Kanzeonji Temple: Hayagriva
Cypress wood
Kanzeonji Temple: Hayagriva
JAPAN, Fukuoka, Dazaifu; Heian period
This is a rare example of the four-headed, eight-armed Hayagriva and is kept at the temple’s Teasure Hall. The manuscript found inside dates the work from 1126 to 1131. It was listed as an Important Cultural Propery in 1904.
The statue is assembled from several pieces of wood. Each head is ornamented with a headdress, on top of which is a Buddha image. The heads are wrathful, with glaring eyes, gnashing teeth and bristling hair. The figure’s central hands are in anjali (reverence) mudra, while the other three right hands are holding a hatchet, a sword, and prayer beads. The left hands hold a Dharma wheel and a baton, while the lowest makes the karana (warding off evil) mudra.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 523.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M},
pages = 523,
title = {{Kanzeonji Temple: Hayagriva}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}