Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)

Each finely carved and decorated with gesso and pigment to depict a Nio guardian, Agyo with the mouth open, holding a tama (sacred jewel) in his lowered right hand, his left hand extended with the palm facing forward, in a protective gesture akin to the abhaya mudra, Ungyo with the mouth closed, his right hand extended with the thumb and index finger joined similar to vitarka mudra. Both are wearing flowing skirts with deeply carved folds, gathered at the waist revealing their strong muscular bodies, and adorned with necklaces. Their faces showing fierce expressions and well detailed with thick brows, strong cheeks, and large black glass eyes, flanked by thick pendulous earlobes. Each with the hair drawn up into a high chignon.

HEIGHT 205 cm (each excl. base) and 214 cm (incl. base)

Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, flaking and losses to gesso and pigment, expected age cracks, minor chips, small losses.
Provenance: A private collection of Japanese and Southeast Asian Buddhist art. A private collection in the United Kingdom, gifted from the above during the 1980s.

Each figure is supported on an associated metal base of rectangular form.

Nio or Kongorikishi are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapani, the oldest and most powerful deity of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon. According to Japanese tradition, they traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him. Within the generally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. Nio are also seen as a manifestation of Mahasthamaprapta, the bodhisattva of power that flanks Amitabha in Pure Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism. They are usually a pair of figures that stand under a separate temple entrance gate, usually called Niomon in Japan.

Guhyapada (Japanese: Misshaku Kongo) is a symbol of overt violence: he wields a vajra mallet and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the ‘ha’ or ‘ah’ sound, wherefore he is also known as Agyo in Japan. Narayana (Naraen Kongo) 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 ‘huṃ’, ‘heng’, or ‘un’. He is also referred to as Ungyo in Japanese due to his closed mouth.

Museum comparison:
Compare a pair of wood Nio guardians, dated mid-14^th century, each 193 cm high, in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, accession numbers 83.76.1 and 83.76.2.