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Sculptor of the Shichijō atelier, Japan, Edo period, 17th century
Cast bronze, traces of gilding, height 33.4 cm
Gallery I, display case 4 (inv. no. B-1212)
Edoardo Chiossone Collection, testamentary bequest, 1898
Figurine
Nyorai (Sanskrit Tathāgata) is the name given to the Buddhas who have achieved perfect illumination: among them is the historical Buddha Amida, venerated in the Pure Land Buddism, here seated in the lotus position in meditation. The statue bears close affinity with a work commissioned by the Shōgun Tokugawa Ietsuna (1641-1680), who placed it in the Kan'eijin temple in memory of his mother from the sculptor Kōjō, 25th head of the Shichijō atelier.