British Museum

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British Museum



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Wooden figure of Fudō Myō-ō
Heian period, 12th century AD
'The Immoveable King of Light'

Fudō (Sanskrit: Acala, or Candamaharosana) is one of the Myō-ō (Vidyarajas), 'Kings of Light', personified spells and protectors of the esoteric Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. He is a constant enemy of illusion, pointing the way to enlightenment beyond the illusion of life and death. His name, Fudō, means 'Unmoving' and refers to the unchanging reality beneath his fierce exterior.

Fudō's attributes are the sword and the rope. With the sword he cuts through the evils of the world of illusion to show the reality beneath. Fudō is considered to be the patron of swordsmen. The sword in this statue is of particular interest, being in the shape of the sankosho or three-pronged vajra (thunderbolt), a Buddhist ceremonial instrument symbolizing the Buddha, the Lotus, and the kongotai or ultimate reality. With his rope Fudō ties the enemies of enlightenment. He is sometimes shown as the leader of the five 'Kings of Light', or with his attendants Kongara Dōji and Shitaka Dōji.

Early statues show Fudō with two staring eyes and a pair of fearful fangs, as here. The piece is carved in ichiboku zukuri style (sculpted from a single block of wood), the arms made separately.

L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)

W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985)

- source : www.britishmuseum.org



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Katsukawa Shunshō, The actor Ichikawa Danjūrō
as Fudō Myō-ō, a colour woodblock print
Edo period, 11th month, AD 1780

A Kabuki actor plays a ferocious deity

Shunshō was the first woodblock print artist to design prints of Kabuki actors which actually captured their likeness (nigao-e). In this example, the immediately recognizable long nose, down-turned mouth and small close-set eyes of Danjūrō V have been superimposed on to the statue-like figure of the deity Fudō Myō-ō.

The Buddhist deity Fudō Myō-ō, 'The Immoveable God of Light', is the chastiser of enemies of the faith. He is always depicted carrying a sword to cut through evil and a rope to bind the enemies of enlightenment. He was also regarded as the tutelary (guardian) deity of the leading Danjūrō Ichikawa line of actors. The deity appears in the play Kite kaeru nishiki no wakayaka in an enormously popular scene, 'The stone statue of Fudō' (Sekizō no Fudō). Danjūrō V played this part four times. This print probably celebrates the opening of the season (kaomise) performance at the Nakamura theatre in the eleventh month of 1780. The deity stands on a rock below a waterfall, surrounded by flames, grasping his attributes of a sword and rope.

L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)

M. Narasaki (ed.), Hizō Ukiyo-e taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987)

- source : www.britishmuseum.org



. ICHIKAWA DANJÛRÔ and Fudo Myo-o .
"Narukami Fudo Kitayama Zakura"
雷神不動北山桜

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- MORE Fudo from the British Museum


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. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .


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