Ucchuṣma is a Vidyārāja in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. He is also known by various other names such as Burning Impurity Kongo, Jusoku Kongo and Kazu Kongo. His full name is Vajra Krodha Mahābala Ucchuṣma. In Chinese this is translated as 大力威怒金刚烏芻使摩, from the Chinese version of the Sūtra of Mahābala and the Tibetan version of the Ārya-Mahābalanāma Mahāyāna Sūtra.
Japan
In Japan, Ucchuṣma is venerated in several schools of Buddhism, including Tendai, Shingon, Zen and Nichiren. He is recognized as a guardian of the bathroom, where his effigy is often present. He is known to the general public for his powers of purification of the unclean, in particular in respect to sexual diseases. Ucchuṣma was also thought to be able to change a female fetus into a male one.
Temples
A non-exhaustive list of temples that enshrine Ucchuṣma are as follows, arranged according to tradition:
According to the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Shakyamuni Buddha asked the bodhisattvas and arhats to present their methods of understanding the ultimate truth. The eighteenth person to present his character was Ucchuṣma. The Sūtra states:
The Ucchuṣma Vajrapāla Sūtra asserts that Ucchuṣma is actually the Vajra manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha. Legend has it that when Shakyamuni Buddha was about to enter into Nirvana, all heavenly beings, with the exception of the ‘Spiral Hair-knot Brahma King’, came to pay their respect to Buddha. The Brahma King was in fact enjoying himself with the heavenly maidens in his own celestial palace. The heavenly gods, being unhappy with the arrogance of the Brahma King, went to his abode and try to persuade him to attend the Dharma assembly. Upon reaching his palace however, the gods found themselves trapped in the defiled energy cast by the supernatural powers of the king. Even some of the Vajra Deities who were later sent to apprehend the Brahma King were imprisoned by the foul forces as well. When Shakyamuni Buddha came to learn of this, He employed His Original Wisdom, and the Light of Perpetual Joy and Pliancy was emitted from His heart. Ucchuṣma Vajrapāla soon appeared from amidst the revolving radiance of the Buddha’s heart, and ascended to the celestial palace of the Brahma King. Despite the defiled energy hurled at Him by the Brahma King, Ucchuṣma was unharmed as he immediately turned these forces of contamination into ordinary soil. In no time, the Brahma King was subdued and brought to the feet of Shakyamuni Buddha. For this reason, Ucchuṣma is also known as the "Filth-Eliminating Vajrapāla".
Mantras
According to the Ucchuṣma Vidyārāja Dhāraṇi, the mantra provided should be recited forty thousand times by any good man or good woman who is besieged with ailments inflicted by evil spirits. On the tenth day of purification, it should be recited one thousand eight times resulting in the removal of myriad afflictions. The mantra is as follows: The short dhāraṇi of Ucchuṣma Vajrapāla:
