Essay name: Buddhist iconography in and outside India (Study)
Author:
Purabi Gangopadhyay
Affiliation: University of Calcutta / Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
This work aims to systematically present the development and expansion of Mahayana-Vajrayana Buddhist iconography from India to other countries, such as China, Korea, and Japan. This study includes a historical account of Indian Buddhist iconography and the integration of Brahmanical gods into the Mahayana-Vajrayana phase.
Chapter 4: Japanese Buddhist Iconography (a Comparative Study)
98 (of 101)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
鈥� 182 Getsu-yo's figure is decorated with bangles, armlets,
necklace, and a crown. In the right hand of the image there
is a crescent moon with a drooping small rabbit. The left
hand of the image is in fist and it is held near its breast.
It is interesting to note that the seed-syllable of
Getsu-yo and Gat-ten (Candradeva) is 'Ca'.
Minor deities
Apart from the above mentioned gods and goddesses
various other gods of Brahmanical origin are also included
in the Ten-bu group.
These gods are to be classified as
minor gods or demi-gods.
Two of these gods are already
mentioned. They are Karura (Garuda) and Kokuan-tennyo
(K膩lar膩tri). These two gods are generally mentioned as the
attendant deities of the two principal Brahmanical gods
Visnu and Yama respectively.
group.
There are few other gods who are also placed in this
They are Rasetsu-ten (Rak峁sa), Taizan Fukun
(Citragupta), Ashura (Asura) etc.
Rasetsu-ten/Raksasa
Rasetsu-ten or Rak峁sa is one of the important demi-
gods in Japan. In India this deity is known as Nirrti both
in the Buddhist and in the Brahmanical ideas,
1 The Visnudharmottara describes Nirrti as dark limbed
1. Vsd, pt. III, Chap. 57,
