Shaka Nyorai is the historical Buddha Śākyamuni, "Nyorai" indicates one who has achieved complete enlightenment; this statue represents the exact moment in which Śākyamuni completes the way to becoming Buddha and achieves the Awakening. The figure we observe is in fact in the lotus posture, seated on the throne made up of two overlapping lotus flowers, one with the corolla facing upwards and the other facing downwards. The hands are held in the mudrā of deep meditation. This gesture in Sanskrit is called dhyānamudrā and symbolises the ecstatic and contemplative thought free from worries and distractions, in which Siddharta Gautama was immersed when, absorbed in meditation under the Bodhi tree, he reached the enlightenment. We can therefore say that this statue represents the exact moment in which Śākyamuni completed his Journey to becoming Buddha and achieved Awakening, this event is commemorated in Japan with the Jōdō-e, the Buddhist celebration that, on December 8, commemorates the enlightenment of Buddha Śākyamuni. Engraved inscription says: “This image depicting Shaka Nyorai is one of six made at the same time, on the 24th day of the Ninth Month of the 7th year of the Genroku Era (1694) by Tanaka Iga and Fujiwara Tamehide commissioned by Ōhashi Dōchi (?) who lived in Ichiba, Yabu, Tajima [present-day Hyōgo Prefecture]”.
