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From the point of view of iconographic classifications Japanese images were traditionally divided into four broad categories such as (1) Nyorai bu or Hotoke bu (the group of images of the various Buddhas); (11) Bosatsu bu (the group of images of Bodhisattvas); (iii) Myo-o bu (the group of images of the fierce-looking deities) and (iv) Ten bu (the group of Deva images). But division into eight categories have provided a greater scope of more minute classification in which Kannon Bodhisattvas were placed in a separate group allowing us to undertake the differences between other Bodhisattvas and a wide variety of Kannon or Avalokitesvara images. The heavenly bodies were put under the SheishukU bu. It has also been very convenient to study the images of the Shinto deities, who have been given place in the group named Rakan or Kosho bu and celebrated priests and monks of India, China 1. Hindu divinities in Japanese Buddhist Pantheon, p. 21.

and Japan. The first group, as mentioned above, is known as Butsu or Nyorai or Hotoke-bu, which includes the images of various Buddhas only. The form of these images indicate the features of Sakyamuni after his attainment of Buddhahood. The idealised Buddhas, such as, Amitabha, Bhaisajyaguru, Dipankara, Mahavairocana, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amoghasiddhi; and Ratnaketu are included in this section. The Horyuji temple of the Asuka period preserves many of the noteworthy representations of the Butsu or Nyorai images belonging to the Nyorai-bu. The Nara period is considered to be the golden period in the history of Japanese religious art, especially the Buddhist Art. The excellence in the Art of painting can be well be studied from the Horyu-ji, murals.¹ (Unfortunately the original paintings were destroyed by a fire in 1949). L On the walls of the golden Hall of the Horyu-ji temple there were the painting of Amida or Amitabha Buddha and the accessory figures of the deity were of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta. Buddha Ratnasambhava, Bhaisajyaguru and Sakyamuni appeared on the other walls. There are, however, different views regarding the identification of the Buddhas of the other walls. We quote below the The well-known Horyu-ji temple was built near 'Nara' in 607 A.D. The famous technique of paintings on the walls of the Horyu-ji resembles the style of the paintings of the cave of Ajanta in India.

} 95said views : According to a collection (13th century) concerning Prince Shotoku, the arrangements of the various Buddhas in their respective paradise were depicted as follows : 1) Eastern Eural - Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru) 2) Western Mural - Amida (Amitabha) North-eastern - Shaka 3) Mural (Sakyamuni) 4) North-western - Miroku Mural (Maitreya) Hosho (Ratnasambhava) Amida (Amitabha) Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru) Shaka (Sakyamuni) According to the Suvarnaprabhasa sutra the deities on the walls should have been as under 1) Eastern Mural 2) Western Mural Ashuku (Ak sobhya) 3) North-eastern Mural 4) North-western Mural Amida (Amitabha) Hosho (Ratnasambhava) Minyosho (?) There is yet another view. Different sects of the Horyu-ji temple describe the deities on the walls as - 1) Shaka (sakyamuni) on the Eastern Wall 2) Amida (Amitabha) on the Western Wall 3) Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru) on the Western Wall 4) Miroku (Maitreya) on the North Western Wall.' 1. Pageant of Japanese Art (Painting) (P), p. 16 1

- 96. The appearance of Gautama Buddha after his attaining of Bodhi became the model for giving shape and form of the image of the Buddha. In addition to this priestly robes, the Buddha figures should bear "thirty-two" physical marks. The Kongo-Kyo or the Daimond Sutra (Vairacchedika Prajnapar蓹mita Sutra in Sanskrit) which was translated into Chinese by Kumarjiva between 402 and 312 A.D. mentions about "thirty-two" special marks or superior signs of the Tathagata. The Chinese translations of Abbiniskramana Sutra done in 69 or 70 A.D. for the first time, also mentions about these signs and also about eighty personal signs on the body of prince Siddhartha. Accordingly, we find that Buddha images in Japan too contain a number of distinctive marks, some of which are as follows: Snail-shell pattern of the curl of hair known as Rahotsu in Japanese, small tuft of white hair on the forehead thatsymbolises emission of ray of light (Byokugo in Japanese), golden coloured body, hands should reach below the knees, a halo behind the head, webbed fingers and toes, thousand-spoked wheel marks underneath the feet, mudra or hand gesture, hanging of thin priestly robe across the chest, partly covered or fully exposed shoulder & etc. Each idealised Buddha - should have his own mudra, but Some of the idealised Buddhas in Japanese Buddhism are : Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana Buddha), Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha) Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru), Ashuku Nyorai (Aksobhya), Hosho Nyoral (Batnasambhava), Fuku-Jo-Ju-Nyorai (Amoghasiddhi), Shaka Nyorai (Sakyamuni), Joko Butsu (Dipankara).

- 97 in many cases the prescribed forms of mudras have not been strictly followed. Therefore, many hand symbols or gestures are found to be common to all Buddhas.