Fugen Bosatsu

Fugen Bosatsu is the Japanese name for the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, often seen in paintings and sculptures with Monju Bosatsu as an attendant of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

Fugen protects devotees of the Lotus Sutra, the only sutra that offers salvation directly for women (without first being reborn as a man), so he was highly venerated by Heian noblewomen. He is commonly depicted seated on a lotus throne and riding a white elephant.