Tennin: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 2: Line 2:
[[File:Tennin (Japanese angel).jpg|thumb|right|A depiction of a Tennin.]]
[[File:Tennin (Japanese angel).jpg|thumb|right|A depiction of a Tennin.]]


{{nihongo|'''''Tennin'''''|[[wiktionary:天人|天人]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Person"}}, which may include {{nihongo|'''''Tenshi'''''|[[wiktionary:天使|天使]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Messenger"}}, {{nihongo|'''''Ten no-Tsukai'''''|[[wiktionary:天の使い|天の使い]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Messenger"}}, {{nihongo|'''''Hiten'''''|[[wiktionary:飛天|飛天]], lit. "Flying Heaven"}} and the specifically female version, the {{nihongo|'''''Tennyo'''''|[[wiktionary:天女|天女]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Woman/Women"}}, are a divine kind of [[spiritual being]]s found in [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhism]] that are similar to western [[angel]]s, [[nymph]]s or [[fairy|fairies]].{{citation needed|date=November 2011}} They were seemingly imported from [[Chinese Buddhism]],<ref name="b">[http://www.mukashibanashi.org/overview.html An Overview of Japanese Folklore] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712125650/http://mukashibanashi.org/overview.html |date=2009-07-12 }} at the [http://www.mukashibanashi.org/ Mukashibanashi Library] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213125021/http://www.mukashibanashi.org/ |date=2006-12-13 }}</ref> which was itself influenced by the concepts of heavenly beings found in [[History of Buddhism in India|Indian Buddhism]] and Chinese [[Taoism]].
{{nihongo|'''''Tennin'''''|[[wiktionary:天人|天人]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Person"}}, which may include {{nihongo|'''''Tenshi'''''|[[wiktionary:天使|天使]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Messenger"}}, {{nihongo|'''''Ten no-Tsukai'''''|[[wiktionary:天の使い|天の使い]], lit. "Messenger(s) of Heaven"}}, {{nihongo|'''''Hiten'''''|[[wiktionary:飛天|飛天]], lit. "Flying Heaven"}} and the specifically female version, the {{nihongo|'''''Tennyo'''''|[[wiktionary:天女|天女]], lit. "Heaven(ly) Woman/Women"}}, are a divine kind of [[spiritual being]]s found in [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhism]] that are similar to western [[angel]]s, [[nymph]]s or [[fairy|fairies]].{{citation needed|date=November 2011}} They were seemingly imported from [[Chinese Buddhism]],<ref name="b">[http://www.mukashibanashi.org/overview.html An Overview of Japanese Folklore] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712125650/http://mukashibanashi.org/overview.html |date=2009-07-12 }} at the [http://www.mukashibanashi.org/ Mukashibanashi Library] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213125021/http://www.mukashibanashi.org/ |date=2006-12-13 }}</ref> which was itself influenced by the concepts of heavenly beings found in [[History of Buddhism in India|Indian Buddhism]] and Chinese [[Taoism]].


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 21:01, 14 October 2020

A depiction of a Tennin.

Tennin (天人, lit. "Heaven(ly) Person"), which may include Tenshi (天使, lit. "Heaven(ly) Messenger"), Ten no-Tsukai (天の使い, lit. "Messenger(s) of Heaven"), Hiten (飛天, lit. "Flying Heaven") and the specifically female version, the Tennyo (天女, lit. "Heaven(ly) Woman/Women"), are a divine kind of spiritual beings found in Japanese Buddhism that are similar to western angels, nymphs or fairies.[citation needed] They were seemingly imported from Chinese Buddhism,[1] which was itself influenced by the concepts of heavenly beings found in Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism.

History

Tennin are mentioned in Buddhist sutras[citation needed], and these descriptions form the basis for depictions of the beings in Japanese art, sculpture, and theater. They are usually pictured as unnaturally beautiful women dressed in ornate, colorful kimonos (traditionally in five colors), exquisite jewelry, and flowing scarves that wrap loosely around their bodies. They usually carry lotus blossoms as a symbol of enlightenment or play musical instruments such as the biwa, or flute.[2][3]

Religion

Tennin are believed to live in the Buddhist heaven as the companions to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Some legends[citation needed] also make certain tennin solitary creatures living on mountain peaks. Pilgrims sometimes climb these mountains in order to meet the holy spirits.

Powers

Tennin can fly, a fact generally indicated in art by their colored or feathered kimonos, called hagoromo (羽衣, lit. feather dress).[1] In some legends, tennin are unable to fly without these kimonos (and thus cannot return to heaven).[4] More rarely, they are shown with feathered wings.[2] In a Noh play Hagoromo, which bears a number of similarities to the Western swan maiden legends,[5] tennyo come to the earth and take off their hagoromo. A fisherman spies them and hides their clothes in order to force one to marry him. After some years he tells his wife what he did, and she finds her clothes and returns to heaven.[4] The legend says it occurred on the beach of Miho no Matsubara, now a part of the city of Shizuoka.

See also

References