Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Ritual Implements from the 17th-19th Centuries - Five-Pronged Vajra, Vajra Bell, Vajra Plate

Acquired from an overseas collector. Five-pronged vajra and vajra bell. Bronze alloy. Estimated period: 17th-18th century. Vajra length: 14 cm, weight: 187 g. Bell height: 15.3 cm, weight: 393 g. Vajra plate: circa 19th century. Centuries-old religious artifacts. Brass alloy. Well-used ritual implements with a long history. Japanese Esoteric Buddhist implements. The middle section of the vajra. Often features four engraved circles. These four circles represent the four eyes of Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana), subduing all demonic obstacles. ********************************** Regarding the subtle energy or resonance of ritual implements, I personally do not possess such sensitivities. Whether it be ancient Tibetan Phurba daggers, vajra scepters... or even Japanese Esoteric Buddhist instruments like the *dokko* (single-prong), *sanko* (three-prong), or *goko* (five-prong) vajras... I have never felt anything. However, while acquiring a large number of Tibetan vajras this year, I also came across a few Japanese ones. One evening, while handling a *dokko* vajra, I placed it under my pillow before sleeping. Unexpectedly, that night I dreamt of a fire ritual. I could smell the scent of burning pine resin. As I frequently burn fragments of amber and beeswax beads for friends in recent years, allowing them to learn the aroma of genuine beeswax and amber when burned... In the dream, I focused intently on the scent... three times in succession. Thus, in my dream, I confirmed it was indeed the smell of burning resins like pine and beeswax. Upon waking with the dawn... after more than 30 years of handling countless ritual implements... always feeling dull and unresponsive... to experience a dream-like resonance from this *dokko* vajra was extraordinary. A fellow practitioner from the south once remarked, "The mental focus of Japanese practitioners surpasses that of Tibetans. Do not underestimate Japanese ritual implements..." On December 7, 2024, a fellow Taoist practitioner, who has long engaged in spiritual cultivation and meditation, visited. He sensed the potent energies of several ritual implements I possessed, both Tibetan (11th-18th century) and Japanese old vajras. Upon holding them, he couldn't stop yawning, unable to cease. He exclaimed how powerful the energies were. Then, with an incredulous look, he asked me if I truly felt nothing when touching these implements. After his sensing, he took photos to show his master. He then listened as I explained the age and acquisition price of each item. The next morning, he hesitantly requested to purchase three Japanese Esoteric Buddhist implements (a *dokko*, *sanko*, and *goko* vajra) from me. He noted that the energies sensed from Japanese and Tibetan ritual implements were almost equally powerful. However, the price difference is substantial. Much like the price disparity between Tibetan *dzi* beads and West Asian beads. He probably calculated that Japanese ritual implements were more affordable... On December 19, 2024, he traveled specially from the south to meet me and reported that the night he brought the Japanese implements home, he placed two of them by his bedside table. In his dreams, he saw two divine dragons, one large and one small, appearing within the vajra. Having practiced sensing for many years, he was truly surprised and delighted by this experience. ********************************** On December 18, 2024, I made an offering to the master Ugyen Khenpo at the temple. I inquired if there were any meditation practices involving the three-pronged vajra in Tibetan Buddhism. The master said that only householder yogis engage in contemplation. It is a practice of visualization—visualizing the three-pronged vajra in one's mouth. In practice, the ritual implement itself is not used. 48000-114.05.01