Gozanze (Skt: Trailokyavijaya; “Victor of the Three Realms”) belongs to the class of deities known as myо̄о̄ (Skt: vidyaraja; “Wisdom King” or “King of Light”), who serve as the protectors and enforcers of the buddhas and their attendant bodhisattvas. With wrathful faces and fearsome weapons, they dominate the evil that threatens Buddhist tranquility, while simultaneously constraining those who would wander from the Buddhist path. As one of the Five Great Wisdom Kings (Jp: godai myо̄о̄), Gozanze is the wrathful form of the tathagata (Jp: nyorai; “Wisdom Buddha”) Akshobhya (Jp: Ashuku), ruler of the Eastern Pure Land, and is thus himself associated with the East. Gozanze is traditionally depicted with four faces, eight arms holding a selection of weapons, and two legs crushing a figure or figures beneath his feet.

The English interpretation of Gozanze’s name and the inclusion of a bow among his weapons suggest that the Buddhist deity was derived from the Hindu god Tripurantaka. The latter was a manifestation of Shiva, who conquered three demon cities with a single arrow. Tripurantaka’s formidable power made him a simple choice for assimilation into the Buddhist pantheon, under a different name, by the author-monks at Nalanda as they composed the Mahavairocanabhisambodhi sutra (Jp: Daibirushana jо̄butsu jinben kajikyо̄; The Discourse on the Enlightenment of Mahavairocana).

In the Mahavairocana sutra (Jp: Dainichi-kyо̄), as translated by Yixing (Jp: Ichigyо̄; 683–727) and Subhakarasimha (Jp: Zenmui; 637–735) in 724, three wisdom kings are mentioned by name: Hayagriva (Jp: Batо̄ myо̄о̄), Acalanatha (Jp: Fudо̄ myо̄о̄), and Trailokyavijaya. The latter two are new inclusions, whereas Hayagriva has precedent in earlier scriptures. When the sutra is transposed as a mandala, Trailokyavijaya specifically is designated as the protector of its borders, this in addition to his latent talents assigned by his wrathful class—the dispelling of obstacles to enlightenment and the purification of body and mind.

A Chinese translation of the Sarvatathagatatattvasamgraha sutra (Jp: Issainyorai shinjitsushо̄ daijо̄genshо̄zanmai daikyо̄о̄gyо̄; Compendium of Principles of All the Tathagatas), initiated in 723 by Amoghavajra (Jp: Fukū; 705–74) and completed in the early 11th century by Danapala (Jp: Sego; a. 980), is credited as a significant text in establishing the roles of the tathagatas within the esoteric pantheon and their respective manifestations into wrathful forms. Scholars believe the text was originally written during a particularly contentious period between Hindu and Buddhist tantric sects, as a prominent portion in the second section of the sutra deals with the subjugation of Mahesvara (Jp: Daijizaiten)—an epithet, in this case, for Shiva—by Vajrapani (Jp: Kongо̄shu bosatsu). Vajrapani, under orders from the cosmological Mahavairocana Buddha (Jp: Dainichi), assumed his wrathful form of Trailokyavijaya and conquered all the worldly deities in the universe. He then gathered them on Mt. Sumeru to abide by the Three Jewels. All submitted, save for Mahesvara. Through the recitation of a mantra, the wrathful Vajrapani destroyed the indignant Mahesvara and caused him to be reborn as a being who would eventually achieve buddhahood, thus fulfilling Vajrapani’s assignment.