Fudō Myōō at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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Udo Myooh is widely recognized in Japan as one of the most prominent Esoteric Buddhist deities known as Myooh or Kings of Brightness. As a fierce protector of the Buddhist Law, he is seen as a direct emanation of the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai, the principal Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism. The first Japanese sculptures of Fudo were seated, but standing sculptures like this one started being carved in the eleventh century. Images of Udo Myooh are often housed in temple halls called Gomado where a fire-burning ritual called goma-e is performed. This ritual involves burning incense, talismans, and other possessions to symbolically destroy defilements. Originally made up of six hollowed-out pieces of wood, this statue was once the central icon of the Kuhonji Gomado in Funasaka, twenty miles northwest of Kyoto. The hall has not survived. An early eighth-century commentary on the Buddhist scripture, the Dainichi Sutra, is the basis for the iconography of many images of Fudo: "His figure is like a child. In his right hand he holds the great sword of wisdom and in his left hand he holds the lasso. On his head there is a pile of hair and hair hangs down his left shoulder. His left eye is slightly closed and his lower teeth bite his upper lip at the right side. His lower left lip protrudes. On his forehead are grooves like waves. He sits on a rock. He looks humble and fat. He is extremely angry." Emphasizing his role as an unflagging, fierce defender of Buddhism, Fudo uses his sword to cut through ignorance and his lasso to rein in those who would block the path to enlightenment. In keeping with the symbolic color schemes characteristic of Esoteric Buddhist art, Fudo's hair was once painted red and his flesh blue-green. Traces of these colors, as well as designs on the roundels decorating his garments, remain visible today. Now missing, Fudo would once have had a mandorla carved in the shape of wild flames and inserted behind him into the rock upon which he stands. The heavy weight of his shoulders and back is planted firmly on his stiffened legs, appropriate for a deity whose name means the "Immovable." This object is part of "Scan the World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.