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Buddha of the Future (Miroku Bosatsu)

late 600s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth century. For early Japanese devotees, Buddhism offered the promise of salvation through faith in the Buddha of the Future, who would appear at the end of the world. The concept of eternal salvation held particular resonance with the Japanese aristocracy, who became the staunchest supporters of this new faith. Small sculptures like this one, with its gentle grace and powerful presence, were popular devotional objects.

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Details

  • Title: Buddha of the Future (Miroku Bosatsu)
  • Date Created: late 600s
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 45.8 cm (18 1/16 in.); Figure: 39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.)
  • Provenance: Kansetsu Hashimoto 橋本関雪 [1883–1945] to Hollis and Company, (Hollis and Company, Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1950.86
  • Medium: cast bronze, incised, with traces of gilding
  • Fun Fact: The Sanskrit name of this being, Maitreya, derives from the Sanskrit word for friend, <em>mita</em>.
  • Department: Japanese Art
  • Culture: Japan, Asuka period (538–710)
  • Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
  • Collection: Japanese Art
  • Accession Number: 1950.86

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