They typically flank the entrance gate to Buddhist temples—one on each side of the opening.
Their duty is to protect the complex, the monks, and the worshippers from harm, but
more generally to challenge anyone or anything that would contradict the Buddha's
teachings. Consequently, unlike Buddhas who are often depicted in a state of meditative bliss—
suggestive of their passage into nirvana—guardian figures are shown in threatening
postures, revealing their involvement with the more mundane task of protecting the faith.
They're fantastically muscled—and their robes are removed from their torsos in the Indian
dhoti (pronunciation: "DOH-tee") fashion. In this regard, they would have seemed very
exotic and foreign to the Japanese, and consequently very frightening.