This 15-cm tall artifact is a repoussé image of the deity Zao Gongen, housed at the Tokyo National Museum. Crafted from gilt bronze during the 10th to 12th century, it was discovered at the peak of Mt. Ōmine in Nara Prefecture.
When I saw him for the first time, he didn't have a name. I asked a museum staff member, but she said they'd lost his background information and that sort of thing happened often. That's how I tentatively named him 'Kung Fu Buddha.' 😜 A few years later, the museum retrieved his background information and labeled him Zao Gongen.
Zao Gongen is the principal image of Shugendo, a uniquely Japanese mountain asceticism that blends Shinto and Buddhist practices. He is also famously enshrined as the main deity of Kinpusenji Temple in Yoshino, Nara. As the ruler of all things, Zao Gongen embodies the truth of ultimate immortality. It's amazing this cute, 15cm-tall kung fu deity rules the entire world!
The plaque in the second photo also features the deity's image, but it gives a completely different impression than the Kung Fu Buddha does.
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| Plaque with image of Deity Zao Gongen 銅板抽出蔵王権現像 |
Posted on 8/10/2020
Revised on 10/26/2026
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最初の写真、東京国立博物館の「押出蔵王権現像」です。平安時代に作られ、奈良県天川村の大峯山頂遺跡で見つかりました。
実は最初にこの像について書いたときは説明書きがなく、スタッフの人に聞いたら「出自が分からないんです。よくあるんです。」と軽く言われてしまい、仕方なく勝手に「Kung Fu Buddha（カンフー仏陀）」と名付けました（笑）。その後、ちゃんとした名前が分かりました。
蔵王権現は、日本独自の山嶽仏教である修験道の本尊。奈良県吉野町の金峯山寺本堂（蔵王堂）の本尊として知られ、究極不滅の真理を体現し、あらゆるものを司る王だそうです。へーっ、こんなかわいい権現様が万物を司っている｡｡｡ 😜
２枚目の写真は「銅板抽出蔵王権現像」。同じく蔵王権現。でもカンフー仏陀とは印象が全然違います｡｡｡
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