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

Thirty-two stone relief sculptures are currently known to have come from Baoqingsi Temple in the present-day city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, China. Though they have been dispersed around the world (7 in China, 21 in Japan, and 4 in the US), six of them remain at the temple in a seven-story hexagonal pagoda reconstructed in the early Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Each is carved from a single block of limestone. The renderings reflect styles from the early Tang dynasty (618–907) that incorporated elements from Indian sculptural modes, including the round faces, broad shoulders, slender waists, and diaphanous robes clinging to the bodies. The central seated buddha is making the earth-touching mudra (Skt. bhūmisparśa mudrā) with his hands, revealing the sculpture depicts the moment the historical buddha Śākyamuni attained enlightenment in the village of Bodh Gaya in India. The selection of this scene reflects Indian influence as well.