Important Cultural PropertyTathāgata (Jp Nyorai)

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  • 1 statue
  • Cast bronze, gold-plated
  • Statue H23.6
  • Asuka period/7th century
  • Tokyo National Museum
  • N-148

Its round and puffy cheeks, as well as its expression, are common to the statue of Yumetagae Kannon (Avalokitesvaran) in Horyu-ji Temple and other works. Its fleshy body and the natural style of its robe suggest the influence of the style in the early Tang Dynasty period (618 - 907) . Judging from the position of the tenon and the mortise left on the base of the pedestal in the form of the character Sen, it is found that this statue was originally a statue of the trinity-style Buddhist images similar to the N-144 Amida Trinity, which is inscribed with "Yamada-den-no-zou" (the statues in the Yamada Hall).
The body and the pedestal were cast separately. The body, including the hanging skirt, was created in one cast and the section up to below the neck was hollowed. A difference in the thickness of the bronze is seen in the upper half of the body, where the front to the left side is thick, while the back to the right side is thin. There are relatively large pores in its Nikkei (lump on the head), left shoulder, left arm and right knee, etc. and metal inlay is found at the underside of its left elbow and to the left slightly from the center of the lower part of its back. Plating remains over almost the entire surface except for its hair and the bottom of its feet. It is found that its head and lips were painted in ultramarine and vermilion (or Indian red), respectively and its eyebrows, the outline of its eyes and the irises were drawn in black ink. The pedestal was, from its upper Kamachi(the upper layer platform)to its base, created in one cast and the inside of the pedestal was hollowed from the bottom to the top of the upper Kamachi. The bronze is almost uniform in thickness and is rather thick. An irregular square hole is found upward from the center of the front of the waist panel, which is believed to be a mark of chaplet. The inside surface of the hollowed statue is rough and porous over all. Part of the upper Kamachi was brazed and metal inlay was applied downward from the right of the back of the waist. Plating remains over almost the entire front except for the part of the top of the upper Kamachi hidden by the statue. The hollowed side of the foliate panel is painted in vermilion (or Indian red) and the lower Kamachi (the lower layer platform) and the backside of the base are painted with red lead.

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