Five-pronged Vajra Pestle (Gokosho)
Unknown Artist
900s
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
h. 15 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Sherman E. Lee
Accession Number
1954.785
About this artwork
Resembling weapons wielded by deities described in the Vedas, ancient Indian religious scriptures, the vajra pestle (kongōsho) has long been used in Esoteric Buddhist rituals. The word vajra means diamond and thunderbolt in Sanskrit. Vajras are thus indestructible and powerful tools of Buddhism. The number of prongs has significance, with single-, three-, and five-pronged vajras being used for different purposes. The stylized thunderbolt known as a vajra also connotes the speed of lightning and ...