Standing Bishamonten of Tōdai-ji is one of the guardians of a Buddhist temple called Tōdai-ji, or Tadaiji, in Nara, Japan. This statue is from the Kamakura Period, in the first half of the thirteenth century. The original artist is unknown, because the statue was not signed. It stands about 42 cm (17 in) tall and is made of Cypress wood. It is a painted wood statue and is inlaid with crystals.
Contents
The statue is male and is of the god Bishamon. This god is standing on a demon that looks like a small lion. He is wearing shoes, shin guards, armored pants, and chest armor. He is holding a lance in his left hand, otherwise known as a partisan or spear. He is holding a stuppa in his right hand, otherwise known as a pagoda-shaped shrine or houtou that came to symbolize the treasure house of Buddhist treasures. He is wearing tight armor that reaches past his knees. On each breast is a swirl design with a more geometrical design dividing the breasts (the sternum area). He is wearing a cloak over his armor that hangs all the way to the ground and is very curvilinear. The sleeves of this cloak hang from his elbows, also in a very curvilinear fashion. These curves offset the hard armor that will not give or bend. The way that he stands is also very curvilinear in style. The lines of the cloak and his posture give the deity the appearance of motion, agility, and energy. It even seems that the wind is actually blowing his garment. This is offset by the armor and his proportional size that stands for his physical strength and power. He was created to put fear into demons and human invaders. He also wears a crown or halo of gold that is on fire. His hair is very neatly put up into a bun on the very top of his head. Also he does not have much of a neck, and what neck he does have is covered by his armor. There is an armor plate that covers his belly and then other armored plates that hang over and past his hips. He has a very serious look on his face.
Other names
Bishamon is also called standing Bishamonten and Tamonten which means ”listens to many teachings” and “the Black Warrior”. He is also associated with the names Vaisravana (“one who hears everything in the kingdom”), Vessavana, Kubera, Jambhala, and Sanskrit. This god is recognized in China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and India, but under these different names. Bishamon is one of the guardian kings of the four quarters and Bishamon is the guardian of the North. The color black is also associated with the northern quarter of the compass in which he watches over.
Home
Bishamon lives halfway down Mount Sumeru, according to myth, on the north side (of which he is in charge). It would be hard to gauge this location, because even though the height of the mountain is around four and a half miles, the mountain continues below ground level underneath the bodies of water that surround it. It is supposed to go far enough down that there is no way to properly measure it. This mountain was thought to be the center mountain of the world.
Type of god
This is one of the guardians of Buddhist temples that are in important cities. He is to guard the temple, the city, the emperor, and that region to the north against demons and foreign invaders. He is one of Japan’s household divinities, one of four Deva kings, and one of twelve Deva guardians. Bishamon is one of the seven gods of good luck (fortune) called, shichifukujin. He is also known for healing, protecting the emperor from illness, the dispenser of wealth and good fortune, and repelled of demons that bring plague. He was not only the protector of the Buddhist temple, but the dispenser of its wealth as well. Bishamon is the equivalent to the Hindu god of riches. He was held in high regard in Japan and worshiped at the temple. He is the god of dignity that keeps evil, punishes evildoers, and keeps the devil under control.
Seven Lucky Gods
The household divinities are thought to have human faults and thought to leaning towards their own enjoyment. They are also thought to be mortal, living about ninety thousand, or even nine million years. The household divinities consist of seven different divinities; Ebisu, Daikuku, Bishamon, Benten, Fukurokuji, Jurojin, and Hotei.
Attributes
Bishamon, because of his armor and spear, is incorrectly included among the gods of war. Commonly in early sword blades, before the use of intaglios, engravings to invoke Buddhist divinities, such as Bishamon, were used for protection on the battlefield. The audience of the statue was, however, warriors and people of a warrior culture.