The story of the Śibi-Jātaka is one of the well-known tales of the Jātakas. It is depicted in many works of visual art from Gandhāra, the Karakorum Highway, Mathurā, Amarāvatī, Nāgārjunakoṇḍa, Kizil, Dunhuang and other areas. This paper aims to explain the reasons for the dissemination of Śibi-Jātaka imagery north-eastwards from Gandhāra to Kizil and Dunhuang. First, figurative designs of the Śibi-Jātaka found in India, Gandhāra, the Karakorum Highway, Kizil, and Dunhuang are surveyed and it is clarified that the imagery of a falcon chasing a pigeon is confined to Gandhāra, Kizil and Dunhuang. Second, it is demonstrated that this fact corresponds with the contents of the stories described in six Chinese translations of northern Buddhist texts. Third, it is obviously shown that falconry was practiced in West Asia, Central Asia, and China. To conclude, the north-eastward dissemination of Śibi-Jātaka imagery of a falcon chasing a pigeon from Gandhāra to Kizil and Dunhuang was done by Central Asian people who were familiar with falconry.
目次
Introductory remarks 359 Śibi-Jātaka imagery 361 The Śibi-Jātaka in Buddhist Texts 365 The Śibi-Jātaka and Falconry 369 Concluding Remarks 372
