Kalaviṅka

Karyōbinga in a depiction of the Amitabha Sutra

Kalaviṅka (Sanskrit: कलविङ्क kalaviṅka ; Chinese: 迦陵頻迦 Jiālíngpínjiā ; Japanese Karyōbinga (迦陵頻迦),^[1] Burmese ကရဝိက်; Thai การเวก) is a fantastical immortal creature in Buddhism, with a human head and a bird's torso, with long flowing tail.^[2]

The kalaviṅka is said to dwell in Buddhist paradise (gokuraku-jōdo, nirvana),^[2] and reputed to preach the Buddhist scripture^[2] with its fine voice.^[2] It is said to sing while still unhatched within its eggshell. Its voice is a descriptor of the Buddha's voice. In Japanese text, it is sometimes written not phonetically, but under translated names myōonchō (妙音鳥 "exquisite sounding bird"),^[3] kōonchō (好音鳥 "goodly sounding bird")^[3] among other rendered names.

Edward H. Schafer notes that in East Asian religious art the Kalaviṅka is often confused with the Kinnara, which is also a half-human half-bird hybrid mythical creature, but that the two are actually distinct and unrelated.^[4]

Depictions

In Chinese art

In Chinese mural art, it is portrayed as a human-headed, bird-bodied being (i.e. armless?), but in Japanese Buddhist art, it has been portrayed with an upper torso of a winged boddhisatva (i.e., having hands and arms), with a birdlike lower extremity. In the murals of Dunhuang (敦煌) they appear as figures both dancing and playing music.

In Japanese art

Karyōbinga, panels on octagonal platform. Chūson-ji

A well-known example is the pair of kalaviṅka carved in openwork (sukashibori) onto a Buddhist hanging ornament called the keman, used in the golden hall of Chūson-ji temple in Iwate Prefecture. The kalaviṅka from this ornament was commemorated on a 120-yen definitive stamp issued Nov. 1, 1962.^[5] The pose and general appearance on this piece is similar to the ones seen on the octagonal pedestal of the same temple (pictured right).

• In another keman from the Tokugawa period (see keman page), the creatures stand more bipedally erect and hence more humanlike.

• In the ancient courtly dance performance Gagaku - karyobin (迦陵頻) is the name of dance expressive of the kalaviṅka, and is danced in pair with the kochō (胡蝶), a dance of butterfly motif. The paired dancing is called tsugai-mai (番舞).
• A kalaviṅka painting by the brushstrokes of Hasegawa Tōhaku resides in Daitoku-ji (Kyoto), inside the Kinmōkaku (金毛閣) erected by tea-master Sen no Rikyū.
• Painted on the ceiling of Tōfuku-ji's Sanmon gate (Kyoto).
• Painted on the ceiling of Myōshin-ji's Sanmon gate (Kyoto), normally not open to public.
• The Mizusawa Kannon at 214 Mizusawa, in the former city of Ikaho, Gunma, Main Hall, front right ceiling, painting of a heavenly woman with eagle-like talons, anonymous.
• Kawakami Sadayakko (Sada Yacco), billed as the first overseas Japanese actress, late in her life, built a villa located at Unumahōshakujichō, Kagamihara, Gifu. The villa was christened Banshōen (萬松園) by Itō Hirobumi, and the room with the Buddhist altar has a ceiling painting of kalaviṅka, which may be peered from outside (but access to premises only on Tuesday mornings).

In Tangut art

The Kalaviṅka is a common feature of Tangut art created during the Western Xia period (1038–1227).

• 

  Western Xia Glazed pottery Kalaviṅka-shaped architectural ornament.

• 

  Western Xia Grey pottery Kalaviṅka-shaped architectural ornament.

See also

• Garuda
• Harpie (Greek mythology)
• Karura
• Kinnara
• Gumyōchō (共命鳥), phoneticized: Chinese: 耆婆耆婆迦; pinyin: ɡònɡ mìnɡ niǎo, Skr.:Jīvajīvaka - twin-headed human-bird.

Popular culture

(manga)

• RG Veda by CLAMP: Ancient Hindu mythology theme. A sickly princess character.
• Dream Saga (夢幻伝説 タカマガハラ Mugen Densetsu Takamagahara) by Megumi Tachikawa : based on Amano-Iwato legend. A sacred bird character.

(Novels)

• Nightingale no chinmoku (ナイチンゲールの沈黙 Nightingale's silence) by Takeru Kaidō, bestselling medical fiction author:
• Takaoka Shnno Kokai ki(高丘親王航海記 Prince Takaoka's voyages) by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa
• Akame shijū ya taki shinjū misui (赤目四十八瀧心中未遂 Akame forty-eight waterfall suicide pact attempt) by Chōkitsu Kurumatani: Tattooed on the back of Aya, a female character.

(Music)

• Kalavinka by Buck-Tick

References

1. Hepburn, James Curtis (1903). A Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary (google). p. 270.
2. Shinchosha (1985). 新潮世界美術事典 (Shincho Encyclopedia of World Art). Shinchosha. ISBN 4-10-730206-7.
3. Kojien dictionary, 2nd rev. ed., 1976,
4. Schafer, Edward H. (1963). The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of Tʻang Exotics. University of California Press. p. 103.
5. The American Philatelist, volume 76, number ?, 1962, p.70: "A 120-yen stamp in one-color photogravure will be released Nov. 1. 1962, depicting Keman-no-karyōbinga