sankosho　三鈷杵

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

A pestle with three prongs at each end, usually made of gilt bronze. The central grip is often encircled by demons' eyes kimoku 鬼目 and above and below these is a lotus flower design. The sankosho is a type of *kongousho 金剛杵 derived from an Indian weapon, and is a symbolic item in Esoteric Buddhism *mikkyou hougu 密教法具. It is also found as an attribute *jimotsu 持物 of Buddhist guardian figures, and represents the indestructibility of Buddhist law, and its power over evil. An example of a figure holding a sankosho is the Gundari Myououzou 軍荼利明王像 (1064) in Kyouougokokuji 教王護国寺 (Touji 東寺), Kyoto.

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