秋は展覧会の季節です。奈良では毎年、正倉院展が開かれます。昨年は組紐で飾られた大幡が出品されたので、勇んで出かけました。全長458ｃｍ幅90の大幡がガラスケースの中に横たわっていました。まさしく威風堂々でした。ケースの上からじっくり見せて頂きました。本当は、幡をひっくり返して、裏側も見たかったです。かなり痛んだ部分もあって、白糸で抑えてありました。本体の幡身が青や赤のアップリケで目を引くものですから、組紐の部分もきっと鮮やかな色だったに違いありません。撚りの強い糸を使った一間組でした。奈良国立博物館の清水健氏の「正倉院の荘厳具－大幡に寄せて－」という講演も拝聴しました。その時のお話が大変興味深かったので、紹介します。
幡とは、古代インドが起源で、中国、朝鮮半島を経て日本に伝来した、仏教荘厳に欠かせない仏具でした。日本への仏教の公式な伝来は552年とされていますが、この時百済の聖明王が日本に贈ったのは、日本書紀によると、「釈迦仏金銅像一体 幡蓋若干 経論若干巻」だったそうです。金剛像を見た欽明天皇（聖徳太子のおじいさん）は、大層心惹かれたそうです。金剛像とお経の巻物と、その他の仏具とは聞いていましたが、その仏具というのが幡蓋だったことを今回初めて知りました。想像ですが、欽明天皇は、光り輝く金剛像もさることながら、はためく色鮮やかな幡にも心躍る気持ちになられたのではないでしょうか。幡というのは、お祭りの時などもそうですが、風にはためいて、人の心を高揚させます。
写真は2011年に法隆寺で行われた聖徳太子1390年御聖諱法要で使われた現代の幡です。法隆寺にはもっとすごい金銅製の潅頂幡が伝わっており、これを復元したものを東京上野の法隆寺宝物館で見ることができます。
正倉院の大幡は、757年5月2日に東大寺で行われた聖武天皇一周忌斎会の時に用いられたそうです。この法要には1500人の僧侶が参列し、大変盛大なものだったそうです。大幡も少なくとも１０本、それより小ぶりの道場幡は600本以上並んでいたそうです。大幡は今残っているのは4メートル余りですが、元は幡脚も入れると15メートルにもなったそうですから、それが10本以上並ぶと圧巻だったに違いありません。しかも、1周忌斎会は奈良の都だけではなく、地方26か国の国分寺国分尼寺でも行われたそうで、そのために丈六の仏像がまだできていない所は急いで完成させよとのお触れが前年の6月3日に出ています。そして12月20日には、潅頂幡1と道場幡29首のセットが既に26か国に送られました。聖武天皇が亡くなって1年の間に一周忌の準備は都と地方において着々と進められ、当日はそれはそれは見事に華やかな法要が営まれたのでした。
大幡を作る職人さんたちはきっと、気合を入れて頑張ったことでしょう。地方へ送る26本は12月までに、東大寺で使う10本以上は翌年6月2日までに仕上げなければなりません。錦や綾などの豪華な材料を集め、色を吟味して、手分けして作業が進められたことでしょう。
組紐は一間組です。幡頭の三角形の部分は山道柄ですが、山道は直線ではなく、緩やかなカーブを描いています。１９９２年発行の「日本の美術１ No.308 組紐」の解説で、当時の道明社長の山岡一晴氏は、「高台ではあのカーブはできません」と述べておられます。私がクテを使って組んだ一間組もよく似たカーブを描いています。
組紐は一間組です。幡頭の三角形の部分は山道柄ですが、山道は直線ではなく、緩やかなカーブを描いています。１９９２年発行の「日本の美術１ No.308 組紐」の解説で、当時の道明社長の山岡一晴氏は、「高台ではあのカーブはできません」と述べておられます。私がクテを使って組んだ一間組もよく似たカーブを描いています。
当時はどんな道具を使ってどんな工房でどんな職人がどんなことを思ってこれらの組紐を組んだのでしょうか。
It is autumn, a season of exhibitions. In Nara, Shosoin Exhibition is held every year. Last year I went there to see the ritual banner decorated with kumihimo. A large banner, 458 cm in length and 90 cm in width, was laid down in a glass case. It did have a full-blown dignity. I could observe the banner through the glass to my heart’s content. I would have been happier if I could have turned the banner to see the backside of it as well. Some parts were severely damaged and were protected with white threads. The main body of the banner was appliqued with red and blue. So the matching kumihimo must have been in vivid colors when it was made. The braids were braided in ikkengumi (single-unit braiding) with strongly twisted threads. I also attended a lecture by Mr. Ken Shimizu of Nara National Museum, which I found very interesting and I am going to tell you about it.
Banners originated in ancient India, and came to Japan through China and Korean Peninsula. They were indispensable ritual ornamental articles for Buddhist services. Officially, Buddhism came to Japan in 552 when Seong of Baekje in Korean peninsula sent “a gilt bronze statue of Buddha, some banners and some Buddhist sutras” to the emperor in Japan. Then Emperor Kinmei was deeply moved when he saw the golden statue. Though I knew about the statue, sutras and some ritual articles, it was my first time to learn that the “ritual articles” in fact mean banners! I can imagine how much Emperor Kinmei was attracted not only to the shinning statue but also to the flapping colorful banners. Banners usually, like in festivals in Japan, flap to the wind and uplift our feelings.
The photo shows a modern banner used during the 1390th death anniversary of Prince Shotoku in Horyuji in 2011. In fact Horyuji has a much gorgeous gilt bronze banner, whose replica can be seen at the Horyuji Treasure Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.
According to Mr. Shimizu, the banner in Shosoin was used during the first death anniversary of Emperor Shomu on May 2, 757 in Todaiji. This memorial service was attended by 1500 priests and was an outstanding big Buddhist event. There were at least 10 banners like this, and over 600 dojobans which were smaller than this one. Though the remain of this existent large banner is only a little over 4 meters long, the original banner was over 15 meters long including banner legs. So we can imagine what a sight to see it was with 10 banners standing in a row.
What is more, the service of the first death anniversary was held not only in the capital of Nara, but also in National Buddhist temples in 26 local counties. In order to highlight the memorial service, the government at that time ordered the 26 counties on June 3rd in the previous year to build a 4.85-meter tall Buddhist statue if they had not built one yet. On December 20th that year, a set of one large banner and 29 dojobans were sent to each National Temples. The preparation for the memorial service was carried out surely and steadily both in the capital and in local counties. The memorial service must have been a really spectacular event.
Craft people must have worked hard for the banners. They had to finish 26 banners for the counties by December and over 10 by June 2 the following year. They gathered expensive materials like brocades and twills, carefully selected colors and broke into teams to get on with the jobs.
The braids are “Ikkengumi (single-unit braiding)”. The top triangular part is decorated with mountain-path pattern kumihimo, but the path is slightly curved instead of straight. In “Arts in Japan, No. 308 Kumihimo” published in 1992, Mr. Kazuharu Yamaoka, then President of Domyo Kumihimo Company, said “this curve cannot be made with Takadai.” The photo below is a ikkengumi I braided with kute. It shows similar curves.
I wonder what kind of people braided these banner braids using what kind of tools in what kind of places thinking about what?
It is autumn, a season of exhibitions. In Nara, Shosoin Exhibition is held every year. Last year I went there to see the ritual banner decorated with kumihimo. A large banner, 458 cm in length and 90 cm in width, was laid down in a glass case. It did have a full-blown dignity. I could observe the banner through the glass to my heart’s content. I would have been happier if I could have turned the banner to see the backside of it as well. Some parts were severely damaged and were protected with white threads. The main body of the banner was appliqued with red and blue. So the matching kumihimo must have been in vivid colors when it was made. The braids were braided in ikkengumi (single-unit braiding) with strongly twisted threads. I also attended a lecture by Mr. Ken Shimizu of Nara National Museum, which I found very interesting and I am going to tell you about it.
Banners originated in ancient India, and came to Japan through China and Korean Peninsula. They were indispensable ritual ornamental articles for Buddhist services. Officially, Buddhism came to Japan in 552 when Seong of Baekje in Korean peninsula sent “a gilt bronze statue of Buddha, some banners and some Buddhist sutras” to the emperor in Japan. Then Emperor Kinmei was deeply moved when he saw the golden statue. Though I knew about the statue, sutras and some ritual articles, it was my first time to learn that the “ritual articles” in fact mean banners! I can imagine how much Emperor Kinmei was attracted not only to the shinning statue but also to the flapping colorful banners. Banners usually, like in festivals in Japan, flap to the wind and uplift our feelings.
The photo shows a modern banner used during the 1390th death anniversary of Prince Shotoku in Horyuji in 2011. In fact Horyuji has a much gorgeous gilt bronze banner, whose replica can be seen at the Horyuji Treasure Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.
According to Mr. Shimizu, the banner in Shosoin was used during the first death anniversary of Emperor Shomu on May 2, 757 in Todaiji. This memorial service was attended by 1500 priests and was an outstanding big Buddhist event. There were at least 10 banners like this, and over 600 dojobans which were smaller than this one. Though the remain of this existent large banner is only a little over 4 meters long, the original banner was over 15 meters long including banner legs. So we can imagine what a sight to see it was with 10 banners standing in a row.
What is more, the service of the first death anniversary was held not only in the capital of Nara, but also in National Buddhist temples in 26 local counties. In order to highlight the memorial service, the government at that time ordered the 26 counties on June 3rd in the previous year to build a 4.85-meter tall Buddhist statue if they had not built one yet. On December 20th that year, a set of one large banner and 29 dojobans were sent to each National Temples. The preparation for the memorial service was carried out surely and steadily both in the capital and in local counties. The memorial service must have been a really spectacular event.
Craft people must have worked hard for the banners. They had to finish 26 banners for the counties by December and over 10 by June 2 the following year. They gathered expensive materials like brocades and twills, carefully selected colors and broke into teams to get on with the jobs.
The braids are “Ikkengumi (single-unit braiding)”. The top triangular part is decorated with mountain-path pattern kumihimo, but the path is slightly curved instead of straight. In “Arts in Japan, No. 308 Kumihimo” published in 1992, Mr. Kazuharu Yamaoka, then President of Domyo Kumihimo Company, said “this curve cannot be made with Takadai.” The photo below is a ikkengumi I braided with kute. It shows similar curves.
I wonder what kind of people braided these banner braids using what kind of tools in what kind of places thinking about what?
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