On the entrance of most of the Japanese Buddhist temples, you can see a pair of guardians, the Nio (Benevolent Kings), protectors against the evil spirits (similar to the koma-inu from the shinto shrines). According to Japanese traditions, they followed and protected Buddha when he traveled throughout India.
The statue from the right is called Agyo, it is a symbol of overt violence, wielding a vajra-paṇi and it is represented with the mouth open, representing the beginning of the universe.
The statue from left the is called Ungyo, it symbolizes the latent strength, it is represented bare-handed or wielding a sword and has its mouth closed, representing the end of the universe.
The first Nio says “A” while the other says “M", so together they are uttering the Buddhist mantra “AUM".
Photos from Rinno-ji Temple in Nikko. More photos in Japan Photo Gallery.
