Liza's+Asia+Exhibit

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1975.268.155 Thenature of Japanese religious life is evident in the icons and practices associated with the deity, the abiding spirit of Mount Kimpu, in the Yoshino Mountains south of Nara. Zao was the protective deity of Shugendo, a Shinto-Buddhist cult devoted to ascetic practices and mountain worship. Images of him are based on the guardians of the Buddhist pantheon. This finely cast bronzed image of Zao Gongen expresses the fervor of his cult in the latter half of the Heian period, as well as the refined aesthetic sense of the Fujiwara aristocrats. On one leg, Zao brandishes a now-missing vajra (thunderbolt scepter), his might is rendered in a modeled form embellished with delicately chased designs on the windswept garment. **Source:**  [|Zao Gongen [Japan (1975.268.155) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art]] **Current Event:** http://www.wgal.com/news/27514557/detail.html
 * Picture:**
 * Description:**