Images: Nara’s Three-Faced Ashura: The Resolute, Sorrowful Gazes of a Kōfukuji Masterpiece

The bitten lower lip of the face on the figure’s left side (as observed) suggests a youth confronting inner turmoil. (© Muda Tomohiro)

The Ashura figure wears sandals, an unusual detail for a Buddhist statue that lends it a distinctly human feel. (© Muda Tomohiro)