Picture and text belt divine beast mirror - Gamon Taishinjuukyou

A type of mirror made during the Later Han dynasty in China. Its main motif is images of immortals and sacred beasts, and the outside is surrounded by a band of paintings depicting a chariot with a sun disk, the beasts pulling it, flying immortals, and other groups of figures. The images are carved in relief and are characterized by their detailed expression using thin lines. Depending on the characteristics and arrangement of the divine beast images, they are classified into divine beast mirrors with a circular painting band, divine beast mirrors with a simultaneous painting band, and divine beast mirrors with a counterpositioned painting band. These mirrors became popular as the idea of ​​immortals became popular, and were produced in various regions of China.

They were brought to Japan from the late Yayoi period to the Kofun period, and many have been excavated from ancient tombs, especially in the Kinai region. The large, picture-and-text-bearing, deity-and-beast mirror excavated from the Hokenoyama Kofun in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, features particularly intricate detail. There is a theory that this type of mirror was the most highly valued by the early Yamato royal authority. Many of these step-back mirrors have also been excavated from tombs dating from the late middle to late Kofun periods.

[Shoji Morishita]

"Higuchi Takayasu, 'Ancient Mirrors' and 'Ancient Mirror Catalogs' (1979, Shinchosha)" ▽ "Okamura Hidenori, 'The Age of Triangular-rimmed Divine Animal Mirrors' (1999, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の後漢代に作られた鏡の一種。神仙や霊獣の像を主文様とし、外側に、日輪を従えた車、それを曳く獣、飛仙などの群像を描いた画文帯をめぐらす。図像は浮彫で表され、細い線を用いた細密な表現を特徴とする。神獣像の特徴や配置方法により、画文帯環状乳(かんじょうにゅう)神獣鏡、画文帯同向式(どうこうしき)神獣鏡、画文帯対置式(たいちしき)神獣鏡に分類されている。神仙思想の流行とともに盛行した鏡で、中国の各地域で製作された。

弥生時代後期～古墳時代に日本にもたらされ、とくに畿内を中心とした古墳から数多く出土している。奈良県桜井市ホケノ山古墳から出土した画文帯同向式神獣鏡は、大型品でとくに精緻な表現をもつ。この種の鏡が初期ヤマト王権でもっとも重視されたと考える説もある。また中期後半から後期の古墳からは、この踏返し品が多数出土している。

［森下章司］

『樋口隆康著『古鏡』『古鏡図録』（1979・新潮社）』▽『岡村秀典著『三角縁神獣鏡の時代』（1999・吉川弘文館）』

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