In Esoteric (Shingon) Buddhism, Fudo is the most powerful of the five Myo-o (Bright Kings), fierce forms of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, representing their power against evil. The five were worshipped as a group in Japan from at least the 9th century. Single images of Fudo were also worshipped as the main icon of a Goma-do hall within the precincts of a Shingon temple.