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Mirror with Zaō Gongen

11th–12th century
Not on view
Zaō Gongen, the protector deity of the sacred Mount Kinpu in Nara (where this mirror was excavated), is considered the local Shinto manifestation of three Buddhist divinities as well as one of the most important deities of the Japanese religious mountain practice shugendō. Always depicted in a dynamic posture full of energy and vitality, the three-eyed Zaō here holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand and stands with his right foot raised.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 蔵王権現鏡像（金峯山経塚出土）
  • Title: Mirror with Zaō Gongen
  • Period: Heian period (794–1185)
  • Date: 11th–12th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Bronze with hairline engraving
  • Dimensions: Diam. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); D. 5/8 in. (1.6 cm)
  • Classification: Mirrors
  • Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.268.156
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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