Votive plaque of Zaō Gongen

Votive plaque of Zaō Gongen

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This flame-shaped votive plaque is incised with the figure of Zaō Gongen on a rocky outcrop with his right foot upraised. He holds a three-pronged vajra (sankōshō) in his right hand and his left hand forms the ken-in mudra (sword gesture). This bronze plaque is said to have been retrieved from a sutra mound (kyōzuka) of the temple Kimpusenji in Yoshino, which has been a center for Shūgendō ascetic training since medieval times.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Votive plaque of Zaō GongenVotive plaque of Zaō GongenVotive plaque of Zaō GongenVotive plaque of Zaō GongenVotive plaque of Zaō Gongen

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.