Temple Guardian, anonymous, c. 1300 - c. 1400

Temple Guardian, anonymous, c. 1300 - c. 1400

polychromy, h c.237cm × w 146cm × d 62.5cm More details

These guards stand at the entrance to a temple to ward off evil. They are holding a vajra, with which to crush ignorance. Their open and shut mouths represent the first and last letters of the Japanese script: A and N: this symbolises the totality of sounds and letters, of knowledge. Worshippers who enter the temple through the gate symbolically receive that knowledge.

On display in Asian pavilion, room 2 Visit via the The best of the Rijksmuseum tour Visit via the Highlights Asian Pavilion tour

Listen to audio fragment (from the multimedia tour)

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