Todaiji Temple Ordination Hall: Four Heavenly Kings

JAPAN, Nara; Nara period

These Four Heavenly Kings occupy the corners of the ordination hall. The carving is natural and detailed, and the colors are skillfully applied. The statues were listed as Japanese National Treasures in 1952.
The eyes of the Heavenly Kings are inlaid with black stone. They are dressed in full armor and trample evil spirits underfoot. The attributes they hold, as well as their postures and expressions, distinguish them. Dhrtarastra holds a sword ready for confrontation; Virudhaka has a halberd and poses a hand on the hip; Vaisravana lifts a pagoda in his right hand; and Virupaksa carries a writing brush and a scroll. Only Dhrtarastra wears a helmet while the others have their hair neatly arranged in topknots. The eyes of Virudhaka and Dhrtarastra are wide and stare angrily, while those of Vaisravana and Virupaksa are half closed and seem focused further away, contrasting with the other two. Even the postures of the spirits they pin beneath them differ as they writhe on the ground.