An old Buddhist legend tells the story of two demons who once opposed Buddha. One of them is Raijin, the Japanese god of thunder and lightning, while the other is Fujin, the Japanese god of wind. The story goes that Buddha ordered the capturing of those two demons and, after being defeated, Raijin and Fujin are working now for the heaven.
That’s why, in some Japanese temples, you will see large statues representing this pair of gods. In this photo you can see the Fujin statue from the Nitenmon Gate of the Taiyuin Mausoleum from Nikko - the one paired with the Raijin statue presented last week.
The god of wind is colored in green and carries on his shoulders a large bag full with winds. When he opens the bag, the winds are set free, creating storms… like the one said to protect Japan against the fleet of Kublai Khan - kamikaze, the divine wind.
Although the statue is not as well preserved like its Raijin pair, it’s still impressive and I like its expression…
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:Okayama Koraku-en, Japanese garden panoramic view |
