Fudo ‘the Immovable King of Light’ is seen standing on a rock with his two attendants, Cetaka (Seitaka) and Kimkara (Kongara), and is surrounded by a halo of flames. He carries in his right hand a sword representing wisdom cutting through ignorance and the evils of the illusory world, and a coiled rope in his left hand to catch and bind the enemies of enlightenment. Fudo is one of the most popular deities in Japan and his image appears in paintings and sculptures in temples and can also be found out of doors.

Fudo is especially venerated by the Japanese Shingon sect of Esoteric Buddhism which emphasizes the Mahavairocana (Great Sun) Sutra and worships Dainichi (Mahavairocana) Buddha, the ‘All-Encompassing’ Buddha. The Myo-o (Kings of Light) represent the luminescent wisdom of the Buddha, and are seen as forms of Dainichi, their fearsome expressions representing his wrath against evil and ignorance. Fudo was enshrined to protect the nation during the Heian period (794-1185) and was invoked on later occasions such as the Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century. During the Kamakura period (1185-1336) belief in Fudo spread to warriors and the common people.

Fudo is the principal image at the Buddhist fire ceremony known as ‘goma’. Although goma can be performed for many deities Fudo is felt to be of particular significance as he is believed to be constantly engaged in fire meditation during which all obstacles to enlightenment are burned up by knowledge. Goma is usually performed with the intent of tranquillity and harmony, although it can have other purposes: a small goma may be performed by a devotee or by a priest in a hall, while large outdoor goma are carried out by the Yamabushi, the ascetic mountain practitioners of the Shugendo doctrine which is a fusion of Shingon and Tendai (Mahayana) Buddhism and of Shinto, the polytheistic and animistic native belief system of Japan.

(See references).