Kongōyasha Myōō

12th century

Not on view

Kongōyasha Myōō is one of the Five Great Guardian Kings in Esoteric Buddhism. His ferocious aspect is a manifestation of the wrath of the Five Wisdom Buddhas against evil. Kongōyasha Myōō is presented with three faces, five eyes, and six arms, with each hand holding one of his attributes: a wheel, an arrow, a bow, a sword, a tri-pronged vajra, and a vajra bell. Introduced from China by Kobo Daishi (774-836), a founder of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, the Five Great Guardian Kings became an important ritual icon, called upon as protectors of the nation during the Ninnōkyō ceremony (Sutra of the Benevolent Kings), which was performed on special occasions

Artwork Details

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金剛夜叉明王
Title: Kongōyasha Myōō
Period: Heian period (794–1185)
Date: 12th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions: Image: 28 3/8 x 21 1/4 in. (72.1 x 54 cm)
Overall with mounting: 65 5/8 x 26 1/2 in. (166.7 x 67.3 cm)
Overall with knobs: 65 5/8 x 28 5/8 in. (166.7 x 72.7 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.12
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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