Batō Kannon

Batō Kannon (馬頭観音), Horse-headed Kannon, is the only wrathful form of Kannon. Like a horse devouring grass, she consumes the ignorance and suffering of beings. In rural Japan she became the protector of horses and cattle and of those who travelled with them, and stone images of her still stand by old roads.

Japanese 馬頭観音, Batō Kannon; also Batō Myōō
Sanskrit Hayagrīva
Rank Bodhisattva, sometimes counted among the wisdom kings
Recognise by A horse's head on top of the crown; fierce faces with fangs; two hands joined in the horse-mouth mudrā
Realm Animals, among the Six Kannon

Identifying Batō

Batō is usually shown with three faces and eight arms, each face angry, with a third eye and bared fangs, and a small horse's head rising from the crown. The two principal hands form the batō-in, a gesture imitating a horse's mouth. Her wrath places her close to the Myōō, and some esoteric texts call her Batō Myōō.

Guardian of animals

In the Edo period, when horses carried goods and people along Japan's highways, villagers set up stone markers carved with Batō's image or simply her name where a horse had died, to pray for its rebirth. These roadside stones are among the most common Buddhist monuments in the Japanese countryside, and the tradition carried into the age of the motor car.

Batō in Japanese art

A large standing Batō of the Heian period at Kanzeonji in Dazaifu is one of the grandest surviving examples. Batō also appears in esoteric paintings and in the Womb Realm mandala.

Collecting notes

  • Carved figures are uncommon. Small stone images and votive plaques are more often found.
  • A horse head on the crown is decisive: without it, a multi-armed fierce figure is more likely a wisdom king.

In the collection

Browse Kannon figures and wisdom kings. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a Batō image.

See also

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