"adoration to the great merciful kwannon, who looketh down above the sound of prayer."
an inscription.
kwannon
kwannon, the goddess of mercy, resembles in many ways the no less merciful and gentle jizo, for both renounced the joy of nirvana that they might bring peace and happiness to others. kwannon, however, is a much more complex divinity than jizo, and though she is most frequently portrayed as a very beautiful and saintly japanese woman, she nevertheless assumes a multitude of forms. we are familiar with certain indian gods and goddesses with innumerable hands, and kwannon is sometimes depicted as senjiu-kwannon, or kwannon-of-the-thousand-hands.[1] each hand holds an object of some kind, as if to suggest that here indeed was a goddess ready in her love to give and to answer prayer to the uttermost.
then there is jiu-ichi-men-kwannon, the kwannon-of-the-eleven-faces. the face of kwannon is here represented as "smiling with eternal youth and infinite tenderness," and in her glowing presence the ideal of the divine feminine is presented with infinite beauty of conception. in the tiara of jiu-ichi-men-kwannon are exquisite faces, a radiation, as it were, of miniature kwannons. sometimes the tiara of kwannon takes another form, as in bato-kwannon, or kwannon-with-the-horse's-head. the title is a little misleading, for such a graceful creature is very far from possessing a[pg 200] horse's head in any of her manifestations. images of this particular kwannon depict a horse cut out in the tiara. bato-kwannon is the goddess to whom peasants pray for the safety and preservation of their horses and cattle, and bato-kwannon is not only said to protect dumb animals, particularly those who labour for mankind, but she extends her power to protecting their spirits and bringing them ease and a happier life than they experienced while on earth. in sharp contrast with the kwannons we have already described is hito-koto-kwannon, the kwannon who will only answer one prayer. the gods of love and wisdom are frequently represented in conjunction with this goddess, and the "twenty-eight followers" are personifications of certain constellations. but in all the variations of kwannon she preserves the same virgin beauty, and this goddess of mercy has not inappropriately been called the japanese madonna.
kwannon in chinese myth
in china kwannon is known as kwanjin, and is the spiritual son of amitâbha, but this divinity always appears as a goddess, as her images in both china and japan testify. the chinese claim that kwanjin is of native origin, and was originally the daughter of the king of the chow dynasty. she was sentenced to death by her father because she refused to marry, but the executioner's sword broke without inflicting a wound. we are told that later on her spirit went to hell. there was something so radiantly beautiful about the spirit of kwanjin that her very presence turned hell into paradise. the king of the infernal regions, in order to maintain the gloomy aspect of his realm, sent kwanjin back to earth again, and he caused her to be miraculously transported on a lotus flower to the island of pootoo.
[pg 201]
an incarnation of kwannon
chujo hime, a buddhist nun, is generally regarded as the greatest early japanese artist of embroidery, and, according to legend, she was an incarnation of kwannon. chujo hime met with much cruel treatment from her stepmother, until she finally retired to the temple of toema-dera, and there worked upon the wonderful lotus thread embroidery depicting the buddhist paradise. the design is so exquisite that we can easily understand the japanese belief that the gods helped this great artist in her work.
kwannon the mother
there is another remarkable embroidery, by kano hogai, depicting kwannon as the divine mother, pouring forth from a crystal phial the water of creation. as this holy water falls in a series of bubbles, each bubble may be seen to contain a little babe with reverently folded hands. it is altogether a wonderful piece of work, and, turning from its pictorial beauty to study a description of its technicalities, we find that it took three years to execute, and that 12,100 different shades of silk, and twelve of gold thread, were used.
the "thirty-three places" sacred to kwannon
there are thirty-three shrines sacred to kwannon. all are carefully numbered, and are to be found in the provinces near kyoto. the following legend may possibly account for the reverence bestowed upon the saikoku sanju-san sho (the "thirty-three places").
when the great buddhist abbot of the eighth century, tokudo shonin, died, he was conducted into the presence of emma-Ō, the lord of the dead. the castle in which emma-Ō lived was resplendent with silver and gold,[pg 202] rosy pearls, and all manner of sparkling jewels. a light emanated from emma-Ō too, and that dread god had a smile upon his face. he received the distinguished abbot with extreme courtesy, and thus addressed him:
"tokudo shonin, there are thirty-three places where kwannon reveals her special favour, for behold she has, in her boundless love, divided herself into many bodies, so that he who cries for aid shall not cry in vain. alas! men continue to go their evil ways, for they know not of these sacred shrines. they live their sordid lives and pass into hell, a vast and countless number. oh, how blind they are, how wayward, and how full of folly! if they were to make but a single pilgrimage to these thirty-three shrines sacred to our lady of mercy, a pure and wonderful light would shine from their feet, feet made spiritually strong to crush down all evil, to scatter the hundred and thirty-six hells into fragments. if, in spite of this pilgrimage, one should chance to fall into hell, i will take his place and receive into myself all his suffering, for if this happened my tale of peace would be false, and i should indeed deserve to suffer. here is a list of the thirty-and-three sacred shrines of kwannon. take it into the troubled world of men and women, and make known the everlasting mercy of kwannon."
tokudo, having carefully listened to all emma-Ō had told him, replied: "you have honoured me with such a mission, but mortals are full of doubts and fears, and they would ask for some sign that what i tell them is indeed true."
emma-Ō at once presented the abbot with his jewelled seal, and, bidding him farewell, sent him on his way accompanied by two attendants.
while these strange happenings were taking place in the underworld the disciples of tokudo perceived[pg 203] that though their master's body had lain for three days and nights the flesh had not grown cold. the devoted followers did not bury the body, believing that their master was not dead. and such was indeed the case, for eventually tokudo awakened from his trance, and in his right hand he held the jewelled seal of emma-Ō.
tokudo lost no time in narrating his strange adventures, and when he had concluded his story he and his disciples set off on a pilgrimage to the thirty-three holy places[2] over which the goddess of mercy presides.
list of the "thirty-three places"
the following is a complete list of the "thirty-three places" sacred to kwannon:
[pg 204]
1. fudaraku-ji, at nachi, in kishu.
2. kimii-dera, near wakayama, in kishu.
3. kokawa-dera, in kishu.
4. sefuku-ji, in izumi.
5. fujii-dera, in kawachi.
6. tsubosaka-dera, in yamato.
7. oka-dera, in yamato.
8. hase-dera, in yamato.
9. nan-eno, at nara, in yamato.
10. mimuroto-dera, at uji, in yamashiro.
11. kami daigo-dera, at uji, in yamashiro.
12. iwama-dera, in Ōmi.
13. ishiyama-dera, near Ōtsu, in Ōmi.
14. miidera, near Ōtsu, in Ōmi.
15. ima-gumano, at kyoto, in yamashiro.
16. kiyomizu-dera, at kyoto.
17. rokuhara-dera, at kyoto.
18. rokkaku-do, at kyoto.
19. kodo, at kyoto.
20. yoshimine-dera, at kyoto.
21. anoji, in tamba.
22. sojiji, in settsu.
23. katsuo-dera, in settsu.
24. nakayama-dera, near kobe, in settsu.
25. shin kiyomizu-dera, in harima.
26. hokkeji, in harima.
27. shosha-san, in harima.
28. nareai-ji, in tango.
29. matsunoo-dera, in wakasa.
30. chikubu-shima, island in lake biwa, in Ōmi.
31. chomeiji, in Ōmi.
32. kwannonji, in Ōmi.
33. tanigumi-dera, near tarui, in mino.[3]
the "hall of the second moon"
the buddhist temple of ni-gwarsu-do ("hall of the second moon") contains a small copper image of kwannon. it has the miraculous power of being warm like living flesh, and since the image was enshrined special services in honour of kwannon take place in february, and on the 18th of each month the sacred image is exposed for worship.
kwannon and the deer
an old hermit named saion zenji took up his abode on mount nariai in order that he might be able to gaze upon the beauty of ama-no-hashidate, a narrow fir-clad promontory dividing lake iwataki and miyazu bay. ama-no-hashidate is still regarded as one of the sankei, or "three great sights," of japan, and still mount[pg 205] nariai is considered the best spot from which to view this charming scene.
on mount nariai this gentle and holy recluse erected a little shrine to kwannon not far from a solitary pine-tree. he spent his happy days in looking upon ama-no-hashidate and in chanting the buddhist scriptures, and his charming disposition and holy ways were much appreciated by the people who came to pray at the little shrine he had so lovingly erected for his own joy and for the joy of others.
the hermit's abode, delightful enough in mild and sunny weather, was dreary in the winter-time, for when it snowed the good old man was cut off from human intercourse. on one occasion the snow fell so heavily that it was piled up in some places to a height of twenty feet. day after day the severe weather continued, and at last the poor old hermit found that he had no food of any kind. chancing to look out one morning, he saw that a deer was lying dead in the snow. as he gazed upon the poor creature, which had been frozen to death, he remembered that it was unlawful in the sight of kwannon to eat the flesh of animals; but on thinking over the matter more carefully it seemed to him that he could do more good to his fellow creatures by partaking of this deer than by observing the strict letter of the law and allowing himself to starve in sight of plenty.
when saion zenji had come to this wise decision he went out and cut off a piece of venison, cooked it, and ate half, with many prayers of thanksgiving for his deliverance. the rest of the venison he left in his cooking-pot.
eventually the snow melted, and several folk hastily wended their way from the neighbouring village, and ascended mount nariai, expecting to see that their good and much-loved hermit had forever passed away from this world. as they approached the shrine,[pg 206] however, they were rejoiced to hear the old man chanting, in a clear and ringing voice, the sacred buddhist scriptures.
the folk from the village gathered about the hermit while he narrated the story of his deliverance. when, out of curiosity, they chanced to peep into his cooking-pot, they saw, to their utter amazement, that it contained no venison, but a piece of wood covered with gold foil. still wondering what it all meant, they looked upon the image of kwannon in the little shrine, and found that a piece had been cut from her loins, and when they inserted the piece of wood the wound was healed. then it was that the old hermit and the folk gathered about him realised that the deer had been none other than kwannon, who, in her boundless love and tender mercy, had made a sacrifice of her own divine flesh.
benten
"the wild flowers fade, the maple-leaves,
touched by frost-fingers, float to earth;
but on the bosom of the sea
the flowers to which her waves give birth
fade not, like blossoms on the land,
nor feel the chill of autumn's hand."
yasuhide. (trans. by clara a. walsh.)
benten, the goddess of the sea, is also one of the seven divinities of luck; and she is romantically referred to as the goddess of love, beauty, and eloquence. she is represented in japanese art as riding on a dragon or serpent, which may account for the fact that in certain localities snakes are regarded as being sacred. images of benten depict her as having eight arms. six hands are extended above her head and hold a bow, arrow, wheel, sword, key, and sacred jewel, while her two remaining hands are reverently crossed in prayer. she resembles kwannon in many[pg 207] ways, and images of the two goddesses are frequently seen together, but the shrines of benten are usually to be found on islands.
benten and the dragon
we have already referred to benten riding on a dragon, and the following legend may possibly be connected with this particular representation.
in a certain cave there lived a formidable dragon, which devoured the children of the village of koshigoe. in the sixth century benten was determined to put a stop to this monster's unseemly behaviour, and having caused a great earthquake she hovered in the clouds over the cave where the dread dragon had taken up his abode. benten then descended from the clouds, entered the cavern, married the dragon, and was thus able, through her good influence, to put an end to the slaughter of little children. with the coming of benten there arose from the sea the famous island of enoshima,[4] which has remained to this day sacred to the goddess of the sea.
benten-of-the-birth-water
hanagaki baishu, a young poet and scholar, attended a great festival to celebrate the rebuilding of the amadera temple. he wandered about the beautiful grounds, and eventually reached the place of a spring from which he had often quenched his thirst. he found that what had originally been a spring was now a pond, and, moreover, that at one corner of the pond there was a tablet bearing the words tanjo-sui ("birth-water"), and also a small but attractive temple dedicated to benten. while baishu was noting the[pg 208] changes in the temple grounds the wind blew to his feet a charmingly written love-poem. he picked it up, and discovered that it had been inscribed by a female hand, that the characters were exquisitely formed, and that the ink was fresh.
baishu went home and read and re-read the poem. it was not long before he fell in love with the writer, and finally he resolved to make her his wife. at length he went to the temple of benten-of-the-birth-water, and cried: "oh, goddess, come to my aid, and help me to find the woman who wrote these wind-blown verses!" having thus prayed, he promised to perform a seven days' religious service, and to devote the seventh night in ceaseless worship before the sacred shrine of benten, in the grounds of the amadera.
on the seventh night of the vigil baishu heard a voice calling for admittance at the main gateway of the temple grounds. the gate was opened, and an old man, clad in ceremonial robes and with a black cap upon his head, advanced and silently knelt before the temple of benten. then the outer door of the temple mysteriously opened, and a bamboo curtain was partially raised, revealing a handsome boy, who thus addressed the old man: "we have taken pity on a young man who desires a certain love-union, and have called you to inquire into the matter, and to see if you can bring the young people together."
the old man bowed, and then drew from his sleeve a cord which he wound round baishu's body, igniting one end in a temple-lantern, and waving his hand the while, as if beckoning some spirit to appear out of the dark night. in a moment a young girl entered the temple grounds, and, with her fan half concealing her pretty face, she knelt beside baishu.
then the beautiful boy thus addressed baishu: "we[pg 209] have heard your prayer, and we have known that recently you have suffered much. the woman you love is now beside you." and having uttered these words the divine youth departed, and the old man left the temple grounds.
when baishu had given thanks to benten-of-the-birth-water he proceeded homeward. on reaching the street outside the temple grounds he saw a young girl, and at once recognised her as the woman he loved. baishu spoke to her, and when she replied the gentleness and sweetness of her voice filled the youth with joy. together they walked through the silent streets until at last they came to the house where baishu lived. there was a moment's pause, and then the maiden said: "benten has made me your wife," and the lovers entered the house together.
the marriage was an extremely fortunate one, and the happy baishu discovered that his wife, apart from her excellent domestic qualities, was accomplished in the art of arranging flowers and in the art of embroidery, and that her delicate writing was not less pleasing than her charming pictures. baishu knew nothing about her family, but as she had been presented to him by the goddess benten he considered that it was unnecessary to question her in the matter. there was only one thing that puzzled the loving baishu, and that was that the neighbours seemed to be totally unaware of his wife's presence.
one day, while baishu was walking in a remote quarter of kyoto, he saw a servant beckoning to him from the gateway of a private house. the man came forward, bowed respectfully, and said: "will you deign to enter this house? my master is anxious to have the honour of speaking to you." baishu, who knew nothing of the servant or his master, was not a little[pg 210] surprised by this strange greeting, but he allowed himself to be conducted to the guest-room, and thus his host addressed him:
"i most humbly apologise for the very informal manner of my invitation, but i believe that i have acted in compliance with a message i received from the goddess benten. i have a daughter, and, as i am anxious to find a good husband for her, i sent her written poems to all the temples of benten in kyoto. in a dream the goddess came to me, and told me that she had secured an excellent husband for my daughter, and that he would visit me during the coming winter. i was not inclined to attach very much importance to this dream; but last night benten again revealed herself to me in a vision, and said that to-morrow the husband she had chosen for my daughter would call upon me, and that i could then arrange the marriage. the goddess described the appearance of the young man so minutely that i am assured that you are my daughter's future husband."
these strange words filled baishu with sorrow, and when his courteous host proposed to present him to the lady he was unable to summon up sufficient courage to tell his would-be father-in-law that he already had a wife. baishu followed his host into another apartment, and to his amazement and joy he discovered that the daughter of the house was none other than his own wife! and yet there was a subtle difference, for the woman who now smiled upon him was the body of his wife, and she who had appeared before the temple of benten-of-the-birth-water was her soul. we are told that benten performed this miracle for the sake of her worshippers, and thus it came to pass that baishu had a strange dual marriage with the woman he loved.
[pg 211]
daikoku
daikoku, the god of wealth, ebisu, his son, the god of labour, and hotei, the god of laughter and contentment, belong to that cycle of deities known as the gods of luck. daikoku is represented with a magic mallet, which bears the sign of the jewel, embodying the male and female spirit, and signifies a creative deity. a stroke of his mallet confers wealth, and his second attribute is the rat. daikoku is, as we should suppose, an extremely popular deity, and he is frequently portrayed as a prosperous chinese gentleman, richly apparelled, and is usually shown standing on bales of rice, with a bag of precious things on his shoulder. this genial and beneficent god is also depicted as seated on bales of rice, or showing his treasures to some eager and expectant child, or holding the red sun against his breast with one hand and grasping the magic mallet with the other.
daikoku's rat
daikoku's attribute, a rat, has an emblematic and moral meaning in connection with the wealth hidden in the god's bag. the rat is frequently portrayed either in the bale of rice with its head peeping out, or in it, or playing with the mallet, and sometimes a large number of rats are shown.
according to a certain old legend, the buddhist gods grew jealous of daikoku. they consulted together, and finally decided that they would get rid of the too popular daikoku, to whom the japanese offered prayers and incense. emma-Ō, the lord of the dead, promised to send his most cunning and clever oni, shiro, who, he said, would have no difficulty in conquering the god of wealth. shiro, guided by a sparrow, went to[pg 212] daikoku's castle, but though he hunted high and low he could not find its owner. finally shiro discovered a large storehouse, in which he saw the god of wealth seated. daikoku called his rat and bade him find out who it was who dared to disturb him. when the rat saw shiro he ran into the garden and brought back a branch of holly, with which he drove the oni away, and daikoku remains to this day one of the most popular of the japanese gods. this incident is said to be the origin of the new year's eve charm, consisting of a holly leaf and a skewer, or a sprig of holly fixed in the lintel of the door of a house to prevent the return of the oni.
the six daikoku
1. makura daikoku, ordinary form with mallet on lotus leaf.
2. ojikara daikoku, with sword and vajra.
3. bika daikoku, a priest, with mallet in right hand, vajra-hilted sword in left.
4. yasha daikoku, with wheel of the law in his right hand.
5. shinda daikoku, a boy seated with a crystal in his left hand.
6. mahakara daikoku, seated female, with small bale of rice on her head.
ebisu
ebisu and his father daikoku are usually pictured together: the god of wealth seated upon bales of rice, pressing the red sun against his breast with one hand, and with the other holding the wealth-giving mallet, while ebisu is depicted with a fishing-rod and a great tai fish under his arm.
[pg 213]
hotei
hotei, the god of laughter and contentment, is one of the most whimsical of the japanese gods. he is represented as extremely fat, carrying on his back a linen bag (ho-tei), from which he derives his name. in this bag he stows the precious things, but when in a particularly playful mood he uses it as a receptacle for merry and inquisitive children. sometimes hotei is represented in a broken-down and extremely shabby carriage drawn by boys, and is then known as the waggon priest. again he is portrayed as carrying in one hand a chinese fan and in the other his bag, or balancing at either end of a pole the bag of precious things and a boy.
[1] the title is not accurate, for in reality this form of kwannon possesses only forty hands. no doubt the name is intended to suggest munificence on the part of this goddess.
[2] "in imitation of the original thirty-three holy places, thirty-three other places have been established in eastern japan, and also in the district of chichibu."—murray's handbook for japan, by basil hall chamberlain and w. b. mason.
[3] compiled from murray's handbook for japan.
[4] see glimpses of unfamiliar japan, by lafcadio hearn, vol. i. pp. 62-104.
