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戦争と平和のモニュメント-近現代における観音像の変容から-

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Kimijima A.

Analecta Nipponica

2017

issue 7

157-186

The focus of the article is to present the changes in Kannon bodhisattva’s statues created before and after the war, and to shed light on the religious aspect of the issue of “war and peace”, based on material culture research. The topic of national monuments catches the attention of Japanese society as well as academic research circles due to the lawsuits regarding cenotaphs commemorating war heroes, often seen as a violation of the separation of religion and state. The most known one being the case of Yasukuni Shrine, therefore the rituals observed to honor the fallen also come into focus. While on the topic of wartime martyrdom, the Buddhist role should be mentioned. For example the monument of Kannon Victorious, erected after the Russo-Japanese war, stands proof to the notion that the cult of this bodhisattva cannot be interpreted from Buddhist teachings perspective only. While mapping the changes in Kannon monuments, the author looks into when, by whom and why the monuments were created, and what form took on. The early Shōwa period witnessed the development of the “World Kannon Movement”. The Kannon statues of the time were dedicated to wartime heroes. In order to stress the friendly relationships between China and Japan at the time, a monument exchange was conducted. The great Higashiyama Kannon statue was transported to Nankin, and in return Japan received a statue of a thousand-handed Kannon. The images of Kannon, the symbol of mercy and brotherhood, are numerous amongst the material cultural heritage. Soldiers would often address Kannon, the Protector from Bullets. Right after the war it was common to give figures of Kannon to the families of the fallen soldiers. Kannon was revered as the patron of the spirits of the soldiers (for example The Kannon of the Kamikaze). On the other hand in the regions especially touched by the war, like Hiroshima or Nagasaki, the statues of Kannon were erected for the memory of the victims or as a prayer for health. The statues of Kannon of Peace mostly show the bodhisattva as female. For the regular honoring of the dead it was customary to use statues of Jizō or Amida Buddha. For the cenotaphs the statue of Kannon seemed more proper. It is mostly Kannon whom we see in monuments of national heroes. At the same time Kannon is considered to be the patron of world peace. The changes in social environment influenced the form of Kannon statues. This influence would reach deeper than the forms of honoring the memory of the dead. The statues of Kannon can be regarded as monuments symbolizing the Buddhist faith since ceremonies for the dead hold a special place in Buddhist belief.

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1 Analecta Nipponica

1 Kimijima A.

1 2017

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戦争と平和のモニュメント-近現代における観音像の変容から-