The Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva Kannon 十一面観音菩薩立像じゅういちめんかんのんぼさつりゅうぞう

Description

This is a statue of Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva Kannon, or Ekadasamukha in Sanskrit. The many faces above the head watch out in all directions as this bodhisattva seeks to guide people to salvation.

Let's look at the statue from the front first. The face resembles that of a young child. The body is standing upright, but the left leg is slightly bent to give the impression of subtle movement. A glance from the side shows the bodhisattva standing proud with his chest pulled in and stomach pushed out. These are all characteristics of Buddhist statues produced during the so-called Hakuho, or white-phoenix period that occurred during the late Asuka Period (593-710).

With eleven faces - one primary and ten more atop its head, this statue was found in what was essentially a time capsule buried over 1,000 years ago. Thought to have been created in the late Asuka period, when realistic expression was first adopted in Japanese sculpture, it is one of the oldest images of this type of deity.