Zochoten, one of the 4 heavenly Buddhist kings, tramples over a “Jaki” or malicious imp, to teach it a lesson. In truth, a statue in Saidaiji Temple was the inspiration for this image. It’s said an Emperor carved the statue himself during the Nara Period to enshrine it in the temple hall, and that is how Saidaiji Temple was built. There was a fire, however, and the statue was almost consumed in the inferno. Almost…but for the Jaki under the Buddha’s foot, which survived, unscathed, from the Nara Period to this very day. If only the Jaki had burned instead…The words scribed in this calligraphy speak of that irony, but what do you think?

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