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Lute, Sword, Snake, and Parasol: The Formation of the Standard Iconography of the Four Heavenly Kings in Chinese Buddhist Art |
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| Author |
Zhu, Tianshu (著)
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| Source |
Religions
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| Volume | v.14 n.6 |
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| Date | 2023.06 |
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| Pages | 26 |
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| Publisher | MDIP |
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| Publisher Url |
https://www.mdpi.com/
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| Location | Basel, Switzerland [巴塞爾, 瑞士] |
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| Content type | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
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| Language | 英文=English |
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| Note | 1. Author Affiliation: University of Macau.
2. Religions 2023, 14(6), 798. |
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| Keyword | Four Heavenly Kings; Khara Khoto; lute-sword-snake-parasol |
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| Abstract | The Four Heavenly Kings, Sida Tianwang 四大天王, are the guardians of the four quarters of the world in Buddhism. They are among the most frequently represented protective deities in Buddhist art across different traditions. In their standard iconographies developed in China popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911), they wear full armor, and each holds exclusive attributes—lute (pipa 琵琶), sword, snake, and parasol—from the east, south, west, to the north respectively. There is no direct textual base in the Chinese cannon for such iconographies. Neither can we find prototypes in India or central Asia. Indeed, how did this iconographic group develop in China? In the past, since the standard iconographies of the Four Heavenly Kings are clear, and identification is no problem, comprehensive in-depth study on this is lacking. Actually, those attributes came from a Tantric tradition related to Tibetan Buddhism filtered through the Xi Xia (1036–1227) and Yuan (1206–1368). What revealed in the development of this iconography is the complex relationship among the Tibetan, Tanguts, Mongols, and Chinese Buddhism. |
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| Table of contents | Abstract 1
Keywords 1
1. Xi Xia Images: A New Set of Four Attributes of the Four Heavenly Kings 3
2. Developed from the Tantric Tradition of Tibet 7
3. Yuan Images: A New Iconography in China and Tibet 15
4. Conclusions 21
Notes 22
References 24
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| ISSN | 20771444 (E) |
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| DOI | 10.3390/rel14060798 |
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| Hits | 223 |
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| Created date | 2023.10.05 |
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| Modified date | 2023.10.05 |
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