Nakayamadera Temple Main Hall: Hayagriva

JAPAN, Fukui, Oi; Kamakura period

As the principal statue in the main hall, this wood carving sculpture was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1967. The head and torso are made of hollowed cypress wood while the shoulders, elbows, wrists and feet are carved from another material. The Bodhisattva sits cross-legged upon a four-layered lotus throne wearing the horse-head attribute on the top of his head. The three faces are wrathful, with knitted brows, glaring eyes, bared teeth and flaring hair. The pupils of the eyes are made of precious stone, adding to the vivid expression.
Two of the eight hands are in front of the body with palms joined in the manidhara (jewel-holding) mudra, while the bottom pair of hands, extended to the side, are in varada (wish-granting) mudra. The two upper hands on the right hold an axe and a sword, while the two hands on the left hold a vase and a Dharma wheel. An intersecting circular aureole and nimbus surrounded by a circular mandorla are behind the body. This statue is separately enshrined, so it remains unspoiled and mostly in its original condition. The various parts of the torso and the realistic depiction of the clothing are typical of the Kamakura period (1185–1333).