Bodhisattva 菩薩立像ぼさつりゅうぞう

Description

This valuable work dates back to the 7th century and the dawn of Japanese Buddhist sculpture in the Asuka period.

The garments display a left-right symmetry when viewed from the front. The head is quite large and the body seems surprisingly thin when viewed from the side. These are all characteristic features of Asuka-period Buddhist statues, which incorporated the latest trends from China and the Korean Peninsula.

From the appearance of bronze statues produced at this time, we can surmise that a large crown-like decoration once adorned this statue's head. A closer look reveals dark-blue rust in the folds of the garments and traces of gold foil from the ears down to the neck. When it was first created, it seems the body was covered with gold leaf and the clothes decorated with vivid colors. It may have left a very different impression at that time.

Incidentally, this statue is made of wood. Most extant Asuka-period Buddhist statues are made of bronze, so this is a very rare example. It uses wood from the camphor tree. Though hardly any Buddhist statues made of camphor wood were found in China or the Korean Peninsula, ones in Japan were commonly made from this wood up until the Nara period, which lasted from 710 to 794. Camphor trees, which grow to very large sizes, were every now and then revered as holy trees where the gods resided. Perhaps this work represents an attempt to portray the holiness of the camphor tree in the form of a Buddhist statue. As we view this statue, we ponder how it was embraced by the Japanese people at the time, which was around the time Buddhism first arrived on these shores.

A bodhisattva is a Buddhist god dedicated to helping others attain enlightenment. This bodhisattva statue was carved from a camphor laurel, which was worshipped as a sacred tree in Japan. The statue’s large head, slender body, symmetrical robes, and crossed necklaces are based on gilt-bronze statues from China and Korea.