112 - AN IMPRESSIVE LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF FUDO MYO-O (ACALA), NANBOKUCHO PERIOD

AN IMPRESSIVE LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF FUDO MYO-O (ACALA), NANBOKUCHO PERIOD Japan, Nanbokucho period (1336-1392) Carved and assembled from cypress wood in the jointed-wood technique (yosegi) and modeled as Fudo Myo-o seated in dhyanasana with the soft figure of a youth and a fierce facial expression, with menacing eyes inlaid in crystal (gyokugan) with painted pupils, thick furrowed brows, and the fangs biting the lower lip, the hair swept to one side in a braid down the left shoulder, a gilt-metal kurikara (Buddhist sword) held in the right hand and a rope in the left, the robes draped around his waist and over the left shoulder. HEIGHT 24.4 cm Condition: Good condition with expected old wear, minor age cracks, light warping with associated fine gaps, minuscule losses, and slightly loose elements, flaking and losses to lacquer, the sword handle reattached. With a wood storage box (tomobako) with label to the cover inscribed in Japanese, ‘Fudo Myo-o’. In Esoteric (Shingon) Buddhism, Fudo Myo-o (the Immovable One) is the most powerful of the Five Myo-o (Bright Kings), fierce forms of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, each embodying their power against evil. From at least the 9th century, these Five Myo-o were revered collectively in Japan, with Fudo often depicted as the central figure. He also served as the primary icon in the Goma-do hall of Shingon temples. Fudo Myo-o is worshiped as a wrathful manifestation of Dainichi, the Buddha at the heart of the Buddhist cosmos. A tenacious protector of Buddhist teachings, Fudo is armed with a lasso and sword to subdue negative forces. In keeping with scriptural descriptions, this example portrays a full-bodied, menacing figure biting his lower lip, with his hair bound and falling over his left shoulder. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related larger wood figure of Fudo Myo-o, dated Kamakura period, 13th century, 41.6 cm high, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1958.321. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related polychrome wood figure of Fudo Myo-o, dated Kamakura-Nanbokucho period, 14th century, 28.8 cm high, together with a base and flame nimbus described as “possibly original to the sculpture”, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 16 March 2016, New York, lot 3024 (sold for USD 75,000 or approx. EUR 89,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).