Acala

JAPAN; Kamakura period

This sculpture of the Wisdom King Acala dates from the 12th century. The fearsome appearance is designed to ward off evil. One eye of the King is half shut while the other stares out angrily, and the mouth is closed in an exaggerated curve with one tooth from the upper jaw exposed and one from the lower. The curly hair is wound into a single plait falling to the left shoulder. The body is bull-necked and sturdy, and the figure stands with one foot slightly advanced on a rocky plinth. A double-bladed sword with a vajra hilt is in the right hand, and a snaring rope is in the lowered left hand. The pendants falling from the intricate collar mostly coveres the figure’s chest. A sash and a simply tied skirt, carved with careful attention to detail is beneath the pendants. The statue is carved from wood on which traces of paint and gold leaf remains.