Fudo Myo-O (Acala) from Kegon-fu
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- British Museum
- Image courtesy of
- British Museum
Description
Fudo Myo-O—the Immovable One, Acala in Sanskrit—is among the most fearsome of the Five Wisdom Kings and a recurring subject in Munakata's work. In this print from the Kegon-fu series, the deity likely appears enthroned in flames, clutching a sword to sever delusion and a rope to bind evil. Munakata's aggressive gouge work—often executed with chisels rather than the finer tools of traditional ukiyo-e carvers—transforms the surrounding fire into rhythmic, blade-cut striations across the block's surface. The Kegon-fu series as a whole draws on the Avatamsaka Sutra's vision of a universe of interconnected emanations, placing Fudo within a larger cosmic diagram. The print demonstrates Munakata's capacity to render theological intensity through purely formal means.
More Prints by Shiko Munakata
Flying Over the Mountains (Yamagoe), from the series "The Tale of the Auklet (Uto Hanga-kan)"
1960
Woodblock print
Bodhisattva Manjusri (Monju bosatsu no saku), from the series Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha Sakyamuni (Shaka jûdai deshi), Shôwa period, undated (block carved 1948)
Shôwa period, 1926-1989
Woodblock print
Ragora (Rahula), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939-68
Woodblock print
Ubari (Upali), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939 (printed 1955)
Woodblock print
More Religious Prints
The Great Buddha, Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)
Kamakura Daibutsu
1930
Color woodblock print
Hall of the Great Buddha (Nara Daibutsuden)
1950
Color woodblock print
Great Buddha
大仏
Woodblock print
Clearing after a Snowfall at the Kannon Temple in Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon no yukibare), from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo (Tokyo nijukkei)"
1926
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fudo Myo-O (Acala) from Kegon-fu was created by Shiko Munakata (棟方志功).
Yes — Fudo Myo-O (Acala) from Kegon-fu is part of the Pantheon of the Gandavyuha Sutra (Kegon-fu) series by Shiko Munakata.
Fudo Myo-O (Acala) from Kegon-fu depicts religious.