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

　This fragrant wood statue (danzo) is characterized by the surface color of sandalwood and its scent. The statue represents the features unique to small statues, including a big head and short shins. Although the body is slim, the lively nature of the early Heian period is felt from the posture where both elbows are squared while the arms are lowered down in a relaxed manner. Although it is a small statue, features such as its big eyes and nose and the head depth are like those of “Seated Yakushi (Skt. Bhaiṣajyaguru)” in the Shinyakushiji Temple of the same time.
　The clothing accessories, objects (jimotsu) and thin shawl-like cloth (tenne), which are usually separated, are carved together with the body and precisely engraved. Other small pieces of wood are used to attach most of the back part of bodhisattva hair (motodori), the palm side of the right forearm (zenpaku), part of the necklace-like breast ornament (yoraku). Various colors are applied to the motodori hair (ultramarine blue), lips (vermilion), eyebrows (ink) and yoraku (vermilion and blue) and gold paint (kindei) patterns are painted on the hem of the wrap around skirt (kun) and water jug (suibyo). Apart from these, the surface of the statue remains as the base material. The warped outer lotus petals (kaeribana) as part of the pedestal and rail (kamachi) are made from other materials and the flower decorations on the surface of the lotus petals (renben) are made from small pieces of wood.
　Apart from one face on the left, the other faces among the eleven are calm. Three of the faces on the right have lower fangs and this feature can be found in the “Juichimen Kannon Sutra”, particularly in the first translation by Yashakutta (耶舎崛多) from the Northern Zhou dynasty in China or the second translation by Ajikutta (阿地瞿多) from Tang dynasty in China. The face on the left is represented as an angry face that is similar to Buddhis deities and it corresponds to the third translation of “Shinnu men (瞋怒面)” by the tripitaka master Genjo from Tang. In short, it should be noted that although the features of the faces of this statue are based on the old translations, the new translations are also partly used.