Japanese Buddhist Senju Kannon Bosatsu Buddha Statue

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Japanese Buddhist Senju Kannon Bosatsu Buddha Statue

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Sold Date: 02/11/2007
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Japanese Buddhist Senju Kannon Bosatsu Buddha Statue

This is a wonderful mid Edo-Period wooden depiction of a standing Senju (thousand-armed) Kannon Bosatsu. The statue stands on a wooden base consisting of plinth depicting the ocean with a rock dais (coming out of the water) that supports a double lotus dais on which the Kannon stands. The wooden mandorla depicts billowing cloud formations. The Kannon's Upper set of arms/hands are pressed together in the gassho (respect, veneration, or prayer) mudra (hand position) that is typical for Senju Kannon, while the lower set of arms/hands are performing the typical zenjou-in (meditation) mudra, which is also standard procedure for Senju Kannon.

This statue was carved using the yosegi zukuri (hollow joined block) method, which involved the joining of multiple blocks of hinoke (Japanese Cypress) together in order to form the whole, but still often hollow, statue. This method actually helped to prevent splitting, while also creating an extremely lightweight statue. It also made it possible for sacred texts and objects to be placed inside of the statues for religious purposes. That being said, smaller statues such as this one, were carved with cypress blocks that were not hollow simply because weight was not an issue, and trying to create a hollow statue of smaller proportions would only serve to make a smaller statue weaker and more fragile.

The Kannon statue is in very good condition with expected losses and ware as a result of its age. The statue has a heavy accumulation of dust and a very nice patina as another testament to its age. T has been a replacement of the Kannon's right foot. It is a flawless repair and you would not be able to tell if I did not tell you.

Kannon Bosatsu is commonly known as "The Goddess of Mercy" even though only 3 of his/her 33 different incarnations are actually female. If you look at many of the old Kannon statues (including Senju) in Japan, you will often see his mustache or at least remnants of it. Kannon is the most popular Bosatsu figure in Japan and throughout much of the rest of Asia. Buddhist teachings tell us that Kannon had reached the full level of enlightenment and was ready to take the final step and enter into nirvana as a full Buddha, but refused to take this last step and opted instead to stay behind in an effort to help as many people as possible to attain enlightenment. Because of this, Kannon has achieved a status of popularity in Asia that is unsurpassed by any of the other Buddhist figures (including the Buddhas). In China Kannon Bosatsu is known as Kwan Yin Bodhisattva (also spelled: Kuan Yin, Quan Yin, Kwan Yin, Qwan Yin, and Guanyin).

Dimensions:

Height of Statue (including base and mandorla): 29cm (11.5 inches)

Height of Kannon figure only: 18cm (7.12 inches)

Width (side to side) of base: 10.5cm (4.25 inches)

Depth (front to back) of base: 8cm (3.25 inches)