Komoku-ten (Virupaksa)

on loan from Joruri-ji, Kyoto
Heian Period, 12th century
Tokyo National Museum, Japan.

One of the four Shi-tenno, Komoku-ten is the Directional Guardian of the West. The figure is identified as Komoku-ten on the museum label. His left hand holds a trident, and his right hand holds a lasso. The iconography is a variant; usually, Komoku-ten holds a pen and sutras (scriptures). (Reference: Louis Frederic, Buddhism, p. 247.)