39 Batou Kannon

This statue of a horse-headed Kannon comes to life through the superlative techniques of Rakuzan Takahashi, who arguably transcended the concept of stone sculpture, creating a piece so delicate that it is hard to believe the underlying material is in fact stone. Batou Kannon is one of the six Kannon, and has a horse’s head on top of her head. Typically, Kannon has a beautiful feminine expression, but the Batou Kannon is shown with an enraged face and is sometimes referred to as Batou Myouou, referring to the fearsome Buddhist deities such as Acala. The fierceness of its anger crushes afflictions and other evils, while it eats away afflictions like a horse eats grass, purifying misfortune. She is also often enshrined near racecourses as a prayer for the safety and health of livestock. She also offers protection during travel, and appears as a Buddha at memorial service for horses.