山西平定開河寺石窟の研究 - 北朝期の石窟三所と隋開皇元年 ｢鎭國王像雙丈八」 銘摩崖大佛

Abstract

There are three Northern Dynasties (6th century) caves and one early Sui dynasty large Buddha cliff carving in the Kaihesi Caves in Pingding, Yangquan, Shanxi province, China. The three caves each bear founding inscriptions, dated respectively to 541 (Wuding 5, Eastern Wei dynasty), 561 (Huangjian 2, Northern Qi dynasty) and 563 (Heqing 2, Northern Qi dynasty). The inscription on the large Buddha cliff carving is dated 581 (Kaihuang 1, Sui dynasty). The pedestal of a Buddhist sculpture that appears next to the large Buddha bears an inscription dated 510 (Yongping 3, Northern Wei dynasty). These dates indicate that local Buddhists carved and dedicated sculptures at the site from the Northern Wei dynasty through the Northern Dynasties Period to the Sui dynasty. The first serious survey of the Kaihesi Caves began in 1996, and a detailed survey report was published in Wenwu the following year. Fascinated by the fact that the large Buddha cliff carving shows a Buddha seated in half lotus position and the inscription content (鎮國王像雙丈八), I visited the site in March 2015 and examined the current state of the sculptures and their inscriptions. During this examination I discovered traces of another large Buddha cliff carving to the west of the extant image. This paper reports on the current state of the Kaihesi Caves and offers new interpretations based on the author's insights. The term “鎮國王像” used in the inscription refers to Emperor Wen (文帝) of the Sui dynasty. The half-lotus position seated imagery is a type of seated, ankles-crossed Maitreya imagery that originated in the eastern region of the Northern Dynasties realm, and thus we can posit that the Kaihesi Great Buddha implied that the temporal world sacred ruler Emperor Wen was a manifestation of the Maitreya Buddha. The phrase “雙丈八” indicates two Buddhist figures, each 1 jo, 8 shaku tall (approx. 5.3 meters), and thus we 560 can consider that originally there would have been a pair of large Maitreya Buddha sculptures, one each for Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu (独孤皇后), then dubbed the “two saints.” In addition, examination of materials linking Doulu Tong (豆盧通), who inscribed himself as “大施主, ” and his son Sengnu (僧奴), indicated the strong possibility that the “鎮國王像雙丈八” inscription was made some time after 588 (Kaihuang 8).