National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

Buddhist pendants (keman) like these are thought to be derived from flower garlands presented to nobles in ancient India. They were later incorporated into Buddhist practice as temple decorations suspended from tie beams between pillars. In Japan, pendants were made from leather, metal, wood, semiprecious stones , and silk instead of flowers. Many were shaped like paddle fans (uchiwa).

These leather pendants originally belonged to Tōji Temple in Kyoto. Today, 13 pendants remain along with several smaller fragments . To make them, openwork designs were cut in leather. These were then lacquered, primed with white, and decorated in painted patterns. The 13 can roughly be divided into two types based on their motifs. One type has a pair of kalaviṅka (paradisiacal birds with human heads) facing each other on a ground of composite Buddhist floral motifs (hōsōge) standing in for real flowers. The center features a tied string reminiscent of those which would have bound together fresh flowers. The kalaviṅkas hold baskets of petals to scatter around buddhas and bodhisattvas in veneration. In the other type, the tied string is placed in the center with composite Buddhist floral scrolls covering the entire surface.

At least three or four different styles appear in both types of pendants, making it unlikely these 13 were originally produced as a set. The most sophisticated style is found in Nos. 7 and 8, which utilize techniques seen in Buddhist paintings during the Heian period (794–1185). The kalaviṅka have red lines on their bodies and delicate cut gold leaf on their robes. The pendants covered in composite Buddhist floral scrolls have embellishments in cut gold leaf on painted gradated bands (ungen zaishiki).

The iconography of a pair of kalaviṅka facing each other on a ground of composite Buddhist floral motifs can also be found on gilt bronze openwork pendants in the Golden Hall of Chūsonji Temple in Iwate Prefecture, which are presumed to date to the first half of the 12th century. The less formalized renderings on these pendants, however, suggest they predate those owned by Chūsonji. Although there is no record as to which hall these 13 pendants formerly adorned, they are believed to have been produced around the 11th century.