Red is a major color in Japanese mythology. It’s believed that when people dress the Buddhas in red, money are accruing merit, as well as garnering extra protection. From onmarkproductions: “According to Japanese folk belief, red is the color for expelling demons and illness. Rituals of spirit quelling were regularly undertaken by the Japanese court during the Asuka Period (522 – 645 AD) and centered on a red-colored fire deity. This early association between demons of disease and the color red was gradually turned upside-down — proper worship of the disease deity would bring life, but improper worship or neglect would result in death. In later centuries, the Japanese recommended that children with smallpox be clothed in red garments and that those caring for the sick also wear red. The Red-Equals-Sickness symbolism quickly gave way to a new dualism between evil and good, with red embodying both life-destroying and life-creating powers. As a result, the color red was dedicated not only to deities of sickness and demon quelling, but also to deities of healing, fertility, and childbirth. Jizō’s traditional roles are to save us from the torments/demons of hell, to bring fertility, to protect children, and to grant longevity — thus Jizō is often decked in red. For more on Japan’s “red” tradition, please see Color Red in Japanese Mythology. “
11nov14. Koyasan, Japan.
Do you know why they dress the buddhas?
Red is a major color in Japanese mythology. It’s believed that when people dress the Buddhas in red, money are accruing merit, as well as garnering extra protection. From onmarkproductions: “According to Japanese folk belief, red is the color for expelling demons and illness. Rituals of spirit quelling were regularly undertaken by the Japanese court during the Asuka Period (522 – 645 AD) and centered on a red-colored fire deity. This early association between demons of disease and the color red was gradually turned upside-down — proper worship of the disease deity would bring life, but improper worship or neglect would result in death. In later centuries, the Japanese recommended that children with smallpox be clothed in red garments and that those caring for the sick also wear red. The Red-Equals-Sickness symbolism quickly gave way to a new dualism between evil and good, with red embodying both life-destroying and life-creating powers. As a result, the color red was dedicated not only to deities of sickness and demon quelling, but also to deities of healing, fertility, and childbirth. Jizō’s traditional roles are to save us from the torments/demons of hell, to bring fertility, to protect children, and to grant longevity — thus Jizō is often decked in red. For more on Japan’s “red” tradition, please see Color Red in Japanese Mythology. “
Thanks about the info 🙂