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Lot Essay
This finely cast figure represents one of the two attendant bodhisattvas from the Amida Sanzonzo (Amitabha Triad), an iconic configuration in Japanese Buddhist art. Cast in bronze and originally gilded—though the gilding is now lost— the figure once formed part of a complete ensemble flanking the Buddha Amitabha .
In a full triad, one attendant wears a crown with a miniature buddha, identifying him as Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokitesvara), while the other bears a crown with a vase (bin), marking him as Seishi Bosatsu (Mahasthamaprapta). The present figure has lost its original crown, leaving its precise identity between the two uncertain. Nevertheless, the serene countenance, flowing drapery, and the distinctive hand gesture—both palms placed one atop the other before the chest—reflect the refined sculptural vocabulary of the period.
The unusual variation in hand positions within the triad, together with certain stylistic details, suggests that the group was modeled after the celebrated principal image of Zenko-ji in Nagano Prefecture. According to tradition, the Zenko-ji triad was brought from the Baekje Kingdom in the mid-6th century Korea and has remained a hidden Buddha, never publicly revealed. By the late Heian period, devotion to Amitabha and the aspiration for rebirth in the Western Paradise (Gokuraku Jodo) reached a peak, inspiring the widespread production of Zenko-ji Style Triads across Japan from the late 12th century onward.
Surviving examples of individual bodhisattvas from such triads are rare, particularly with original casting detail intact. The present work, with its elegant proportions and connection to one of Japan’s most venerated Buddhist icons, offers an evocative fragment of a revered devotional tradition.
In a full triad, one attendant wears a crown with a miniature buddha, identifying him as Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokitesvara), while the other bears a crown with a vase (bin), marking him as Seishi Bosatsu (Mahasthamaprapta). The present figure has lost its original crown, leaving its precise identity between the two uncertain. Nevertheless, the serene countenance, flowing drapery, and the distinctive hand gesture—both palms placed one atop the other before the chest—reflect the refined sculptural vocabulary of the period.
The unusual variation in hand positions within the triad, together with certain stylistic details, suggests that the group was modeled after the celebrated principal image of Zenko-ji in Nagano Prefecture. According to tradition, the Zenko-ji triad was brought from the Baekje Kingdom in the mid-6th century Korea and has remained a hidden Buddha, never publicly revealed. By the late Heian period, devotion to Amitabha and the aspiration for rebirth in the Western Paradise (Gokuraku Jodo) reached a peak, inspiring the widespread production of Zenko-ji Style Triads across Japan from the late 12th century onward.
Surviving examples of individual bodhisattvas from such triads are rare, particularly with original casting detail intact. The present work, with its elegant proportions and connection to one of Japan’s most venerated Buddhist icons, offers an evocative fragment of a revered devotional tradition.