Buddha in the womb

A small Buddha statue placed in the space inside the womb (body) of a Buddha statue. It is thought to be a structure for keeping the Buddha nature hidden in the Buddha statue, and is commonly called a "belly-carrying image." Other items placed inside the womb of a Buddha statue may also include images, mirror images, inbutsu (seal Buddhas), shubutsu (printed Buddhas), prayers, sarira (relics), and stupas; these are called monjo (documents inside the womb) or items placed inside the womb.

In many cases, the Buddha inside the womb has the same shape as the statue outside it (such as the small gilt bronze Buddha statue of Yakushi Nyorai encased in the wooden Yakushi Nyorai Seated Statue at Yakushiji Temple in Shirozato, Ibaraki Prefecture), but there are also cases where it is a different statue (such as the Yakushi Nyorai Seated Statue inside the Womb of the Naked Jizo Standing Statue at Denkoji Temple in Nara City, and the Eleven-Headed Kannon Standing Statue). The Buddha inside the womb may also be older in date of production (a bronze Kannon standing statue from the Nara period was discovered inside the womb of the Prince Shotoku statue (1121) at Shoryoin Temple in Horyuji Temple). There are many examples of extreme differences in size, such as a 30-40cm statue placed inside a joroku statue (seated height about 2.5m) (such as the small gilt bronze Buddha inside the dry lacquer seated Yakushi Nyorai statue in the Western Round Hall of Horyuji Temple), but there are also cases where the statue is almost at the limit of the space inside the womb, and there are also cases where many small statues are placed inside (more than 70 small statues of Bato Kannon are placed inside the womb of the standing Bato Kannon statue at Joruri-ji Temple). Many examples of womb Buddhas can be seen in statues from the mid-Heian period onwards, when the development of inlay wood construction made it easier to create space inside the womb. Also, it is common for them to be placed so that the internal Buddha can be worshiped when worshiping the external statue, but sometimes they are considered to be like a small shrine (such as the Saya Amida statue at Kakuon-ji Temple in Kamakura).

[Akio Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏像の胎（体）内空間に納入された小仏像。仏像に仏性を秘めるための構成と考えられており、俗に「腹籠(はらごも)りの像」などともいう。仏像胎内には、ほかに画像、鏡像、印仏(いんぶつ)、摺仏(しゅうぶつ)、願文、舎利(しゃり)、五輪塔などが納入される場合があり、これらは胎内文書(もんじょ)とか胎内納入品とよばれる。

　胎内仏はそれを納めた外の像と同じ尊形であるもの（茨城県城里(しろさと)町薬師寺の木造薬師如来坐像(やくしにょらいざぞう)に納められた薬師如来の小金銅仏坐像など）が多いが、別の尊像の場合（奈良市伝香寺裸地蔵立像胎内の薬師如来坐像、十一面観音(かんのん)立像など）もある。また制作年代も、胎内仏のほうが古いこともある（法隆寺聖霊(しょうりょう)院聖徳太子像〈1121〉の胎内に奈良時代の銅造観音立像が発見されている）。大きさは丈六(じょうろく)像（座高約2.5メートル）の中に30～40センチメートルほどの像を入れる（法隆寺西円堂の乾漆薬師如来坐像内の小金銅仏）というように大小差が極端な例が多いが、胎内空間ぎりぎりの像の場合もあり、また数多くの小像を入れる例（浄瑠璃(じょうるり)寺馬頭観音立像胎内には70余体の馬頭観音小像などが納められている）もある。胎内仏は、寄木造(よせぎづくり)が発達して胎内空間がつくりやすくなった平安中期以降の像に、多くの例がみられる。また外面の像を拝するときに体内仏をともに拝めるよう安置されるのが普通であるが、ときには厨子(ずし)のように（鎌倉覚園寺(かくおんじ)の鞘阿弥陀(さやあみだ)像）考えられることもある。

［佐藤昭夫］

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