Folding Screens of the Twelve Devas
Color on silk · Heian period · Kenkyū 2 (1191) · Kyoto — Kyōō Gokoku-ji (Tō-ji)
A movable ritual boundary made for kanjō (esoteric initiation): twelve guardian deities stand on the screens; they are shown in four rotating groups so that only three figures are visible at any one time.
Exhibition: Celebrating 1250 Years Since the Birth of the Great Master Kūkai: Kūkai and the Treasures of Shingon Buddhism — Tokyo National Museum · –