Toji Temple Lecture Hall: Brahma and Sakra

JAPAN, Kyoto; Heian period

Master Kukai sculpted the figures of Brahma and Sakra for Emperor Ninmyo (reigned 833–850). The two statues are part of a 21-figure Shingon collection dating from 839 and forming a three-dimensional mandala. Brahma and Sakra are mounted at the ends of the altar as protector deities, with Brahma on the east and Sakra on the west. These sculptures were recognized as a National Treasure in 1954.
The figures were sculpted from single blocks of wood, with details molded in dry lacquer and painted. Brahma has four heads, four arms, and a Buddha head surmounting his topknot. He sits cross-legged on a lotus throne supported by four geese. His arms extend from a broad shouldered torso. The lower right hand opens in varada (wish-granting) mudra, while the hand above holds a small lance. The upper left hand raises a lotus bud and the hand below holds a whisk. A stole carved with fluid wave-like lines is draped over the left shoulder.
Sakra has a single pair of arms and sits in the relaxation posture on an elephant’s back. The long hair is arranged in an ornamental topknot and circled by a fillet. The figure wears a warrior’s breastplate and robes with the left hand clenched at the waist and the right holding a vajra.