地域観光資源の 多言語解説文データベース

Saidai-mon, the Great Western Gate

The Saidai-mon is the western gate that houses the two guardian kings and marks the entrance into Shimo-Daigo, the main temple complex. The current gate, which has been designated an Important Cultural Property, dates to 1605 and counts to the reconstruction ordered by Toyotomi Hideyori (1593–1615), the heir to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The gate is flanked on each side by the pair of Guardian Kings or Niō, popular protectors of the entrance to Buddhist temples in East Asia. These statues are dated to 1134, showing some characteristics of Heian period style, as they are represented in a gentler manner than later examples. Just for reference, a fiercely clinched fist and exaggerated muscle display are typical stylistic features of guardian figures from the Kamakura period onwards.

An interesting feature is the symbolic movement of the mouths, as one king is shown with his mouth open and the other with his mouth closed. This iconographic feature represents the syllables ‘a’ and ‘hūṃ’, which originate from the ancient Indian culture and have been adopted in the Japanese Shingon tradition as a symbol for the beginning and the end of the universe, the first and the last element and the entirety in between. It bears a strong resemblance to the adoption of the Greek letters alpha and omega to designate the comprehensiveness of God in Christianity.

The statues were moved from the Great South Gate (Nandai-mon), which no longer exists.

西大門

西大門位於醍醐寺主要寺院群「下醍醐」入口，收藏兩尊仁王像。現存的門是由豐臣秀吉（1537-1598）之子豐臣秀賴（1593-1615）於1605年重建而成。

兩尊仁王像分立於大門左右，氣勢威嚴，是知名東亞寺院入口守護神。雕像於1134年落成，被指定為日本的「重要文化財」，保有平安時代流行的穩重風格。而雕像不怒自威的握拳姿態及壯碩的肌肉線條，則是鎌倉時代後常見的仁王像特徵。

「一仁王張口，另一仁王閉口」——這一極具象征性的舉動相當耐人尋味。此種源自古印度文化中的音節「阿」與「吽」，象徵宇宙的始與終、生與死，隨即被納入真言宗的信仰中。其實這與基督教中示範神性的希臘字母「阿耳法」和「敖默加」亦極為相似。

兩尊雕像最早設置於已不復存在的南大門，日後才遷至西大門。

西大门

西大门位于醍醐寺主要寺院群“下醍醐”入口，收藏两尊仁王像。现存的门由丰臣秀吉（1537-1598）之子丰臣秀赖（1593-1615）于1605年重建而成。

两尊仁王像分立于大门两侧，作为东亚佛教寺院入口的守护神而广为人知。雕像于1134年落成，流露出平安时代沉稳庄重的雕刻风格，被指定为日本的“重要文化财”。而雕像不怒自威的握拳姿态及壮硕的肌肉线条，则是镰仓时代以后常见的仁王像特征。

两位仁王中，一王张口，另一王闭口，这一极具象征意义的举动相当耐人寻味。此种源自古印度文化中的音节“阿”与“吽”，象征宇宙的始与终、生与死，被纳入真言宗的信仰中。其实这与基督教中表示神性的希腊字母“阿耳法”和“敖默加”亦极为相似。

两尊雕像最早设置于已不复存在的南大门，日后才改迁至西大门。