興福寺=Kōfukuji; 南圓堂=Nan'endō; 不空羂索觀音=Fukūkenjaku Kannon; 藤原北家=Northern branch of the Fujiwara clan; 複製=replication
摘要
興福寺南圓堂的本尊不空羂索觀音像在古代一直被認為是藤原氏的守護神，在十一世紀末時開始出現此尊佛像的複製。目前的研究關注這些複製像的年代、形式與風格，對其出現的背景、功能與意義卻少有深入的討論。本文考察十一世紀末到十三世紀間南圓堂本尊的複製像，探究這些作品出現的歷史與政治脈絡，以及它們的機能與造像的意義。藉由分析圖像與文獻，指出單以信仰無法充分解釋南圓堂複製像的出現，這些作品除了用於各式各樣的信仰活動，還有著社會與政治的機能，維繫藤原北家與興福寺、真言宗僧侶的關係，並參與信仰與權力網絡的建構。此外，本文還顯示佛教圖像的複製並非只是機械式地再現原像的樣貌，而是一種圖像的再創造。 Seated on a lotus pedestal with eight arms and three eyes, the icon of the Fukūkenjaku Kannon in the Nan'endō (Southern Round Hall) at Kōfukuji Temple in Nara has been known as the protector of the Northern branch of the Fujiwara clan. This sculpture was enshrined in the building in 813 to commemorate the deceased family members of the Northern Fujiwara clan and pray for their postmortem salvation. In the twelfth century, the icon became identified as the ＂honji (original ground)＂ of Kasuga Daimyōjin, the tutelary kami (local gods) of the Fujiwara clan, at Kasuga Shrine. It is also this period that witnessed the appearance of the copies of this sculpture. Studies on these copies have focused on their form, iconography, and the extent to which they resemble the original. Based on these studies, this article investigates the context in which the replications of the Nan'endō Fukūkenjaku Kannon emerged, their functions, and sociopolitical meanings. By conducting visual analyses of these works along with an examination of the historical background, courtier diaries, iconographical manuals, and esoteric texts, this author argues that while the copies of the Nan'endō Fukūkenjaku Kannon were utilized to conduct various Buddhist practices and express religious piety, they formulated a network of worship that connected the Northern Fujiwara clan with not only Kōfukuji but also Shingon monks, revealing a sociopolitical terrain where secular and religious power intersected. In addition, the illustrations of deer skin, the iconographical feature of Fukūkenjaku Kannon, in some of the copies deviate from that of the original and were appropriated from the Shingon version of Womb World mandalas. This appropriation was intended to mark the agency of Shingon monks in the Northern Fujiwara's worship of the Nan'endō Fukūkenjaku Kannon, and shows that copying was not simply a derivative behavior, but also a creative activity.
