrine. This shows that she considered Jizö
to be a prominent figure in Amida's retinue. Thus he became the leader to Paradise,in which fonction he was afterwards worshipped under the name of Indö or "Leading"the beach of the river of hell.

Itistombstones, which

Jizö.

Not only the dead, but also the living stood under Jizö's protection, as we learned

from the cults of Koyasu and Shögun Jizö. But beyond giving easy birth and warding
off enemies and fire he was also famous for suffering (in hell) or working as a Substitute for those who worshipped him, in which cases his images afterwards wore
the traces of their labour. He also healed the sick, and many of his images were

known for curing special diseases.
worship began to spread among the gentry in the Gempei time, i. e. inthe twelfth Century. Yoritomo and Kiyomori were both faithful believers in him.
Jizö'sKamakura became the centre of his cult, which under the Höjö's, in the Kamakura
period, rose continually, so that his effigy became very frequent in religious art.

He was mostly represented as a priest with an urna and a halo, and his attributes were the khakkhara and the' cintämani (fig. 32), while the Bodhisattva shapewith the lotus or the almsbowl and the abhayamudrä had become rare. The Jizö
engi, i. e. his history and his miraculous actions, were the contents of many maki-

mono's of the Kamakura and Ashikaga periods. The latter time was the culminating
point of the Jizö cult. The Shöguns Takauji, Yoshiakira and others erected temples

THE BODHISATTVA TI-TSANG.
for himi8i

and offered his pictures, painted by themselves.

Takauji especially had avery devout belief in him.

The Tokugawa period saw his worship spread all over the country. From thehigher classes and the priests it now came among the lower people and made him
one of the most populär deities of daily life. At the same time a great many legends
sprang up about his having possessed and severely punished those who had
defiled or derided his images. The title of "Lengthener of Life", Emmyö, hitherto
only given to Fugen (Samantabhadra) now became also one of Jizö's numerous
epithets in consequence of a sütra written by a Japanese priest. Two young attendants, Rulers of Good and Evil, in accordance with ideas introduced from the continent, were placed on either side of him.
In the Genroku era, at the end of the seventeenth Century, the custom of successively visiting a fixed number of Jizö sanctuaries arose in all provinces, and atlast he became, next to Kwannon, the most populär Bodhisattva of Japan. The
ancient phallic gods of the roads had to make place for him, and the pebbles, formerly,by the passing travellers, were henceforth deposited at the Jizö
images by the roadside. He also became the special protector of the children, especiallyof those who died and whose souls had to accumulate pebbles on the bank of theriver in hell. Many of the tombstones representing Jizö's figure were erected onlaid at their feetbehalf of the souls of boys or girls.

The present day, with all its western civilization, sees our gentle, merciful Bodhisattva gloriously maintaining his mighty position and living in the people's heart
like in thedays of yore.

At the close of this paper I avail myselfof this opportunity to express

best thanks to the editors of the Ostasiatische Zeitschrift, Dr.

my

OTTO KÜMMEL and

Dr. WILLIAM COHN, for their kind assistance as regards the publication and Illus-

my work.

my hearty thanks to Miss
my learned Japanese friend
and teacher Mr. K. KAZATO in Tokyo for giving me a great many interestingdetails referring to this subject, and to Dr. H. H. JUYNBOLL, Mr. F. G. KRAMP,
Mr. PETRUCCI, and the Professors CHAVANNES, SYLVAIN LEVI and DE LA
VALLEE POUSSIN for the important Information, kindly given me on different
trationof

At the same timeItender

E. SCHMIDT for kindly correcting the language, to

As to Professor SPEYER, I deeply regret the death of that eminent
Scholar, whose great kindness and assistance I shall never forget.

particulars.

CONTENTS.
SECTION I.

KSHITIGARBHA ACCORDING TO THE SÜTRAS, AND fflS
CULT IN INDIA, TIBET AND TURKISTAN.

Page

_

KSHITIGARBHA ACCORDING TO THE SUTRAS

CH. I.
§ I.
§ 2.
§ 3.
§ 4.
§ 5.

CH.

Indian literature

§ 2.
§ 3.

6
6

The "Sütra on the Original Vow of the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha"
The Sütra on the Ten Wheels
The Sütra on the mandalcis of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas
The Mahävairocana sütra

KSHITIGARBHA'S CULT IN INDIA, TIBET AND TURKISTAN

II.

§ I.

5—19

13
15
18

19—24

Kshitigarbha in India
The Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Tibet
Kshitigarbha in Turkistan

19
21

22

SECTION II.

TI-TSANG IN CHINA.
CH. I. SEMI-BUDDHIST, SEMI-TAOIST WORKS ON THE TEN KINGS OF HELL 25—44
25§ 1. The Sütra on the Ten Kings§ 2. "The Doctrine of Repentance (practised in worship of) the Ten Merciful Kingsof the Dark Department
26
35
3. The Yuh-lih or "Calendar of Jade"38
4. A Japanese work on the Ten Kings
CH.

2.

CH.

TI-TSANG IN MAGIC AND DIVINATION

II.
1.

III.

TI-TSANG AS A DEIFIED MONK

1.

His cult on Mount Kiu-hwa in olden times

2.

The same cult at the present day

CH. IV.

44—48"Rules on the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha", a Tantric vyork on Ti-tsang
The sütra on the divination practised by means of "wooden wheels"

2.

CH. V.
1.

2.

3.
4.
5.

44
46

48—51
48
50

TI-TSANG IN AMITÄBHA'S HEAVEN AND IN HELL, ACCORDING TO CHI-NESE LEGENDS
1.

....

51-54

Ti-tsang in Paradise (Sukhävati)Ti-tsang in Hell

51

53

HISTORY OF THE TI-TSANG CULT IN CHINA

55—64

Statements of a modern Japanese author
Ti-tsang's cult at the time of the Sui dynasty (A. D. 581
618)
Ti-tsang's cult in the eighth Century A. D
Ti-tsang's worship from the tenth to the eighteenth Century
Ti-tsang's worship in the nineteenth Century and at the present day

—

55
56
57
59
61

CONTENTS.

IISECTION III.

JIZÖ IN JAPAN.
CH.

§ I.

Höryüji§ 2.

Shötöku Taishi
Ki no motoIwafuneGyögi Bosatsu
The ancient books

§ 3.
§ 4.
§ 5.
§ 6.

CH.

65—73
65
65
66
69
71

73

THE HEIAN PERIOD (794—858)

II.

§ I.

Mibu-dera

§ 2.
§ 3.

Köbö Daishi
Dengyö and Jikaku Daishi§ 4.

Obitoki-dera at Nara

§ 5.
§ 6.

The Six Jizö's
Shögun Jizö

CH.

Page

THE NARA PERIOD (710—794)

I.

III.

74—105
74
76
82
84
84
98

THE FUJIWARA AND GEMPEI PERIODS (858—1192)

106—139§ I.

Koyasu Jizö

§ 2.

Jizö, the Saviour§ 3.

A. Legends
B. The Sai no kawara, and Jizö as the protector of the souls of deceased children
and god of the roads
Indö Jizö, the leader to Paradise
Jizö suffering or working as a Substitute for his worshippers
Jizö, the healer of the sick
The Minamoto's and the Taira's

§ 4.
§ 5.
§ 6.

CH. IV.

106
109
109

from Hell

THE KAMAKURA PERIOD (i 192— 1333)

115
I2i

133
136
139

140—156§ I.

Minamoto no Yoritomo

140

§ 2.

Höjö Tokiyori
Unkei
Works from the Kamakura period
Data from later works

141

§ 3.
§ 4.
§ 5.
§ 6.

CH. V.

Jizö represented in art
A. His shapes, attributes
B. Pictures

THE ASHIKAGA PERIOD (1334— 1573) AND THE SUCCEEDING TIME

— 161
156
157 — 161

TILL 1603
§ I.
§ 2.

156

Ashikaga Takauji

How the gentry of this time worshipped Jizö
A. Fourteenth Century
B. Fifteenth Century
C. Sixteenth Century

CH. VI.
§ 1.
§ 2.

—

145

and mudrä

142
142
144
156
145
153

THE TOKUGAWA PERIOD AND THE MEIJI ERA (1603— 1912)
Possession and punishment
Emmyö Jizö, the "Lengthener of Life"
A. The sütra on Emmyö Jizö
B.

Temples of Emmyö Jizö

157
158
159
.

.

.

161— 177
161

162

— 168
162
168

CONTENTS.

III

Page

§ 3.
§ 4.
§ 5.

Seventeenth ceatury
Eighteenth Century
Nineteenth Century

169
173
174

CH. VII. CONCLUSIONS

177— 181

Ti-tsang in China

177
178

§

I.

§ 2.

Jizö inJapan

ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page

Fig.

I.

Fig.

2.

Japanese picture representing Jizö, in the shape of a priest, descending on a
cloud and standing upon a lotus, with the precious pearl {cintämani) andthe staff with metal rings (khakkhara). Kamakura period. Royal Museums,
2

BerlinA Japanese grave monument (probably end of the I7th Century), representing
Jizö in the shape of a Bodhisattva and in that of a priest with khakkhara andcintämani

14

From BURGESS,

Fig.

3.

Qäkyamuni surrounded by the Eight Great Bodhisattvas.

Fig.

4.

A Japanese grave monument (A. D. 1691). Jizö wearing the Bodhisattva crownReport on the Eltirä Cave temples

17

and standing upon a lotus, in his left hand carrying a lotus flower and with hisright making the abhayamudrä which bestows fearlessness upon the worshippers
Fig. 5. Kshitigarbha in Lamaism, seated on a lotus, with the Bodhisattva crown on hishead and a big pearl in his right hand, the left making the bhümispar<;amudrä.
From PANDER, Das Pantheon des Hiituktit, p. 76, nr. 148
Fig. 6 and 7. Two of the Ten Kings of Hell (ten Chinese paintings on silk from theSung or Yuen djmasty, in the Daitokuji at Kyoto). From the Kokkwa, Nr. 175
Fig. 8. Ti-tsang, in the shape of a priest, riding on a tiger, with staff emd almsbowl.
Small wooden image in the Leiden Ethnographical Museum
Fig. 9. The Ten Kings of Hell according to the Bittsitzö zin, III, p. 24
Fig. 10. Jizö of Höryüji at Nara (6th Century), making the abhayamudrä with his left
and the varadamudrä with his right hand. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 159, p. 47
Fig. II. Umoregi Jizö of Jürin-in, in Kwöryüji at Kyoto (9th Century), with pearl andvaradamudrä. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 156, PI. VII
Fig. 12. The Six Jizö's in the Butsttzö sin (II, p. 17 b): the ancient names, attributes
and mudräs
Fig. 13. The Six Jizö's in the Biitsiizö ziil (II, p. 18 a)
new names and attributes
Fig. 14. Atago Gongen (Shögun Jizö) on horseback. Biitsiizö ziii, III, p. 7 aFig. 15 and 16. Jizö, the Saviour from Hell. From a makimono pasted on a screen in the,:

Leiden Ethnographical.

.

Museum

21

22
27

29
33
66
79
97
97
102
iii

Flg. 17.

Jizö assisting the souls of the children in hell, heaping up small stones to makestüpas. From the same makimono

116

Fig. 18.

Amida and his 25 Bodhisattvas welcoming a soul of the highest rank of holiness.
At his left hand Jizö is seated, carrying the precious pearl in his left and making
the abhayamudrä with his right hand. Central group of the famous pictureon Köya san, attributed to ESHIN SÖZU (942 1017). From TAJIMA, Selected
Relics, Vol. IV, Fl. VIII; Kokkwa, Nr. 232, PL III

123—

Fig. 19.

Muhenshin Bosatsu, i. e. Jizö, one of Amida's 25 Bodhisattvas.
p.

12 a

Biitsiizö ziil II,

124

CONTENTS.

IV

Page

Fig. 20.

Jizö in Amida's retinue, welcoming a holy soul. One of the six door leaves of a
portable shrine in the Zenrinji at Kyoto. From TAJIMA, Select Relics,
Vol. I, PI. XIV, 2
Jizö in Amida's heaven, the Western Paradise (Sukhävati). From the same
makimono to which Fig. 15 17 belong
A Japanese grave monument (A. D. 1738) Jizö standing with precious pearl
Idem (Genroku era or somewhat later) Jizö seated upon lotus, with precious pearl
Idem (1700): Jizö, standing upon a lotus, -with a rosary in his hands
Jizö as one of the "Beeret Buddhas" of the 30 days of the month (the 24th day),with the Lanca sign for the syllable ha, attributed to him by the Shingon
sect. Bufsuzö zul III, p. 4 b
Jizö, to be invocated on the 3Sth day after death. Butsuzö zul IV, p. 7 b
One of Jizö's oldest shapes a Bodhisattva seated upon a lotus, carrying an
almsbowl in his left hand and holding his right hand over it. From the Kokkwa,
Nr. 156, p. 23s
One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a priest seated upon a lotus, with lotus flower andabhayamudrä. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 156, p. 234
One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a Bodhisattva seated upon a lotus, with lotus flower
and abhayamudrä. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 156, p. 234
Jizö with pearl and lotus, upon which a small banner. Butsuzö zul IV, p. 8 b
Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus and carrying three precious pearls in his left
hand, whereas his right hand makes the abhayamudrä. Tj^e of the Jizö Imagesof the Heian, Fujiwara and Gempei periods (A. D. 794
1185). From the Kokkwa,'.

Fig. 21.

Fig. 22.
Fig. 23.
Fig. 24.
Fig. 25.

Fig. 26.
Fig. 27.

Fig. 28.
Fig. 29.
Fig. 30.

Fig. 31.

—

:

:

....

.

.

.

126
127
129
130
131

132
133

:

146
147
148
149

—

Fig. 32.

Fig- 33-

Nr. 159, p. 48
Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus, with precious pearl and khakkhara. Typeof the Jizö Images of the Kamakura and later periods. From the Kokkwa,
Nr. 159, p. 48
Jizö as a priest, seated upon a lotus, with a precious pearl in his left, the righthand apparently having carried the khakkhara (woodenimageof the I2th Century,
From the Kokkwa, Nr. 99, p. 52, PI. V. Now
Fujiwara dr Gempei period)in the CoUection FUCHS, Tübingen
priest with two haloes, seated upon
Jizö of Ködai-in, Daigo-ji in Yamashiro.
lotus and carrying khakkhara and precious pearl which emits a thin cloudof smoke. Picture from the Kamakura period (11921332). From the Kokkwa,

150

Nr. 197, PI. II, p. 457
Jizö with pearl and khakkhara. The beings of the six gati, all to be saved byhim, appear between the rays of his halo. Picture from the Kamakura period.
Imperial Museum, Tokyo. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 217, PI. III, p. 333
Jizö as a priest with khakkhara and pearl, standing on a cloud, saves a childfrom the waves. From a makimono (Jizö engl) by KOSE ARIYASU (first half of152

the i4th Century). Kokkwa, Nr. 25, PI. IV, upper scene
Jizö as a priest with pearl and khakkhara, accompanied by his two young attendants,
Shözen (benevolent, carrying a lotus) and Shö-aku (menacing, carrying a
stick or club). Wooden Image in the possession of Mr. PETRUCCI, Brüssels

155

150

.

Fig. 34.

151

A

—

Fig- 35-.

Fig. 36.

Fig- 37-

s

.

.

154

168

CONTENTS.

IV

Page

Fig. 20.

Jizö in Amida's retinue, welcoming a holy soul.
portable shrine in the Zenrinji at Kyoto.

One of the six door leaves of a
From TAJIMA, Select Rehes,'Vol. I, PI. XIV, 2
Jizö in Amida's heaven, the Western Paradise (Sukhävati). From the same
makimono to which Fig. 15 17 belong
A Japanese grave monument (A. D. 1738) Jizö standing with precious pearl
Idem (Genroku era or somewhat later) Jizö seated upon lotus, with precious pearl
Idem (1700): Jizö, standing upon a lotus, with a rosary in his hands
Jizö as one of the "Secret Buddhas" of the 30 days of the month (the 24th day),with the Lanca sign for the syllable ha, attributed to him by the Shingon.

Fig. 21.

Fig. 22.
Fig. 23.
Fig. 24.
Fig. 25.

—

:

:

....

sect.

Butsuzö zui

III, p. 4 b

Fig. 26.

Jizö, to be invocated on the 35th day after death.

Fig. 27.

One of Jizö's

oldest shapes:

Butsuzö zui IV, p. 7 b
a Bodhisattva seated upon a lotus, carrying an
.

.

.

126
127
129
130
131

132
133

almsbowl in his left hand and holding his right hand over it. From the Kokkwa,
Nr. 156, p. 23s
Fig. 28.
Fig. 29.
Fig. 30.

Fig. 31.

146

One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a priest seated upon a lotus, with lotus flower andabhayamudrä. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 156, p. 234
One of Jizö's oldest shapes: a Bodhisattva seated upon a lotus, with lotus flower
and abhayamudrä. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 156, p. 234
Jizö with pearl and lotus, upon which a small banner. Butsuzö zui IV, p. 8 b
Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus and carrying three precious pearls in his left
hand, whereas his right hand makes the abhayamudrä. Type of the Jizö Imagesof the Heian, Fujiwara and Gempei periods (A. D. 794
1 185) From the Kokkwa,—

Fig. 32.

Fig. 33.

147
148
149

.

Nr. 159, p. 48
Jizö as a priest, seated upon lotus, with precious pearl and khakkhara. Typeof the Jizö Images of the Kamakura and later periods. From the Kokkwa,
Nr. 159, p. 48
Jizö as a priest, seated upon a lotus, with a precious pearl in his left, the right

150

ISO

hand apparently having carried the khakkhara (woodenimageof the I2th Century,
Fujiwara 6r Gempei period). From the Kokkwa, Nr. 99, p. 52, PI. V. Now
Fig. 34.

in the CoUection FUCHS, Tübingen
Jizö of Ködai-in, Daigo-ji in Yamashiro. A priest with two haloes, seated upon
lotus and carrying khakkhara and precious pearl which emits a thin cloudof smoke. Picture from the Kamakura period ( 1 1 921332) . From the Kokkwa,
Nr. 197, PI. II, p. 457
Jizö with pearl and khakkhara. The beings of the six gati, all to be saved byhim, appear between the rays of his halo. Picture from the Kamakura period.
Imperial Museum, Tokyo. From the Kokkwa, Nr. 217, PI. III, p. 333 .
Jizö as a priest with khakkhara and pearl, standing on a cloud, saves a childfrom the waves. From a makimono {Jizö engl) by KOSE ARIYASU (first half of

151—

Fig. 35.

.

Fig. 36.

the I4th Century).
Fig- 37-

ß

Kokkwa,Nr. 25,PI. IV,.

Upper scene

Jizö eis a priest with pearl and khakkhara, accompanied by his twoyoungattendants,
Shözen (benevolent, carrjning a lotus) and Shö-aku (menacing, carrying a
stick or club). Wooden image in the possession of Mr. PETRUCCI, Brüssels

152

154

155

168

Date DueW^^m^^^^^^^^ßW^^^M

Ytsser, M. W. de.
AUTKOR

The BodMsattva Ti^sang (jizo) in
TiTLE China and Japan.

;!

.^.':-

I