Nio (benevolent kings)
E815582
Nio, or benevolent kings, are fierce guardian deities in Japanese Buddhism typically depicted as muscular, wrathful figures who protect temple gates from evil.
Observed surface forms (2)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Buddhist deity
ⓘ
Japanese Buddhist iconography motif ⓘ Nio deity ⓘ Nio deity ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Kongōrikishi
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Niō NERFINISHED ⓘ benevolent kings ⓘ |
| artStyle | Japanese Buddhist sculpture ⓘ |
| associatedConcept | vajra ⓘ |
| associatedWith | Vajrapani NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commonMaterial |
bronze
ⓘ
wood ⓘ |
| countryOfCulturalOrigin | Japan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalRole |
protectors of sacred space
ⓘ
symbols of strength ⓘ |
| depictedAs | semi-nude warriors ⓘ |
| foundIn |
Shingon temples
ⓘ
Tendai temples NERFINISHED ⓘ Zen temples ⓘ |
| function |
guarding the Buddha
ⓘ
protection from evil ⓘ warding off demons ⓘ |
| gesture | threatening hand mudras ⓘ |
| hasPart |
Agyō
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ungyō NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| introducedTo | Japan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| introducedVia |
Chinese Buddhism
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Korean Buddhism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| memberOf | Buddhist protective deities ⓘ |
| mouthForm |
closed mouth
ⓘ
open mouth ⓘ |
| numberOfDeities | 2 ⓘ |
| originatesFrom | Indian Buddhist traditions ⓘ |
| position |
left side of gate
ⓘ
right side of gate ⓘ |
| religion | Buddhism ⓘ |
| role | temple guardian ⓘ |
| symbolism |
alpha and omega of all things
ⓘ
utterance of the syllable "a" ⓘ utterance of the syllable "un" ⓘ |
| typicalLocation |
niōmon
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
sanmon NERFINISHED ⓘ temple gate ⓘ |
| visualCharacteristic |
bare upper torso
ⓘ
dynamic posture ⓘ muscular body ⓘ tensed muscles ⓘ wrathful expression ⓘ |
| visualForm | pair of statues ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Hozomon Gate