On the Distinctive Iconography of the “Kiyomizu-Temple Style” Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara in China and Japan

• In Event: Panel 1: Border-Crossing Bodhisattvas in East Asia

Abstract

The “Kiyomizu-Temple style” (named for the temple in Kyoto) of Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara image in Japan displays a very distinctive iconography of showing only forty-two main hands. Especially unusual are the two hands holding up a small Buddha above the head, thought to have no source in any corresponding sūtra. Ordinarily, images of Thousand-Armed Avaokiteśvara in Japan include one hand holding a small Buddha to one side rather than above the head. However, many images of the Thousand-Armed Avaokiteśvara in the distinctive "Kiyomizu-Temple style" are known from China of the Tang and Song dynasties, so it appears this style was a popular choice among the iconographies of Thousand-Armed Avaokiteśvara in East Asia. Furthermore, it is indeed possible to find iconographic authority for this form in certain sūtras. Given an accurate interpretation of the sources, it becomes clear that the iconography of the two hands holding up a small Buddha above the head indicates the assurance of future enlightenment for the worshiper by touching the head. Interestingly, Japanese documents dating to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries mention that the small Buddha in the hands above the head has the potential to make assurance of future enlightenment by itself. It demonstrates a close relationship between the iconography of the “Kiyomizu-Temple Style” and the chanting of the Dabeixin dhāraṇī 大悲心陀羅尼 by worshipers. Evidently, the “Kiyomizu-Temple Style” was brought to Japan from China along with one of the most significant rites of the Thousand-Armed Avaokiteśvara.

Author

• Tamami Hamada, Yokohama College of Art and Design