September 29, 2007
On the Kishimojin Statues
Kishimojin is the Japanese form of the Indic divinity Hariti. Originally, Hariti is a Raksha {cannibal damons; ogres, ugly dwarves}, beings similar to the Trolls in Tolkien's tales. They are related to the more benign beings known as Dwarves, except the Trolls eat people. Hariti is/was the mother of 500 children; though some accounts give this as 100, 1000, etc. Her mate was Pancika, the Chief General in the Army of Kubera, king of the Raksha.
Kishimo appears in the Dharani Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, along with ten {10} of her daughters. Oddly enough, these daughters are a different species, they are Rakshashi, or, in Japan, Rasetsu-nyo. 'Ju' means ten, and 'nyo' means they are female – hence, they are dubbed the Ju-rasetsu-nyo. Their names are Lamba, Vilamba, Crooked Teeth, Flowery Teeth, Black Teeth, Many Tresses, Insatiable, Necklace Holder, Kunti, and Spirit Snatcher. The Rakshasa are shape shifters who remind me of vampires.
From the Lotus Sutra, Dharani Chapter, Kishimojin and her Ten Rasetsunyo daughters utter, "If there are those who fail to heed our spells and trouble and disrupt the preachers of the Law, their heads will split into seven pieces like the branches of the arjaka."
[if one touches the Arjaka or Basil shrub, the flower spike or blossom falls off with its branch and breaks apart. The Coleus has a similar flower spike, as do Sage, Peppermint, and other members of the mint family. ]
Kishimojin's name is on a number of Nichiren mandalas, as is Jurasetsunyo. Both the Raksha and the Rakshasha originally dwell in the realm of rapacious spirits or hungry ghosts; known as Preta {sanskrit} or Gaki {sino-japanese}. So, in one sense they represent the World of Hunger. However, in Buddhist mythology, they are also elevated to the status of protective gods & goddesses' or angel like beings call hiten {飛天} and hitenyo {飛天女}. Nichiren credited their protection with saving him from both the Matsubagayatsu & Komatsubara persecutions.
The story behind this elevation from a depraved demon to angel is as follows: Hariti was evidently kidnapping human children, to feed her own children. This 
caused great suffering among the humans, who appealed to the Buddha for help. The Buddha taught Hariti a lesson by hiding one her children. Hariti, in her grief, then feels remorse for her actions, repents, and vows to use her might to protect children of all species. The Buddha then returns her child. Over time, the iconography of Hariti assumed the maternal Koyasu form; similar to the Koyasu or child giving form of Kanzeon; of whom Kishimojin is sometimes seen as an emanation.
Note that there are two forms of Kishimojin. One is the fierce or wrathful Yasha Troll form of Hariti, the demon mother who dwells in the realm of rapacious spirits clled Preta or Gaki. The other is the benevolent Koyasu form, shown as a kind of angel, or heavenly maiden, known as hitenyo. Both are traditionally venerated by Nichiren Buddhists. According to a legend, Nichiren is said to have carved a statue of Kishimojin, shortly after the Komatsubara attack. This is kept in the Kishimojin-do at Nakayama Hokkekyoji. I am not sure which form this is, as I now have conflicting information. I believe it is the fierce, demon troll form.
I have an image of the Koyasu form; that was labeled as enshrined at the Kishimojin-do at Nakayama. Evidently, Nakayama has two Kishimon Halls, side by side? I think the Koyasu Kishimo there was carved during the Edo Era. I also have an image of the demon troll form, which I think might be from Mobara Sogenji, though I am not sure. That fiercer form is also seen in the Statuary Mandala at Tanjoji from the Edo Era. I believe these are copies of the statue said to be carved by Nichiren.
Posted by rbeck at September 24, 2007 07:01 PM
Posted by rbeck at September 29, 2007 02:08 PM