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KAIKEI. Fudo Myoo

Fudo Myoo. Artist: Kaikei (Japanese, active 1183-1223). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 21 in. (53.3 cm); H. to top of sword 21 1/2 in. (54.6 cm); W. 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm); D. 15 in. (38.1 cm). Date: early 13th century. Fudo Myoo (Sanskrit: Acala-vidyaraja), the chief of the Five Wisdom Kings (Godai myoo), is the wrathful avatar of Dainichi Buddha and the tenacious protector of Buddhist law. His iconography, drawn from the Dainichi Sutra, describes his body as black or blue, with bulging eyes, protruding fangs that bite his lower lip, and hair that hangs down his left shoulder. He carries in his left hand a lasso to catch and bind demons (obstacles to awakening) and in his right hand a sword to decapitate them (cut through ignorance). The present example, from the workshop of Kaikei, one of the leading sculptors of his day, adheres to this iconography. Traces of colored pigments and strips of cut gold (kirikane) are visible in the deity's robes, and his eyes are inlaid with crystal, intensifying his ferocious expression.
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Author:
Title:
Fudo Myoo
Caption:
Fudo Myoo. Artist: Kaikei (Japanese, active 1183-1223). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 21 in. (53.3 cm); H. to top of sword 21 1/2 in. (54.6 cm); W. 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm); D. 15 in. (38.1 cm). Date: early 13th century. Fudo Myoo (Sanskrit: Acala-vidyaraja), the chief of the Five Wisdom Kings (Godai myoo), is the wrathful avatar of Dainichi Buddha and the tenacious protector of Buddhist law. His iconography, drawn from the Dainichi Sutra, describes his body as black or blue, with bulging eyes, protruding fangs that bite his lower lip, and hair that hangs down his left shoulder. He carries in his left hand a lasso to catch and bind demons (obstacles to awakening) and in his right hand a sword to decapitate them (cut through ignorance). The present example, from the workshop of Kaikei, one of the leading sculptors of his day, adheres to this iconography. Traces of colored pigments and strips of cut gold (kirikane) are visible in the deity's robes, and his eyes are inlaid with crystal, intensifying his ferocious expression.
Technique/material:
Lacquered Japanese cypress, color, gold, cut gold (kirikane), and inlaid crystal eyes
Period:
Kamakura period (1185-1333)
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
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Image size:
3150 x 4200 px | 37.9 MB
Print size:
26.7 x 35.6 cm | 10.5 x 14.0 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: