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

This piece of repousse Buddhist images has a design that is very similar to N-198. However, although the margin of the images is cut out, N-198 is larger than this piece. Thus it is certain that the images on this piece were embossed from another model, but the details of this piece look very similar to N-198. The relationship between the two pieces is an interesting question. If a female die is produced from the model or the repousse Buddhist images embossed out of the model and then another model of the repousse Buddhist images is cast using the female die as a male mold and the repousse Buddhist images are newly embossed using the new model, it may be possible that the size of the newly embossed repousse Buddhist images would be smaller than the original model by 20%. The difference in size between the two pieces may prove that this piece was made through the aforementioned process. The expression of this piece is vaguer than N-198 and there are some cracks. There are some spots where the gilt is about to come off on the surface, under which lacquer is applied. As the margin of the gold leaf is pressed into a triangle on the back, this piece is probably gold stamped (Kinpaku-oshi).