Bhaiṣajya-guru 薬師如来坐像やくしにょらいざぞう

Description

{i=>[danzō, karma mandala], content=>[This statue was preserved at Nyakuōjisha Shrine in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto until the start of the Meiji era (1868–1912). The carving is sharp and distinct for the drapes of the robes, and deep for the facial features. This is typical for , images, a type of statue made from fragrant wood of which this is an exquisite example. The knees extending beyond the pedestal and the mode of carving the robes are reminiscent of the statues from the , enshrined in the Lecture Hall at Tōji Temple in Kyoto.]}

The most part of this statue including the torus of lotus pedestal was carved from a single block of Japanese nutmeg (kaya). The overall looks vibrantly, the drape of robe was carved elegantly and sharply. The face shows an Indian style. It was originally enshrined in Nyakuōji-sha in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto Prefecture.

This statue had been enshrined as a manifestation of the prime noumenon in Nyakuō-ji shrine in Higashiyama, Kyoto, until the government announced the separation of Shintoism and Buddhism in the first year of the Meiji period (1868). The whole body with the exception of the arms and the lotus seat were carved from a single piece of kaya (Japanese nutmeg) wood. The inside of the statue is not carved out. The body and the clothes are colored in yellowish white—the special coloring to emphasize the meaning of sandalwood statue. The shape of the head which stands out in the center, thick eye-lids which cast a shadow over the face, the ups and downs of the body lines, and sharply carved drapes of the costume reflect the typical one-piece carving style of the early Heian period.

{br=>[[]], content=>[The curled fingers on the statue’s left hand indicate that it originally depicted the buddha Yakushi (Skt. Bhaiṣajyaguru) holding a medicine pot. The sculpture shares many similarities with wood-core dry lacquer statues from the late Nara period (710–794), including the stout, short body wrapped in robes with a sense of viscosity, full cheeks, and curves around the slightly up-angled eyes, suggesting the statue dates to around the same period. The skirt wrapped around the statue’s lower body flows over the lotus pedestal, hanging down as it catches on the tips of the lotus petals. This style is often seen in statues made during the Tang dynasty (618–907) in China but very few extant examples exist in Japan. It seems to have been produced with a keen awareness of sculptures from the Asian continent. , The entire figure, including the skirt hanging over the lotus pedestal, was made with relatively thick walls in a single casting. The inside is hollow. Some aspects suggest the statue was exposed to fire at some point in its history, such as the current lack of gilding and the rough surface texture. The fingers on the right hand are made of wood that was added later.]}

{br=>[[], []], content=>[This statue of the buddha Yakushi (Skt. Bhaişajyaguru) was initially worshipped as the embodiment of a Shinto deity at K umano Nyakuōji Shrine in Kyoto’s Higashiyama area. According to tradition, the shrine was built around the late 12th century by Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127–1197), after his abdication, to invite the deities of the famed pilgrimage site Kumano in the Kii Mountains to descend in Kyoto. As noted below, however, the statue itself likely dates to the 9th century, and no one knows where it was originally enshrined. During the early Meiji era (1868–1912), state policies mandated the separation of Shinto and Buddhist practice, and the statue entered the ownership of th e shrine’s head priest. It then passed through three private collections before being transferred to the government., Excluding the hands and spiral curls on the head, the entire piece, down to the top part of the lotus pedestal, was carved from a single block of what is probably Japanese torreya, and the inside was not hollowed out. These features reflect techniques used to make Buddhist sculptures from the late Nara (710–794) to early Heian (794–1185) period. The work can be dated to the mid-9th century due to the distinct way the robes are rendered in wave-like folds, with alternating ridged and rounded peaks, as well as its stylistic similarities to a statue of the bodhisattva Monju (Skt. Mañjuśrī) in the guise of a monk at Tōji Temple and the central buddha of the Amida (Skt. Amitābha) triad at Shitennōji Temple in Osaka. , Yakushi’s appearance has unmistakably international elements. The full eyelids and large irises visible through the eye’s narrow openings are reminiscent of faces on Buddhist statues in distant India. As such, the work can be seen as part of a distinct sculptural lineage that existed during the early Heian period with similar examples of In dian-influenced sculptures including the bodhisattva Nyoirin Kannon (Skt. Cintāmaṇicakra) of Kanshinji Temple in Osaka, the Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva Kannon (J. Jūichimen Kannon; Skt. Ekādaśamukha-avalokiteśvara) of Hokkeji Temple in Nara, and the buddha Yakushi in the Kōsetsu Museum of Arts.]}