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

The buddha Dainichi (Skt. Mahāvairocana) sits in lotus position in this sculpture, with the right leg above the left, while making the wisdom-fist mudra in front of the chest. The main body and head appear to have originally been carved from a single block of Japanese cypress that was then split front-to-back and at the neck before being hollowed out and rejoined in a technique called ichiboku warihagi-zukuri. While extensive repairs have been made to the statue, its slightly curved back when viewed from the side and soft musculature reflect the style of the late Heian period (794–1185). A significant portion of the work is from later repairs: the back of the head including the back of the topknot, parts of the face from the hairline to the chin, the board along the back of the body, and both arms and legs. Nevertheless, the overall form retains the elegant expressions of the late Heian period. The bottom of the wraparound skirt is a newer addition as well. At the bottom of the back of the statue’s interior, an ink inscription says the work was repaired by the master Buddhist sculptor Hanbei (dates unknown) and his assistant Tamura Tōbei (dates unknown) in the 9th month of Kyōhō 5 (1720). Two or three other names of contributors (a certain head of a local self-governing body and a village headman) are inscribed as well, but are not legible. Further, the aforementioned repairs seem to have been made at a later time than this repair in Kyōhō 5 (1720). The pedestal is also mostly comprised of later repairs, excluding its central lotus.