National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

　The Tendai priest Chisho Daishi Enchin (814-891) brought back over 1,000 various Buddhist sutra scrolls from Tang dynasty. It seems that the “胎蔵諸尊様一巻” included in a list of articles that were brought back from China might be this iconographic drawings. It should be noted that according to the record, Enchin received Taizo Kanjo (a ceremony to be the successor) at Changan Qinglong Temple in Daichu 9 (855) and then illustrated a iconography of the Womb World. From the sentences written at the beginning “大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經中譯出大悲胎藏生秘密曼荼羅主畫像圖巻一［分爲上下／今此上巻］” and at the end “珍自分之　爲上下巻” of the first painting scroll, the signature of the scroll and the fact that it was divided into two scrolls after being brought back by Enchin became known.
　According to the signature, when the eminent Indian Buddhist priest Zenmui (637-735) translated “Dainichi Sutra (Skt. Mahāvairocana Tantra)” into Chinese, he picked out the major deities of the Womb World and illustrated. In the first scroll, various deities of Chudai hachiyo-in (Center Eight Petal Hall), Jimyo-in (Hall of the Wisdom Kings), Rengebu-in (Lotus Hall), Kongoshu-in (Hall of Vajrapani), Monju-in (Hall of Manjusri), Jogaisho-in (Hall of Sarvanivarana Vishkambhin), Jizo-in (Hall of Ksitigarbha) and Kokuuzo-in (Hall of Ākāśagarbha) are illustrated. In the second scroll, some deities of Shaka-in (Hall of Shakyamuni) and Gekongoubu-in (Outside Vajra Hall) are drawn and at the end of the scroll, Zenmui with incense burner is drawn. Each duities has features influenced by India and countries to the west of China. These paintings are iconographically different from the current Womb World Mandala and have unique features of Birushana drawn in the beginning of the scroll being represented in a style of Buddha instead of Bodhisattva. Therefore, these paintings are extremely important from the perspective of the study of iconography.
　According to the colophon, Firstly Toba Sojo Kakuyu (1053-1140) had the painter of Buddhist images Ougen copy those Enchin had brought back from Tang in the Toin Hall of Miidera Temple (the first copy) and then Tendai monk Shin’en copied the first copy held at Horin-in, Onjoji Temple in Jisho 5 (1181) (the second copy) and finally Zenkaku, Zenjitsu and Daifu Ajari (Ministry of Interior and high priest) copied the second copy held at Daiho-in in Kenkyu 5 (1194). Simply put, this iconographic drawings are the third copy of the original brought back by Enchin.