Hachibushū and Ashura

The Hachibushū (八部衆), the Eight Legions, are eight kinds of non-human beings of Indian myth who heard the Buddha's teaching and became its protectors: gods, dragons, nature spirits, celestial musicians, demigods, divine birds and others. In Japan they are best known through a single set of sculptures, and above all through its youngest-looking member, Ashura.

The eight

Japanese Sanskrit Nature
Ten Deva Gods of the heavens
Ryū Nāga Dragons and serpent kings
Yasha Yakṣa Nature spirits
Kendatsuba Gandharva Celestial musicians, feeding on fragrance
Ashura Asura Warlike demigods
Karura Garuḍa Divine birds that eat serpents
Kinnara Kiṃnara Celestial singers, part human, part animal
Magoraga Mahoraga Great serpent beings

The Ashura of Kōfukuji

In 734 a set of the Eight Legions was made in dry lacquer for Kōfukuji in Nara, together with the Ten Great Disciples. Its Ashura has three faces and six slender arms, and the faces carry an expression of youthful, troubled concentration, quite unlike the furious warrior of legend. It is among the most beloved sculptures in Japan. The set uses some names that differ from the standard list, a reminder that early traditions varied.

Ashura in Buddhist thought

In Indian myth the asura waged endless war on Indra. In Buddhism, the realm of ashura is one of the six realms of rebirth, a world of jealousy and conflict. The conversion of Ashura to a protector expresses the possibility of turning even endless strife towards peace. In common Japanese, a scene of carnage is still called an ashura-ba.

Collecting notes

  • Original figures of the Eight Legions are essentially beyond the market. Fine modern replicas of the Kōfukuji Ashura, and prints and photographs of the set, are widely collected.
  • Karura and dragon motifs appear in temple ornaments and metalwork, including the flame halos of Fudō.

In the collection

Browse guardian deities and dragon pieces. Our collector concierge can search Japan for Hachibushū material.

See also

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