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

The image displays a very unique sculpturing style: a very decorative big crown and yoraku (a threaded bead or metal decoration), a difference in level between the middle of the forehead and the nose and the garment style of sogishi (a robe a priest wears under the outer robe) and a cloth falling down from the abdomen to between the legs. Its weighty hanging yoraku and facial expression show the influence of the images of Buddhist deities from the Sui period to the early Tang period.
The image, including the pedestal with a lotus core, is created in almost one cast and hollowed out below the upper part of the ankles. The body above the ankles is solid. The ribbons hanging on the right and left sides of the crown (currently missing) and the parts of the yoraku, where they are detached from the body, are cast separately (however, the yoraku that hangs from the right hand to the flower design above the right knee may have been cast with the body). There are very small mold cavities across the board and there is a big hollow in the lower part of the back of the lotus core due to a mold cavity. Gold plating remains over almost the entire surface of the image except the reverse side of the crown and the head. For coloring, lapis lazuli remains on the hair of the image and the avatar, vermilion (or Bengala) remains on the reverse side of the crown, ribbons tying the hanging hair and the lips and black sumi can be seen on the outline of the eyes, the eyeballs and the mustache. The area below the down-turned lotus petals on the pedestal is made of wood and is lacquered and was added in the Edo period.