Massive wooden statue created during the Edo Period (early 1600's to mid 1800's). Komokuten is the heavenly King and Guardian of the West. Komokuten literally means wide eyed or expansive vision - he encourages enlightenment. Here he is holding a writing brush in his right hand and a sutra in his left land. The sutra symbolizes the power of Buddha’s teachings to overcome ignorance, evil and all obstacles. His foot is on the squished head of an evil force.
Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple originally built in 752 c.e. It was reconstructed in 1692 c.e. but only at 2/3 the size of the original temple - still very large. No nails were used in its construction. At first (752 c.e.) Todai-ji was the head temple for all Japanese Buddhist temples. Currently it is the Japanese headquarters for one sect of Buddhism - Kegon.
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