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Narayana, or Visnu-Narayana of the Brahmanical religion is another notable deity in Japanese Buddhism. In The Asaba-sho compiled by Shocho (1205-1282) included in the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka.

路151`. Japan this deity is known as Naraen-ten. According to Japanese belief Visnu-Narayana holds unusual strength. Ho generally rides on Karura i.e. Garuda. The figure of Naraen-ten generally has one face with two or three arms or three faces with two arms. When he is three-faced, the left face is of an elephant or lion and the right face should assume the face of a boar. Sometimes he has four or eight arms. i Different Japanese texts, such as the Kongo-kaiShichi-Shu, Shosetsu-Fudo-Ki provide different descriptions of the god. According to these texts, the colour of the body of the god is bluish-black and his hairs are red. The deity has three faces. The middle face looks like that of the face of the human being and it has three eyes. The two side-faces are like those of the animals. is blue and the right one is white. The left one In the Brahmanical texts, the Eghatsamhite, the Vaikhana sagama, there are descriptions of Visnu and his different forms of manifestations. Naraen-ten does not find any important place outside the texts and the Mandaras in Japan. The Japanese Naraen-ten has many feature in common with Brahmanical Visnu. In addition to our above descriptions we may add that the iconographic concept of Visnu-Narayana developed in China in an interesting manner. The Chinese Buddhist

- 152掳 Tripitaka, which had been copied and preserved in Japan, contained the description of the deity. The Tripitaka concern had also been an important source of iconographic inspiration in Japan. Therefore, the descriptions in the Tripitaka are accepted in China and Japan alike. As mentioned in the Tripitaka texts, Visnu-Narayana may have three heads. According to the Jujo-sho (Selection of figures) preserved in the Entsu-ji monastery at Koyasan depicts the deity as having three faces. The principal face looks human while the right face is that of an elephant and the left face is that of a boar. Narayana is seated on Garuda which has spreading wings. This two-armed deity holds a Cakra on the tippf the fore-finger of his right hand. His left hand holds a serpent. The Delhi-Jaizo-Dai Mandara (Mahakarunagarbha Mandata) also describes Narayana with elephant and boar faces. The figure of the deity in one of the Shika-sho-zuzo (figures copied by 4 masters) is depicted as having three faces. The right face is that of a tiger and the left face is that of an elephant. The middle face, however, looks human. The deity is two-armed. He holds a cakra in his right hand and a snake in the left hand. Seated on his mount Garuda, his right leg hangs below, 2 1. Cf. D. N. Bakshi's "Iconography of Visnu Narayana In China And Japan" in Journal of Ancient Indian History & Culture, Vol. XIV, Pts. 1-2, 1983-84, pp. 285 ff. 2. Ibid.

- 153 The deity is described in the text Shishu-gomahonzon narabini kenzaku-zuzo (Figures of main divinities and their attendants of the four-kinds of homa), as having three heads and other objects. Interestingly enough, winged bird Garuda has a face that looks human. The original figure of the deity was drawn in the collection concern in 821 A.D. This Narayana figure is used during the 'goma' (homa) ritual. The Kakuzen-sho depicts Narayana's principal face as that of a human being, but the other two faces are like the elephants, Different other texts, such as, the Shinshu-goma honzonnarabini-kenzaku-zuzo; the Kongo-kai-kuedai-mandara (Nine mandalas as in the Vajradha tu-mahamandala,Ninna-ji temple version); etc. describe the deity as single headed. In this aspect he is described as two-armed and holding either a cakra or a sperical object in one of his hands. The symbolic representation of Visnu-Narayana is described in the Kongo-kai-jue-dai-mandara. In this text the deity is represented by a cakra placed on a lotus. This text also describes the consort of the deity. She is also portrayed in the mandalas. In Japan Visnu's vehicle Karura or Garuda occupies an independent position and this demi-god is placed in the ten-bu group, The figure of Karura is also sometime depicted independently. He is considered to be the king of birds and his food is ryu, i.e. snake or Naga. Karura is represented either as a bird or as having a composite body the body is that of a human but the head is of a bird.

- 154 Interestingly all these human features are quite common in the representation of Garuda in India.¹