Lit. vajra pestle. A pestle-like object with pointed ends, derived from an Indian weapon. Usually made of gilt bronze, with kimoku鬼目 (goblins' eyes) or kimen 鬼面 (goblins' heads), encircling the central grip, and an eight-petalled lotus flower above and below the center. A symbolic item in Esoteric Buddhism *mikkyō hōgu 密教法具, the kongōsho is often held by guardian figures such as *Shukongōshin 執金剛神, *Kongō rikishi 金剛力士 and *Taishakuten 帝釈天. It represents the indestructibility of Buddhist law and the power of the Buddha to vanquish evil. There are various types of kongōsho, named according to the number and shape of the prongs at the ends of the club. The oldest forms most frequently found in Japan are the *tokkosho 独鈷杵 (single-pronged pestle), *sankosho 三鈷杵 (three-pronged pestle), and *gokosho 五鈷杵 (five-pronged pestle). The hōjusho 宝珠杵 (sacred pearl pestle) and tōsho 塔杵 (pagoda pestle) are newer variations, and the kuzuryūsho 九頭竜杵 (pestle with nine dragon heads) and kyūkosho 九鈷杵 (nine-pronged pestle), common in Song and Yuan China, are thought to have originated in Tibet. A good example of a figure holding a kongōsho is the Shukongōshin (mid-8th century) in Tōdaiji *Hokkedō 東大寺法華堂 (Sangatsudō 三月堂), Nara.