Iconographic Drawing of Vajrapani (Shukongojin)

In this unusually large iconographic drawing, the wrathful tutelary deity strikes a pose, standing firm against enemies of the faith, even as his robes and scarves billow around him in the wind. He has the bulging muscles of a superhero and his mouth is wide open, as though emitting a fierce battle cry. In his right hand, Vajrapani (“thunderbolt in hand,” in Sanskrit) holds his weapon, an enormous vajra, or thunderbolt. His left hand grasps the right wrist to stabilize it. The figure is reminiscent of the nearly contemporary Nio sculptures guarding the entrance to Todaiji Temple in Nara.
The iconography and religious function of Vajrapani has changed considerably over the centuries. In his earliest representations from the ancient region of Gandhara, Vajrapani was depicted as a muscular elderly figure holding a double-lozenge-form vajra; such representations may have been influenced by Hellenistic depictions of the Graeco-Roman deity, Zeus/Jupiter, who was shown in similar form wielding a thunderbolt. In Tang-dynasty China, he flanks the entrance to Buddhist temples, appearing, for example, in the cave carvings of the Longmen Grottoes with the exaggerated musculature typical of this Japanese representation.