A Comprehensive Study of Tantric Buddhist Art in the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Islands

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00161
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01060:History of arts-related
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: ITO NAOKO 広島大学, 人間社会科学研究科(文), 准教授 (20452625)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: インドネシア / マレー半島 / 密教美術

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I conducted research on single statues and reliefs of Buddhist temples mainly in the Central Java region of Indonesia, and examined them in relation to esoteric Buddhism. I has written one book, "Revised Edition of Indonesian Religious Art: The World of Bronzes and Tantric　Implements," two papers in Japanese and three papers in English. The "Eight Great Bodhisattvas" are characteristic of Tantric Buddhist statues. I have studied the eight major bodhisattvas, especially Manjusri（文殊菩薩) and Maitreya(弥勒菩薩）,and have found from reliefs and statues in Borobudur and Mundet temples that a "crescent" appears behind the head of Manjsri as a symbol for a child in Indonesian statues of the bodhisattva. In addition, the Plaosan temple has a "six-person form" excluding two of the "eight great bodhisattvas," suggesting the possibility that Tantric Buddhism art was practiced in Indonesia around the 8th century.

Free Research Field

美術史関連

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

インドネシア・マレー半島における密教美術の存在が指摘されながらもその詳細な研究報告は限られている。今回インドネシアの仏教寺院や博物館をはじめ海外所蔵の像を含めて密教に関する像の図像の特徴を明らかにしたこと、またマレー半島の像がスマトラと関連していることなどを確認し、それを書籍出版できたことは東南アジアへの密教流伝の一解明をもたらすものと考えられ、今後の研究の前進が期待できる。またこの成果は密教が流伝した地域の作例との比較対象となりえる。インドネシアは現在イスラム教が9割を占めるが、8世紀頃にはインドからの海路により密教流伝がされ、日本の密教伝来に深く関わっていたという史実が社会へ明示できる。