Kinpozan Gofukuji Temple
Main Image Wooden Daiitoku Myo-o (Yamantaka) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
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DescriptionGofukuji Temple preserves this wooden Daiitoku Myoo, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Dating to the late Heian period, it is made of hinoki cypress in joined-block construction. The figure has six faces, six arms, and six legs: three wrathful faces with three eyes each, plus three small Buddha faces above the head. Its first pair of hands is joined in prayer, while the second and third pairs hold ritual weapons. One left leg is bent and the other five legs hang down as the deity sits astride a water buffalo. Although wrathful in form, the gently sloping shoulders and calm gaze retain the softer character of late-Heian sculpture. An inscription inside records a repair in 1421. The image is now housed in the Okuden cultural-property repository together with the temple’s principal Eleven-Faced Kannon and many other historic Buddhist statues. Visitors should contact Gofukuji in advance about viewing.
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