Painted Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Mandalas of Both Worlds are generally divided into three types based on how their main deities are presented. Many show the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai (Sanskrit: Mahavairochana Buddha) and his multiple emanations in figural form. In other Mandalas of Both Worlds, the deities are represented by their attributes (sanmai yagyō), typically ritual implements such as vajras or katsumas. This mandala is from a pair in which the deities are represented as the Sanskrit seed syllables (shuji) with which they are associated.
