京都・神護寺の金堂に安置される木造薬師如来立像の表現と造立意図について、文献史学や宗教史の先行研究、同時代の仏像、神仏習合の様相、八幡神の性格等をふまえて再検討した。同像はいわゆる道鏡事件後、八幡神の神願を果たすため和気清麻呂によって建立された神願寺の旧仏と考えられることから、その個性的な相貌は、道鏡もしくはその怨霊と対峙するためのものと解釈されてきた。しかし、『類聚国史』や『続日本紀』などの諸史料を精読すると、清麻呂と道鏡の対立は後世に創作されたものである可能性が高く、史実とは考えられない。また、奈良時代の八幡神は隼人伐殺の軍神として信仰されており、『類聚国史』が語るようなか弱き神ではない。そのため、神護寺像を、道鏡と対決する八幡神の神威を仏力によって増すための仏像とみる皿井舞氏の説には同意できない。
一方、神護寺像の造形は、桓武天皇周辺の造像とされる京都・宝菩提院菩薩坐像や大阪・道明寺十一面観音立像とは隔たりが大きく、皿井氏の指摘通り、国家的な目的ではなく清麻呂が私的に造像したものと考えられる。古代の仏像が他者の為に造立されることをふまえるなら、清麻呂が私的な造像の功徳を回向する対象に選んだのが八幡神であったとみるべきである。八幡神は天平勝宝元年（749）に入京した際、東大寺大仏を拝する前に僧とともに悔過している。神護寺像の個性的な相貌に意味を見い出すなら、それは軍神＝殺生を犯した八幡神の悔過を受けるためであった可能性がある。先行研究では、滋賀・大嶋奥津島神社地蔵菩薩立像について、長坂一郎氏が奥嶋神の薬師悔過のための本尊として造立されたものと推定している。この推定の妥当性についてはあらためて検討する必要があるが、神の仏道修行に相応しい姿の像を作ることが、より良き作善として清麻呂に望まれていたのではないか。以上の推論をさらに補強して、2022年度中の成稿を期したい。
I reexamined the representation and purpose of the standing wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai enshrined in the Kondo hall of Jingo-ji Temple in Kyoto, based on previous studies in historiography and religious history, Buddhist statues of the same period, aspects of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, and the character of Hachiman deity. The statue is thought to have been initially placed at Jingan-ji Temple, which was built by Wake no Kiyomaro to fulfill the divine wish of the Hachiman deity after the Dokyo affair, and its unique appearance has been interpreted as a way of confronting Dokyo or his grudge spirit. However, a close reading of various historical documents such as "Ruiju Kokushi" and "Shoku Nihongi" indicates that the confrontation between Kiyomaro and Dokyo was most likely created in a later period and cannot be considered a historical fact. In addition, the Hachiman deity of the Nara period was worshipped as a military deity who conquered the Hayato, and not as a frail deity as described in "Ruiju Kokushi". Therefore, I do not agree with Mai Sarai's theory that the Jingo-ji statue is a Buddhist statue to increase the Hachiman deity's power to confront Dokyo through the power of the Buddha.
On the other hand, the style of the Jingo-ji statue differs greatly from that of the seated bodhisattva statue at Hobodai-in Temple in Kyoto and the standing eleven-faced Kannon statue at Domyo-ji Temple in Osaka, which were created by Emperor Kanmu or his surrounding people. Therefore, as pointed out by Sarai, the Jingo-ji statue is thought to have been created by Kiyomaro based on his personal beliefs, not for national purposes. Given the fact that ancient Buddhist statues were built for others, we should assume that Kiyomaro chose Hachiman deity as the person to whom he offered the merit of his personal creation. When Hachiman deity entered the capital in 749, he repented with monks before worshipping the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple. If we find meaning in the unique appearance of the Jingo-ji statue, it may have been to receive the repentance of Hachiman deity, a military god who had committed murder. In a previous study, Ichiro Nagasaka estimated that the standing statue of Jizo Bosatsu at Oshima-Okitsushima Shrine in Shiga Prefecture was built as a principal image for the Okitsushima deity to perform penance. Although the validity of this assumption needs to be examined again, it may be that Kiyomaro wanted to create a statue of the Buddha in a form suitable for the Hachiman deity to use in Buddhist practice, as a better good deed. I would like to further reinforce the above inference and complete it in a paper by the end of 2022.