- Title
- Sea of Buddha 049 (Triptych)
- Date Made
- 1995
- Period
- Heisei period (1989 - 2019)
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- (Image) 94 × 121 1/4 × 5/8 in. (238.76 × 307.98 × 1.59 cm)
(Mount) 108 1/4 × 135 1/4 × 1 1/8 in. (274.96 × 343.54 × 2.86 cm)
(Frame) 114 × 141 1/8 × 4 1/8 in. (289.56 × 358.46 × 10.48 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2025.131
- Collecting Area
- Japanese Art
- Curatorial Notes
Sea of Buddha is a series of 49 photographs that feature 1,001 statues of bodhisattvas at Sanjūsangendō temple in Kyoto. At the center is this monumental seated thousand-armed Kannon—a Japanese term for the Sanskrit Avalokiteshvara, who perceives the cries of all sentient beings. Tankei (1173−1256), a renowned sculptor of the Kei school in medieval Japan, made the statue.
Using only the light of sunrise, Sugimoto captured the gilded statues as they might have appeared when originally commissioned by the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa during a time of spiritual uncertainty. Through elevated framing, long exposure, and technical precision, Sugimoto’s image evokes a sense of vastness and timelessness. Sea of Buddha transforms devotional sculpture into conceptual photography, quietly encouraging reflection on the intersection of history and the present, as well as faith and form.
Rika Hiro
2025
- Copyright
- © Hiroshi Sugimoto, Image courtesy Lisson Gallery
