★Theriocephaly (animal-headed man) images in eastern Asia and beyond (Nara

Submitted by Aska on Thursday, 13 January 2022 Page Views: 1129

**Hayato-ishi (Ōsaka)** submitted by Aska : Site in Honshu Japan The stone on the right side of the shrine. (Vote or comment on this photo)

The burial mound for Prince Motoi (基王 727-728), the 1st son of Emperor Shōmu, in Nara city is called NaoYama-no-haka (那富山墓). The mound contains four stones on the surface of which images of naked men with Chinese zodiac animal heads are engraved. These stones are called “hayato-ishi” (隼人石). Hayato were ancient indigenous people inhabited in the southern Kyūshū area who resisted the Yamato court’s invasion but surrendered and were employed as foreign legion to guard the Yamato capital. (Yamato is an archaic name for Japan or present day Nara, which implies the Japanese mainland or the imperial court dominated in Nara).

The oldest Japanese historical book "Nihon Shoki" (日本書記 = Chronicle of Japan) tells that they howled like beasts in times of trouble, thus the stones (= ishi 石) on which beast-headed man are inscribed are called hayato-ishi (隼人石) .

There are replicas of the mouse-headed man in Ōsaka prefecture. In 1998 paintings of mouse-, tiger-, horse- and dog-headed men were discovered in the mural chamber of Kitora Kofun burial mound.

These icons are thought to be influenced by the reliefs of “Chinese zodiac 12 animal”-headed man, clothing armour or plain clothes, which surround royal mausoleums (another relief plates of animal-headed men were buried around some of them), burial mound, stone pagoda and proto-pagoda of Korean Silla (신라) Kingdom.

The fundamental origin of the carvings might be the clay figurines of zodiac 12 animal headed men from the Tang Dynasty. Chinese zodiac animals symbolize the calendar year, hours of the day and cardinal direction. So these icons might have a role to protect the harm of evils from every direction, in contrast to Buddhism which often places four guardian statues facing north, south, east and west. (Exceptionally, “Bhaisajyaguru” statues are often surrounded by twelve guardian statues). Katsuō-ji temple in the northern mountain of Ōsaka is protected by statuettes of 8 guardians buried under the small pyramid-shaped proto-pagodas.

Back to Chinese tradition again, among the several believes of “feng shui”, Four Celestial Animals for each cardinal direction (black tortoise for north, azure dragon for east, vermillion phoenix for south and white tiger for west) was applied to the decision of new capitals in Nara and Kyōto, following the precedent of Chinese capitals Chang’an and Luoyang. The pictures of them were also painted on each wall of the burial chambers of Takamatsuzuka Kofun and also Kitora Kofun in Asuka district, Nara prefecture.

On the roadside in central to northern Japan, small stone Buddha statues with horse-head on the top of its own head are placed. They are ‘Hayagrīva’ (=horse-headed Guanyin, 馬頭観音(Batō Kannon) or 馬頭観世音(Batō Kanzeon)), a metamorphose of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), derived from a Hindu god ‘Vishnu’. In Hinduism they are expressed as a horse-headed human, but in Japan they are depicted as a Buddha with horse-head ornament, a Buddha riding on a horse or a simple tablet inscribed the Chinese characters “馬頭観(世)音” on it. Hayagrīva is supposed to be one of the 6 Guanyins who guide to each 6 reincarnation worlds after death, and Hayagrīva is in charge of the beast world [Web Link TBA], so his statues and tablets are placed on the roadside where working horses died in late Edo era, and also nowadays placed in paddock of racecourses for deceased running horses.

The well-known Hindu bird-like creature Garuda was also adopted to Buddhism and it is called Karura (迦楼羅) in Japan. The statues of Karura is rare but some people suppose that it is a prototype of popular ‘yōkai’ (supernatural spooky creature) Karasu Tengu.

Another Buddha statue derived from Hindu god ‘Ganesha’ called ’Kangi-ten’ (歓喜天 = delight (ecstasy) god) or ‘Shō-ten’ (聖天 = sacred god) takes shape of embracing elephant-headed couple. Their erotic statues are rare and often not open to public.

The most eccentric Japanese chimera should be Uga-jin, the human-headed coiled-up snake. It is believed to be a deity of wealth but its origin is unknown and it appeared suddenly in middle ages. Curiously it often occupies the top of the head of a Buddha "Benzai-ten" who also has a grace of wealth. Human-headed snake also lives in the hell. "E-Toki" (picture explanation) was a popular entertainment during middle ages to early modern times. The pictures often depict aforementioned the 6 reincarnation worlds or the details of the hell to frighten the audience and to promote the grace of Buddha. The Kumano Bikuni (traveling nun of Kumano shrine) explained the "Kumano Kanshin Jukkai Mandala" (Kumano introspective 10 worlds (the 6 worlds + 4 grades of Buddha and priests) panorama). The scenery of the hell in it, a man is tortured by 2 women-headed snakes, he had committed adultery during his lifetime.

Basic Resources :
姜友邦(강우방) 1983 新羅の十二支像東京:近藤出版社 (lit: Icons of 12 Chinese zodiac animals in Silla)
陵墓調査室 2000 ’元明天皇陵内陵碑・那富山墓内「隼人石」・桧隈墓内「猿石」の保存処理及び調査報告’ 書陵部紀要(51) pp.1-14 東京：宮内庁書陵部 ISSN: 0447-4112 (‘Report on the treatment of conservation and investigation of "Ryouhi (an epitaph on a tombstone)" in the mausoleum of Emperor Genmei, "hayato-ishi" in the Nahoyama tomb, "saru-ishi" in the Hinokuma tomb’ Bulletin : study on the Japanese culture in relation to the imperial family and court No.51)

For more on ancient Japan see my main article : ★★Japanese Chronology With Featured Stone Monuments in Every Era.

Contributor Bio for Aska: Based in Kyoto, JAPAN, contributing since 2007. Favourite site: B&B Sa Perda Pinta. Occupation: re-tired Librarian.

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