Over the years spanning the Nara to the beginning of the Heian period, the systemization of large-scale esoteric rites whose purpose was the protection of the state (chingo kokka 鎮護国家) was completed in the Shingon and Tendai traditions, as well as among the seven great temples of Nara. However, during the Insei period, major rites on a national scale that had chiefly been sponsored by the Fujiwara regental houses tended to grow less imposing. Among these rites was the Daigensui myōō hō 大元帥明王法, the rite of Great Commander Wisdom King, that was first performed in Japan by Jōgyō 常暁 of Ogurisu 小栗栖 in Jōwa 7 (840). Jōgyō had received this esoteric rite from Wenji 珍文 of the Qiyun-si 栖雲寺 in Tang China. The rite later became a fixture at the Hōrinji 法淋寺 in the Yamashina area of Kyoto, where it was performed at the behest of Emperor Ninmyō.
The reason for this change can be understood to be due to the differences in the relationship between the political power structure and Buddhism in the Nara and Heian periods. During the former, there had been a unity of politics and Buddhism, as can be seen in Emperor Shōmu’s ordering of the building of provincial temples and nunneries throughout the land. The object of worship at these provincial temples had been either Yakushi nyorai or Shaka nyorai, but the number of rites for other single deities, issonbō 一尊法, increased and methods of worship became varied.
In addition, the Shingon esoteric prayers and rites that had been premised on state sponsorship during the Heian period came to be understood as prayers that would bring various benefits in this world (genze riyaku 現世利益). One of the major objects of worship on such occasions was Daigensui myōō. This prayer ritual took the form of a secret rite (hihō 秘法) that was also known as the Taigen no hō. The origin of its iconography was derived from the demon deity known in Sanskrit as Āṭavaka. A number of excellent examples of this type of principal icon, both paintings and sculpture, have been preserved, especially in Kyoto. Here, I examine in particular the iconography of the eighteen-headed, sixteen-armed type as well as the six-headed, eight-armed version of Daigensui at Tōji and Daigoji, and compare them with the versions painted by Kenshin 賢信 at Daigoji, in order to consider the mechanism by which the faith in Daigensui myōō as a secret Buddhist deity (hibutsu 秘仏) and the object of worship in the esoteric rite was formed. Also, in considering the form taken by prayers for the protection of the state during the ancient through Heian periods, I elucidate at the same time their special character. Furthermore, I also consider the place of the Ryōgai mandara (maṇḍalas of the two realms) that served as the principal objects of worship in the Goshichinichi mishi hō 後七日御修法 (August Secret Rite of the Latter Seven Days) , which was also conducted for protection of the state, but unlike Daigensui myōō, the maṇḍalas are still employed in the ritual space at Tōji in Kyoto. The two rites, the Daigensui myōō hō and the Goshichinichi mishi hō, were conducted at the palace for a period of time and both were considered important esoteric rites that were likewise accorded great significance. Particularly noteworthy is the eighteen-headed, thirty-six-armed Daigensui myōō painted by Kenshin. The vividly colored paintings at Daigoji can be contrasted with the monochrome versions at Tōji.
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