Vaiśravaṇa 多聞天立像たもんてんりゅうぞう

Description

Here Tamonten (Skt. Vaiśravaṇa) holds his attribute of a pagoda raised up high, a type of image that was widespread in Nara. With the strong twist of the hips to the right, it expresses dramatic movement and a powerful dynamism. It was previously part of a set of sculptures from Kōfukuji Temple along with the Zōchōten (Skt. Virūḍhaka) now in the collection of the Nara National Museum.

This type of Tamonten image, with the deity holding a pagoda raised high in the hand, was widespread in Nara. With the strong twist of the hips to the right, it expresses dramatic movement and a powerful dynamism. It was previously part of a set of sculptures from Kofuku-ji Temple (Nara Prefecture) that comprised Zochoten (Nara National Museum) and Komokuten (Kofuku-ji Temple).

This statue of Tamon-ten with an ornamental pagoda held high aloft is representative of a style widely seen in the Southern Capital (Jpn. Nanto), as Nara was once known. In addition to the pose in which the waist is twisted to the right, the statue has a dynamism that can only be called dramatic. Originally kept at Kōfukuji temple, it one of Four Guardian Kings (Jpn. Shitennō) and was paired with Kōmoku-ten.

This work constituted as the one of the Four Guardian Kings and came from Kōfuku-ji Temple together with the Kōmokuten (Skt. Virūpāṣa) and the Zōchōten (Skt. Virūḍhaka). The waist was twisted rightward and the right hand was raised aloft holding the small pagoda, characterized a lively posture. The black eye was inlaid with different block of wood to emphasize the raging face.