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

　　The Tendai priest Enchin (Chishō Daishi; 814–891) brought back over 1,000 various Buddhist sutra scrolls from Tang in China. It seems that the word “胎蔵諸尊様一巻” included in a list of articles that were brought back from China indicates this iconographies. It should be noted that according to the record, Enchin received the abhisheka rite of the Womb World (taizō kanjō) at Changan Qinglong Temple in Daichū 9 (855) and then illustrated iconographies of the Womb World by himself. 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 fact that it was divided into two scrolls after being brought back and signed 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. Various deities belonging to the central eight-petaled hall (chūdai hachiyō-in), the Five Great Ones hall, the lotus hall, the Kongōshu (Skt. Vajirapāṇi) hall, the Monju (Skt. Mañjuśrī) hall, the Jogaishō (Skt. Sarvanivāraṇaviṣkambhin) hall, the Jizō (Skt. Kṣitigarbha) hall and the Kokū (Skt. Ākāśagarbha) hall are depicted in the first scroll. Some deities belonging to the Shakamuni (Skt. Śākyamuni) hall and the outside vajra hall are drawn in the second scroll. Zenmui with a portable incense burner is drawn at the end of the scroll. Each deity has features influenced by India and countries to the west of China. These paintings are different from the current Womb World Mandala in iconographical points and have unique features of Birushana (Skt. Mahāvairocana) drawn in the beginning of the scroll being represented in a style of Buddha instead of Bodhisattva. Therefore, these iconographies are extremely important from the perspective of the study.
　　According to the colophon, firstly Toba Sōjō Kakuyū (1053–1140) had the painter-priest Ōgen (dates unknown) copy those Enchin had brought back from Tang and held at the Tōin Hall of Miidera Temple. This is the First Copy and held at Hōrin-in Sub-temple. Then, Tendai monk Shin’en (dates unknown) copied this First Copy in Jishō 5 (1181). This is the Second Copy and held at Daihō-in Sub-temple. Finally, Zenkaku (dates unknown), Zenjitsu (dates unknown) and Daifu Ajari (dates unknown) copied this Second Copy in Kenkyū 5 (1194). Simply put, these iconographies are the Third Copy of the original brought back by Enchin.