Kongo rikishi, the “power lords of the diamond realm,” stand guard at many Buddhist temples in Japan. Bare-chested, sneering deities, the kongo rikishi are not your average Buddhas. Unlike the serene Kannon, Amida and Jizo statues, their ferocious faces and body-builder physiques are meant to frighten off evil spirits from the temple grounds, and in fact, they’re not true Buddhas at all, but rather protectors of the Buddha.

Kongo Rikishi also represent the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Look closely at their faces and you’ll notice that the one on the left, the Missha Kongo (the secret-knowing Kongo) always has his mouth closed, and the one on the right, the Mishabe Kongo (the secret-speaking Kongo) always has his mouth open.

The Kongo Rikishi in this photo is at the Nakayama-dera, a temple for pregnant women in Takarazuka city, near Kobe.

To read more about Kongo Rikishi, visit the section on Nio at the excellent Japanese Buddhist Statuary homepage.

Editor’s note: this post was originally published in March 2008 and has been updated.

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