A STUDY ON THE FORMATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF STAR MANDALAS, BASED ON ANALYSIS OF PHOTO DATA BASE

星曼陀罗的形状有两种，一种是圆形，另一种是正方形，属于日本深奥的佛教绘画。在对星曼陀罗的研究中，重点放在四个方向上，尤其是圆形的星曼陀罗。通过将十二生肖和二十八星宫的排列关系作为四个方向的坐标，给出了新的解释：太阳、月亮和五颗行星的排列与星座的某个相位有很大关系。这说明古代天文学的方法对于厘清曼陀罗星体构成的意义是有效的，也说明了跨学科研究的重要性。

There are two types for the shapes of Star Mandalas, or Hokuto Mandalas, which belong to Esoteric Buddhist painting of Japan ; circular type and square one. In this study on Star Mandalas, it is the point to focus on the view with four directions especially on the circular type of Star Mandalas. By regarding the relationship between the arrangements of the Twelve Constellations of the Zodiac and the Twenty-eight Stellar Mansions, both of which are the elements of Star Mandalas, as the coordinates of four directions, the new interpretation is provided : the arrangement of the Sun, the Moon, and five Planets has much to do with some phase of horoscope. That shows the approach of the ancient astronomy is effective in order to clarify the meaning of the composition of Star Mandalas, and also shows the importance of interdisciplinary search.