been proposed. It is the oldest surviving depiction of a gohōjin, and has been designated as one of the National Treasures. It can be considered a typical example of a Heian statue utilizing the single wood block technique (ichiboku-zukuri). The face is exaggerated, with the eyes in particular being disproportionately large and slanted in a manner meant to mimic the Chinese numeral 八 (8), but at the same time with the exception of unnaturally big head wear, the clothing is portrayed in a naturalistic manner, and follows the style typical for the eighth and ninth centuries. Christine Guth notes that the facial features of the statue might be comical to modern audiences, but most likely originally were a way to designate the “otherness” of the depicted deity and his transcendent powers. This artistic convention was widespread in East Asia especially in the late first millennium, and the individual elements of the statue's face and clothing can be compared to Chinese depictions of foreign disciples of the historical Buddha meant to highlight the universality of his teachings and masks used in Bugaku drama. A depiction of a Daoist sage in the Sangoku soshi ei scroll dated to 1150 is considered another close parallel. While the Miidera statue is slender, a painting portraying Shinra Myōjin as corpulent is known from Shōgo-in in Kyoto. Yet another depiction of Shinra Myōjin is a painting from the reign of Ashikaga Takauji from Onjō-ji, which portrays him in the garb of a Chinese literatus and shows influence from Chan portraits. The similarities between them might have resulted from the influence of Jimon tradition of Tendai on Shugendō in the Kumano area. Associations with other figures Historically Shinra Myōjin was worshiped in Onjō-ji alongside Mio Myōjin (三尾明神), who according to Konjaku Monogatarishū was a deity who appeared to Enchin in the form of an old man eating fish when he first arrived in this area. Furthermore, Shinra Myōjin's two servants, Hannya Dōji (般若童子; depicted with red skin) and Shukuō Dōji (宿王童子; depicted with blue skin), who were venerated as the protectors of children entrusted by their parents to the temple, had own small shrines (祠, hokora) in the proximity of their master's own. According to Shinra ryakki (新羅略記), they were born from two parts of a halberd which was originally given by Amaterasu to Susanoo. However, other origin stories are recorded too: they could be alternatively believed