Stamped Images of the Wisdom King Fudō (Acala)

Repetition of the name of a Buddhist deity, whether through incantation or inscription, was a common act of devotion among the faithful. One of the most common examples is the practice is the incessant reciting of the phrase “Namu Amida Butsu” (Homage to Amitabha Buddha) as a means of accruing karmic merit. Similarly, creating or sponsoring multiple stamped or printed images of Buddhist deities dates back to the earliest stages of Buddhism in Japan. The terms for individually “stamped Buddhas” (inbutsu 印佛) and the larger sheets of “printed Buddhas” (suribotoke 摺仏, also pronounced shūbutsu) are often used interchangeably today. Here we have an example of one hundred images of the Wisdom King Fudō Myōō printed on a single sheet, produced by using a carved woodblock with a row of ten Fudō images, and stamping ten rows one atop the other. (There is also a precedent for creating large sheets with one-hundred or more images by pressing the paper atop single carved block and rubbing the reverse surface of the paper, similar to how an ukiyo-e print is made.)

Such sheets of printed deities, including this one, were retrieved in modern times from the inside of Buddhist statues, often of the same deity represented. For instance, this printed sheet was one of hundreds that were discovered rolled up inside a seated statue of Fudō dating to the fourteenth or fifteenth century at Tōji Temple (Kyōōgokokuji) in Kyoto, a prominent center of esoteric Shingon Buddhism. Patrons of a temple would have had the opportunity to have their sponsorship recognized by having such a printed sheet they bought or paid for placed within a sculpture. This is related to the practice of kechien, or “linked karma,” by which names of donors to the temple would have their names listed on sheets of paper that would be inserted into a sculpture and sealed inside for posterity. Not only is the patron connected to the salvific power of the deity, but also linked by karma to others who were involved in the creation of the icon.

Fudō Myōō is an avatar of the Hindu god Acala, who entered the Buddhist pantheon as a protector of the Buddhist faith. Shingon temples in particular worship Fudō, “the immovable,” as a guardian figure, and a manifestation of Dainichi Nyorai. Each of the small images (each about 1 ¾ x 1 3/8 in.) features a seated Fudō holding a sword in his right hand and lasso in his left, symbols of he power to repel evil and draw in believers. Though he has a fiercesome countenance, he serves to uphold good against evil. He is seated on a cubic rock formation, which is the standard configuration.