This butsuzо̄, or sculpture of a Buddhist deity, depicts the Bodhisattva Kannon (Skt. Avalokiteshvara). Among the bodhisattvas (J. bosatsu), deities who have delayed their entry into nirvana to guide others to enlightenment, Kannon is worshipped above all for boundless compassion. Because of this, Kannon is arguably the most beloved and popular Buddhist deity in Japan.
Kannon could be depicted in male or female forms, but after the eighth century in Japan, images of the bodhisattva tended to be feminized. Depictions of Kannon are countless and diverse, with iconography dependent on the preferences of the commissioning body, whether clergy or aristocracy, and the busshi (sculptor of Buddhist figures). Details consistently associated with Kannon, but not always evident, are: (1) a miniature figure of Amida (Skt. Amitabha), Buddha of the Western Paradise, mounted in the bodhisattva’s crown (not seen here); (2) the raigо̄-in, or welcoming gesture, where the tips of the thumb and middle finger touch (seen here); and (3) a lotus stem gripped in the hand or fingers, a lotus being the symbolic representation of a being rising above the filth of life and reaching enlightenment (probably lost). Here, the crown could be a later replacement. Kannon’s visage is impassive though gentle, in the manner of the late Heian period (794−1185). The figure would have been carved from a single block of wood. The lotus pedestal and crown were carved separately and attached using metal joiners and wood pegs.
