Blade and Mounting for a Double-Edged Dagger (Ken) blade, late 12th-early 13th century; mounting, 14th century Japanese The symbolic significance of the triple-pronged vajra, as well as its shape, made it an appropriate choice for use as the hilt of a sacred sword (ken), as demonstrated by this extremely rare example of an Esoteric Buddhist ritual object in the form of a ken. The blade dates from the late Heian or early Kamakura period (late twelfth to early thirteenth century), and the gilt-copper vajra hilt was probably made in the early Nambokuch period (mid-fourteenth century). In Buddhist iconography the sword represents the defense of religious doctrine and the defeat of falsehood and evil. It is an emblem of intelligence and, by extension, of the victory of spiritual knowledge, which opens the path to enlightenment. Combined with a vajra hilt it signifies the sword of wisdom (e-ken), one of the major attributes of Fud My-, also referred to as the Great Immovable One. Fud wa