Nio

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The Niō (仁王, lit. Benevolent kings) are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in Japan under the appearance of frightening wrestler-like statues. According to Japanese tradition, these guardians, called Shukongōshin and Kongorikishi, travelled with the historical Buddha to protect him.

The Diamond-rod wielding Shukongōshin (Agyō), Asakusa Temple, Japan.

The wrestler Kongo Rikishi (Ungyõ) in Nikko, Japan

Both are manifestations of the Bodhisattva Vajrapani, protector deity of the Buddha.

The Niō Protectors are part of the Mahayana pantheon and as such were probably influenced by the Greco-Buddhist interaction of Buddhism with the Hellenistic culture of Central Asia from the 4th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. Together with the Herculean expression of Vajrapani in Mahayana Buddhism, their attributes, physical qualities and attitudes seem to get their inspiration from those of the Greek god Heracles.

1 Shukongoshin
2 Kongorikishi
3 Notes
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Shukongoshin

Shukongōshin, also called Agyo (阿形), is a symbol of overt violence: he wields a thunderbolt stick and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the "ah" sound, leading to his alternate name, "Agyō". He is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Vajrapani, protector deity of the Buddha.

Shukongoshin is an interesting case of transmission of the image of the Greek god Herakles to the Far-East along the Silk Road. Herakles was used in Greco-Buddhist art to represent Vajrapani, the protector of the Buddha (See also Image), and his representation was then used in China and Japan to depict the protector gods of Buddhist temples. This transmission is part of the wider Greco-Buddhist syncretic phenomenon, where Buddhism interacted with the Hellenistic culture of Central Asia from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD ^[1].

Iconographical evolution from the Greek Herakles to Shukongōshin. From left to right:
1) Herakles (Louvre Museum).
2) Herakles on coin of Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius I.
3 Vajrapani, the protector of the Buddha, depicted as Herakles in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara.
4) Shukongōshin, manisfestation of Vajrapani as protector deity of Buddhist temples in Japan.

[edit] Kongorikishi

This wooden Kongorikishi statue originally guarded the gate to Ebaradera, a temple in Sakai, Osaka.

Kongorikishi, also called Ungyo (うん形), is depicted either bare-handed or wielding a sword. He symbolizes latent strength, holding his mouth tightly shut. His mouth is rendered to form the sound "Un", leading to his alternate name "Ungyō".

[edit] Notes

↑ "The origin of the image of Vajrapani should be explained. This deity is the protector and guide of the Buddha Sakyamuni. His image was modelled after that of Hercules. (...) The Gandharan Vajrapani was transformed in Central Asia and China and afterwards transmitted to Japan, where it exerted stylistic influences on the wrestler-like statues of the Guardina Deities (Nio)." (Katsumi Tanabe, "Alexander the Great, East-West cultural contacts from Greece to Japan", p23)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

"Religions and the Silk Road" by Richard C. Foltz (St. Martin's Press, 1999) ISBN 0-312-23338-8
"The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity" by John Boardman (Princeton University Press, 1994) ISBN 0-691-03680-2
"Old World Encounters. Cross-cultural contacts and exchanges in pre-modern times" by Jerry H.Bentley (Oxford University Press, 1993) ISBN 0-19-507639-7
"Alexander the Great: East-West Cultural contacts from Greece to Japan" (NHK and Tokyo National Museum, 2003)