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

This is a noble image with its right hand pressing down the hanging decoration of the chest ornament and the left hand holding a tenne (a long cloth). As a whole, this image demonstrates a refined sculpturing style. The rows of raised beads on part of the ornaments and the double dotted pattern engraved with a special chisel on the hems of the kun (a skirt), tenne and lotus petals of the pedestal are indeed elaborate and the outlines of the garment and raised beads are carefully engraved.
The image, including the pedestal, is created in one cast and hollowed out up to the abdomen. The thickness of the copper in the hollow is not even, where the left side is much thinner than the right side. There are many mold cavities. In particular, big ones are concentrated in the jaw, around the middle of both legs and in the pedestal. There are traces of inlay treatments on both legs below the tenne. Gold plating remains over almost the entire surface except the reverse side of the head ornament and the hair. For coloring, lapis lazuli remains on the hair, black sumi remains on the eyebrows, upper eyelids, eyeballs and mustache and vermillion (or Bengala) is found on the lips. There are also traces of sumi inside the loophole lines engraved on the frame of the pedestal.