Part I and Part II of this paper appear in Nos. 317 and 319 of the Bijutsu Kenkyu. In the present part the subjects of Scrolls 6, 7 and 8 are described.
Scroll 6 is the scene of Suppression of Demons. At the center of the picture is the troop of the Demon King attacking Śākyamuni. The heads of the arrows shot toward Śākyamuni are trasformed into lotus flowers. The three daughters of the Demon King are depicted at the lower left of the picture ; the daughters transformed into old women by Śākyamuni are at the middle of the bottom; and Pṛthivi who has appeared to prove the righteousness of Śākyamuni is at the lower right. The depiction of Pșthivī whose upper half of the body is emerging from the earth like this is rare. Furthermore, the figure of Śākyamuni meditating for seven days after the demon-suppression is added at the right hand side of the picture in a small size.
Scroll 7 is the scene of King Bimbisāra's Conversion to Śākyamuni's Teaching after hearing his sermon. In the upper part of the picture is depicted the audience in front of Śākyamuni, including the king and his ministers, and elephant carriages and attendants waiting the return of the king are in the lower half. Behind Śākyamuni is Gṛdhrakūta Mountain with its eagle-headed peak, suggesting that Śākyamuni is preaching. Also, the wheels of law painted between Śākyamuni and the kings symbolize his preaching.
Scroll 8 is a visualization of three stories concerning the Nirvāṇa. The entire left half of the picture plane is devoted to a minute depiction of the Nirvāṇa scene which embodies details like Mahāmāyā with her attendants and the old women near Sākyamuni's feet. The lower right of the picture plane is the cremation of Śākyamuni. Here, as MahāKāśyapa, who could not come to see Śākyamuni upon his deathbed, worships the coffin placed on firewood, feet of Śākyamuni appear from the coffin. The upper right is the scene of distribution of Śākyamuni's relics in which a brāhmaṇa Droṇa divides the relics.
尾道市持光寺所蔵釈迦八相図について（三）
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321_15_Sekiguchi_Redacted.pdf
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