Yaksa form of Vajrapani (Blue Fudo)

13th-14th century

Wielding a vajra, an implement named for its diamond-like hardness, this deity presents a fearsome image intended to dispel evil thoughts and actions. It probably represents Zao Gongen, a deity especially revered by practitioners of Shugendo, a religious order that conducts ascetic practices in the mountains to attain magical powers, especially those for exorcism and healing. Known as yamabushi, practitioners of Shugendo combine practices of esoteric Buddhism with beliefs in mountains as sacred places, a native Japanese idea that preceded and coexisted with Buddhism.