#aizen-myoo

[allmythologies]

japanese mythology • aizen-myoo

aizen-myoo is considered the kami of love among japan's esoteric sects, the king of sexual passion, the one who converts earthly desires into spiritual awakening, and saves people from the pain that comes with love.

[berndwuersching]

Aizen Myo’o (Ragaraja) Japan, Kamakura period, 1293 Wood with color and applied gold leaf 43.1 x 32.2 x 29.9 cm (16 15/16 x 12 11/16 x 11 3/4 in)

Worship of the fierce Buddhist deity Aizen Myo'o reached a peak when the deity was invoked to protect Japan against two attempted invasions by the Mongols in 1274 and 1281. This sculpture, an example with a rare dated inscription on the interior of the pedestal, was made at the height of devotion to this deity.

[starcunning]

Scent of the Day

AIZEN-MYOO:

A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon’s Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and – oddly – landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

[imageswithoutbodies-blog]

... the basic product of art history has been modernity itself. In other words, I think, the focus on art in such a way has become the definition of modernity; the way that modernity distinguishes itself from other fields, other times. And specifically the secularization of art; in fact, art has become a general kind of cultural practice, apart from its religious roots. And that has been to enhance the focus of modernity. And so in a sense it is perhaps literally true that the product of disciplines like art history has often been to instantiate or strengthen the idea of modernity as something distinct from the past, and as a kind of observation point for the past and for other alternative identities.

... So is the question how museums then confirm identity or produce identity? Identity is then a product of the museum? Well, you find yourself - you find your place - in the museum. You find your identity in the museum reflected in exhibitions or in aspects of exhibitions. So the museum becomes a place to stage personalities, where you can stage your interests, stage your tastes, and thereby know yourself because you have something to see yourself against and in relationship to. So it’s that kind of retextualisation which makes for identity. It's very powerful. So you are always contending with, always dealing with the controls that museums are trying to force on to you and find your place in, or reckoning with that problem. Because a museum will give you a context for something, and then you will have to somehow struggle to see whether this can be a context for yourself. And so in the course of that dialogue you create a kind of relational identity; a relative identity in terms of what the museum presents. It's as if the museum gives you a vocabulary to think about yourself, and then you either adopt it or don't adopt it or adopt something else as a result of the engagement or interaction with it: you create a kind of third space.

- Interview with Prof. Donald Preziosi, Emeritus Professor of Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles. Conducted by Nilay Özlü and Gizem Tongo for Tarih, 2010.

NAKAJIMA Kiyoshi (1899-1989) Ancient Painting, 1937 colour on paper (hanging scroll); 185.9 x 124.7cm Private Collection, Yokohama

** The scroll painting in the artwork depicts Aizen-myoo (愛染明王), an esoteric Buddhist deity associated with the transformation of worldly desires into spiritual awakening. 

[prettysniffies]

Review: Aizen-Myoo (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab)

A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon's Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and - oddly - landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

...Huh.

Most of the notes in Aizen-Myoo, save for the black tea, are ones I'm unfamiliar with, so I was a bit apprehensive as I tested this.

I think the first note I got was the yuzu: it was fruity, in a tropical sort of sense, but sharp, too, something I never thought I'd say in regards to a fruity scent. Aizen-Myoo did soften considerable as it continued to dry; I actually found it very pleasant.

My only complaint was that it faded pretty quickly; it was fully gone in about an hour, two hours or so. Shame, since I did end up enjoying it.