Daikokuten

Originally one of the main gods of Hinduism, Shiva (Mahakāla), the god of destruction with a blue-black body, was another name for Shiva, which was introduced into Buddhism. It is a translation of the Sanskrit Mahākāla, transliterated as Makakara. Mahākāla means the great black god, the great time (= the destroyer). In esoteric Buddhism, he is a follower of Mahākāla, a god who loves the Three Treasures and brings abundance in food and drink, and has a black wrathful appearance. He is placed in the Outer Vajrayana section of the Taizokai Mandala. One of the Seven Lucky Gods.

In southern China, Daikokuten was depicted as sitting on a stool and holding a money bag, and was enshrined in the kitchens of various temples. Daikokuten in Japan is of this lineage, and was brought to Japan by Saicho, and is said to have been enshrined mainly in Tendai temples. Later, Daikokuten's image as a god of fortune, rather than a guardian deity of the kitchen, became one of the Seven Lucky Gods, and he is commonly seen today wearing a hood, carrying a large bag on his left shoulder, and holding a mallet in his right hand while weighing a rice sack. He is worshiped by merchants praying for prosperity in business, as well as by farmers as a god of the fields. The Tendai sect and others were involved in spreading Daikokuten among the general public, but the main factor was that he was accepted as the same as Okuninushi no Mikoto due to the similarity in sound and appearance. It also seems that performers of Daikokumai, which flourished in the early modern period, played a major role. He is affectionately known as Daikokubashira, and in the Tohoku region, an event called Daikoku no Toshitori is held in December, in which two-pronged radishes are offered to the god.

[Maeda Noriko and Sasaki Masaru]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

元来ヒンドゥー教の主神の一つで、青黒い身体をもつ破壊神としてのシバ神（大自在天）の別名であり、仏教に入ったもの。サンスクリット語のマハーカーラMahākālaの訳で、摩訶迦羅(まかから)と音写。マハーカーラは偉大な黒い神、偉大な時間（＝破壊者）を意味する。密教では大自在天の眷属(けんぞく)で三宝(さんぼう)を愛し、飲食を豊かにする神で黒色忿怒(ふんぬ)相を示し、胎蔵界曼荼羅(たいぞうかいまんだら)の外金剛部に入れられている。七福神の一つ。

　中国南部では床几(しょうぎ)に腰を掛け金袋を持つ姿になり、諸寺の厨房(ちゅうぼう)に祀(まつ)られた。わが国の大黒天はこの系統で、最澄(さいちょう)によってもたらされ、天台宗の寺院を中心に祀られたのがその始まりといわれる。その後、台所の守護神から福の神としての色彩を強め、七福神の一つとなり、頭巾(ずきん)をかぶり左肩に大袋を背負い、右手に小槌(こづち)を持って米俵を踏まえるといった現在よくみられる姿になる。商売繁盛を願う商家はもとより、農家においても田の神として信仰を集めている。民間に流布するには天台宗などの働きかけもあったが、音韻や容姿の類似から大国主命(おおくにぬしのみこと)と重ねて受け入れられたことが大きな要因といえよう。また、近世に隆盛をみた大黒舞いの芸人も大きな役割を果たしたようである。大黒柱などの名とともに親しまれており、東北地方では大黒の年取りと称して、12月に二股(ふたまた)大根を供える行事が営まれている。

［前田式子・佐々木勝］

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