Three-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual Implements

Three-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual Implements

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

For Esoteric Buddhist ritual prayer and incantations, a set of vajra pestles (kongōsho) and a bell (kongōrei) would be placed upon this bronze stand. The curved, leg-like supports are called “cat feet” in Japanese. The oldest known kongōban tray in Japan is believed to be the one preserved at Tōji Temple in Kyoto, which was brought back from China in the ninth century by the monk Kūkai, founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect in Japan.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Three-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual ImplementsThree-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual ImplementsThree-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual ImplementsThree-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual ImplementsThree-Footed Stand (Kongōban) for Buddhist Ritual Implements

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.