Kongorikishi

Encyclopedia : K : KO : KON : Kongorikishi

This wooden Kongorikishi statue originally guarded the gate to Ebaradera, a temple in Sakai, Osaka.

Kongōrikishi (金剛力士) is one of the two Niō (仁王, lit. Benevolent kings) protective deities, the wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in Japan under the appearance of frightening wrestler-like statues. According to Japanese tradition, these guardians travelled with the historical Buddha to protect him.

Kongorikishi, also called Ungyo (うん形), is depicted either bare-handed or wielding a sword. He symbolizes latent strength, holding his mouth tightly shut. His mouth is rendered to form the sound "Un", leading to his alternate name. He, like the other Nio, is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Vajrapani, protector deity of the Buddha.

See also

• Greco-Buddhism
• Greco-Buddhist art

References

• "Religions and the Silk Road" by Richard C. Foltz (St. Martin's Press, 1999) ISBN 0312233388
• "The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity" by John Boardman (Princeton University Press, 1994) ISBN 0691036802
• "Old World Encounters. Cross-cultural contacts and exchanges in pre-modern times" by Jerry H.Bentley (Oxford University Press, 1993) ISBN 0195076397
• "Alexander the Great: East-West Cultural contacts from Greece to Japan" (NHK and Tokyo National Museum, 2003)

External links

• [Nio Protectors, the benevolent kings]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.