Ushiodo no Sarugaku

Japanese: 後戸の猿楽 - うしろどのさるがく

…Typical examples include the Vajrapani in the Hokke-do Hall of Todai-ji Temple, the Kokannon in the Nigatsu-do Hall, and the Madara-shin in the Jōgyō-do Hall. The incantations used to worship the Uto no Kami during Buddhist rituals became performing arts, as the name Uto no Sarugaku indicates, and became the stage for the birth of medieval performing arts. The Okina in Noh is called Uto no Kami (the guardian deity or guardian deity), and appears in the Ennen at Shussō-e ceremonies, but it is also common for demons to appear from Uto at Shussō-e ceremonies since ancient times, and both symbolize the religiosity of Uto. …

From [Matarajin]

...A guardian deity enshrined in the Jodo-Zammaido (Jodo) of a Tendai sect temple in the Middle Ages. The Keiran Shiyoshu records a legend that he appeared on the ship of Jikaku Daishi (Ennin) on his return to Japan and swore to protect the Nembutsu (based on the story of the arrival of the Daishi's Inzei Nembutsu and the legend of the appearance of foreign deities such as Silla Myojin and Sekiyama Myojin). This shows that as the Jodo-do changed from a training center for shikan to a sacred place for the monks engaged in Nembutsu chanting, a deity was created as a manifestation of Amida Buddha and the central deity of their organization.

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Uto no Sarugaku" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…例えば東大寺法華堂の執金剛神，二月堂の小観音（こかんのん），常行堂の摩多羅神（まだらしん）などがその典型。法会儀礼のなかで後戸の神をまつる呪法は芸能化し〈後戸の猿楽〉という呼称が示すように中世芸能誕生の舞台となった。能楽の翁を後戸の神(宿神･守宮神)といい修正会（しゆしようえ）などの延年に登場するが，古来，修正会に後戸から鬼が出現するのもまた普遍的であり，ともに後戸の宗教性を象徴している。…

【摩多羅神】より

…中世に天台宗寺院の常行三昧堂(常行堂)にまつられた護法神。《渓嵐拾葉集》は，慈覚大師(円仁)の帰朝の船中で影向（ようごう）して念仏守護を誓ったという伝承(大師の引声（いんぜい）念仏請来説話と，新羅明神や赤山明神の影向譚のような外国渡来の神の縁起に基づく)を載せる。これは，常行堂が止観の道場から念仏声明に携わる堂僧たちの聖所となっていく過程で，阿弥陀仏の垂迹神として彼らの組織の中心となる神格が創造されたことを示す。…

※「後戸の猿楽」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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