Description
This is an image of the bodhisattva Kannon (Skt. Avalokiteśvara) that retains the elegance of sculpture from late in the Heian period (794–1185) in spite of the loss of both its arms. It is surmised to have been the eleven-headed emanation of the bodhisattva, as holes remain at the top of the head into which the smaller heads would have been fitted. A painting of the same deity in the form of Thousand-Armed Kannon (Skt. Sahasrabhuja-āvalokiteśvara) was interred within the statue (1105-1), which comes from Kōfukuji Temple in Nara.
Although this standing Kannon has lost both arms, it still conveys the elegance of late-Heian-period sculpture. This statue has been classified as a “standing Kannon,” but it is thought that it was originally the eleven-headed form, Jūichimen Kannon (Skt. Ekadaśamukha). Painted image of Senju Kannon (Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara) from the late-Heian period were deposited within the statue as well.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026