Description † A PAIR OF MONUMENTAL BRONZE NIO GUARDIANS, DATED 1783 BY INSCRIPTION Lot 37 - JAP1222Japan, dated 1783Each standing atop a naturalistically cast rockwork base raised on a finely carved lacquered wood stand supported on four stout cabriole legs. The open-mouthed Misshaku Kongo holds a vajra in his raised left hand, his other hand lowered with the fingers stretched out, while the close-mouthed Naraen Kongo thrusts his right hand forward with the palm facing forward, in a protective gesture akin to the abhaya mudra, while his left hand is clenched into a fist. Both guardians wearing short skirts and billowing scarves, their muscular bodies with prominent ribs, their faces with wrathful expressions, their hair and brows neatly incised, their topknots with foliate headdresses. Each statue is inscribed to the reverse, 'Tenmei san, mizunoto-u toshi, kichijitsu, kore wo osaku' ('This is donated on an auspicious day, in Tenmei 3 (corresponding to 1783), in the year of mizunoto-u').HEIGHT each 117 cm (excl. base) and 157.5 cm (incl. base) WEIGHT 92 & 96 kgCondition: Very good condition with old, attractive wear; casting flaws, minor nicks, light scratches, small dents. The wood stands with some wear, minor nicks and scratches, expected age cracks.Provenance: US private collection.The inscription on the present nio statues records that they were donated in Tenmei 3 (1783), a fateful year during which the devastating Tenmei eruption on Mount Asama in central Honshu occurred, exacerbating the Great Tenmei famine. It is plausible that an ardent patron commissioned and donated the pair to protect an important temple from further calamity during a particularly difficult time.Nio or Kongorikishi are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapani, the oldest and most powerful deity of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon. According to Japanese tradition, they traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him. Within the generally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. Nio are also seen as a manifestation of Mahasthamaprapta, the bodhisattva of power that flanks Amitabha in Pure Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism. They are usually a pair of figures that stand under a separate temple entrance gate, usually called Niomon in Japan.Guhyapada (Japanese: Misshaku Kongo) is a symbol of overt violence: he wields a vajra mallet and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the 'ha' or 'ah' sound, wherefore he is also known as Agyo in Japan.Narayana (Naraen Kongo) 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 'huṃ', 'heng', or 'un'. He is also referred to as Ungyo in Japanese due to his closed mouth.Literature comparison: The two nio figures closely resemble a pair of wood guardian figures, dated to the late Kamakura period, early 14th century, each 86.4 cm high including the base, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession numbers 64.292.1 and 64.292.2.