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Mantokuji


The silk coloured Aizomemyoo


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<IMG src="map/mantokuji.png" width="250" height="200">
registered location Owner
H12. May 21st. Prefecture Cultural Property Kanaya, Obama city Mantokuji Shingon sect Koyasan


 Aizomemyoo is the main Myoo which control one's wealth, health, life, love and Cyofuku(to stop bad thing). It is an angry face, but its heart is full of love which leads people's desires to spiritual enlightenment.

 According to the Keiten(Yugikyo), it puts a Shishi crown on the head, and has three angry eyes. Its body is red and stands on the lotus seat. It has 6 hands, having a Kongou bell, a Kongou sword, a fist, Gokosyo, a Kongou Sen(arrow) and a lotus flower in each hands. Sometime, there are other type of Aizomemyoo, Tenkyuaizome which a bow is held up on the head and an arrow is shot in the heavens or Soto (two head, one is Fudo and another is Aizome). Aizomemyoo was transferred by great Buddhism priest Koho and there are some statues as the important Buddha in esoteric Buddhism.

 It is drawn as original, and description as if stamens and pistils nearly drops out is influenced by Chinese drawings. The colours are also unified in deep red and it seems to be elegant but solemn. However, the angry face or fires look rather flat and became fitted patterns, it is considered to be drawn in the end of Kamakura period. It is 84.0cm long and 41.8cm wide.

 Most of drawings which kept in Mantokuji were drawn in between Heian period to Muromachi period, and these are small works but composition is so specific. According to the temple, Mantokuji used to be a Tendairyu-temple called Gokurakuji. It is written that this drawing belonged to Gokurakuji, according to Wakasakokusoudansucyousya in Bunei 2(1265), thus it had been drawn already. There is a sign (Man-ji) in down left part which written later, it seems to be the sign of Man-toku-ji.