Amida Buddha (Amitābha)

Amida, also known as Amitābha or the celestial buddha of the Western Paradise, is normally depicted seated in meditation on a throne in the shape of a lotus flower with a large boat-like halo. In Japan, what distinguishes this figure from that of the original Shaka Buddha (Gautama) is the position of the hands, resting on the lap with interlocked fingers and index and thumb forming a ring. Stylistically, the sculpture is characterized by a shaved head, instead of the usual cranial protuberance that distinguishes the buddhas, and a monk’s robe that is tied across the chest in a way that was very common in China under the Ming. The statue was made following the traditional assembled-sculpture technique known as yosegi zukuri, which consisted in creating the figure in separate sections pieced together, leaving the center hollow. This technique yields lower overall weight as well as improved durability, limiting the natural adjustments of wood caused by humidity and temperature changes. The entire statue is finished in red lacquer and gilded. The eyes, barely open, are painted over the lacquer, rather than being made with glass inserts, as was usually the case. Instead, a small hole in the forehead is what remains of the glass "ūrnā". The robes worn by monks were made of patchwork out of pieces of silk brocade; the feel for the fabric’s geometric and phytomorphic patterns is here rendered with carved threads of gilded lacquer.