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

　　This mandala is used to pray for love and respect, good health and increased benefit as a principal icon in the esoteric Buddhist practices of the Great Cranial Protuberance. According to records, the Mandala of the Great Cranial Protuberance started to be used in the late eleventh century, the mid Heian period (794–1185).
　　This painting is a painting brought to Japan after being drawn in Tang of China and it is not clear about the esoteric ritual manual considered as the source. The same iconography as this painting is contained in the icon collection books Zuzōshō and Bessonzakki in the late Heian period and it was probably brought from China as a new iconography in the Sung period.
　　The painting represents the Buddhist merit within the cranial mound of the Buddha (Ichiji kinrin), the Golden Wheel of Dainichi (Skt. Vairocana), sitting in the lotus position with its back to a sun ring in Mount Sumeru and surrounded by seven treasures. Apart from the fact that it does not contain a lion pedestal, it is very similar to the iconography of Ichiji kinrin. Inside the moon ring on the top of the painting, the Golden Wheel of Shakamuni (Skt. Śākyamuni) is represented with a golden wheel placed on his lap while forming a meritation mudra. Tang flowers like a peony including a bamboo grove are applied on both sides of where Mount Sumeru Dainichi sits and, in the foreground, two Dragon Kings and Dragon Gods are rising out of sea. Scenes associated with natural scenery are incorporated into Mandala in esoteric Buddhism and apart from the image of Buddha in the moon ring, the expressions and styles are innovative and unconventional.
　　The body of the main deities is drawn in vermilion lines and colored in yellow. Fine cut gold leaf patterns such as cloisonne (shippō tsunagi), rising clouds (tatewaku) and checkered (ishi datami) are used for the clothes and gold leaves are pressed on the clasp and the coloring with whitish pale expression (guiro) creates a sense of delicacy. In particular, the decorative features such as the cut gold leaves applied for the Golden Wheel of Dainichi and the cut silver leaves, which is a rare for Buddhist articles, applied for the Golden Wheel of Shakamuni are notable.