阿修羅(あしゅら)

あしゅら
noun
Asura; fierce demigod; scene of carnage
religionculture
1. Asura (Buddhist demigod)
In Buddhist cosmology, a powerful but warlike being that inhabits one of the six realms of rebirth. Asuras are depicted with multiple faces and arms, locked in eternal battle with the gods. The famous Ashura statue at Kōfukuji Temple in Nara is one of Japan's most beloved Buddhist sculptures.
興福寺(こうふくじ)の阿修羅(あしゅら)像(ぞう)を見(み)に行(い)った。
I went to see the Ashura statue at Kōfukuji Temple.
阿修羅(あしゅら)は仏教(ぶっきょう)の六道(ろくどう)の一(ひと)つに数(かぞ)えられる。
The Asura realm is counted as one of the six paths in Buddhism.
三面六臂(さんめんろっぴ)の阿修羅(あしゅら)像(ぞう)は、怒(いか)りと悲(かな)しみが入(い)り混(ま)じった表情(ひょうじょう)で知(し)られている。
The three-faced, six-armed Ashura statue is known for its expression that mixes anger and sorrow.
2. scene of carnage; fierce battle; chaos
Figuratively, a state of intense conflict or violent chaos, evoking the eternal warfare of the Asuras. Used in the expression 修羅場(しゅらば) (shuraba) and similar compounds.
戦場(せんじょう)は阿修羅(あしゅら)のようだった。
The battlefield was like a scene of carnage.
選挙(せんきょ)戦(せん)は阿修羅(あしゅら)の戦(たたか)いと化(か)した。
The election campaign turned into a fierce battle.
株式(かぶしき)市場(しじょう)が暴落(ぼうらく)し、取引(とりひき)フロアは阿修羅(あしゅら)のような様相(ようそう)を呈(てい)した。
The stock market crashed, and the trading floor took on a scene of chaos.

From Sanskrit 'asura' via Buddhist scriptures. In Indian mythology, asuras are powerful beings opposed to the devas (gods). In Japanese Buddhism, the Asura realm (阿修羅道(あしゅらどう)) represents a state of constant conflict driven by jealousy and competitiveness.

The 興福寺(こうふくじ) Ashura statue (阿修羅像(あしゅらぞう)) in Nara, a National Treasure from 734 CE, is arguably the most famous Buddhist sculpture in Japan. Its slender, youthful figure with three faces expresses a range of emotions unusual in Buddhist art.

Common collocations

  • 阿修羅(あしゅら)像(ぞう): Ashura statue
  • 阿修羅(あしゅら)道(どう): Asura realm (one of the six Buddhist realms)
  • 阿修羅(あしゅら)のような: like a scene of carnage
  • 阿修羅(あしゅら)の如(ごと)く: like an Asura (literary)

Related words

Related Words

Related: 修羅場(しゅらば) (scene of carnage)
general
Added 2026.5.1 1:28 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
26000/26334_ashura