Kongōrikishi o Niō es el nombre de un dios iracundo y guardián musculoso de Buda. Se encuentra representado de varias formas en la entrada de muchos templos budistas en Japón y Corea. Son manifestaciones de la deidad protectora bodhisattva Vajrapani y forman parte del panteón Mahāyāna. Según la tradición japonesa, los Niō viajaron con Buda para protegerlo.

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Niō (仁王) or Kongōrikishi (金剛力士) are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, the oldest and most powerful of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon. According to Japanese tradition, they travelled with Gautama Buddha to protect him and there are references to this in the Pāli Canon as well as the Ambaṭṭha Sutta. Within the generally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. The Niō are also seen as a manifestation of Mahasthamaprapta, the bodhisattva of power that flanks Amitābha in Pure Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism.

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