The Bronze Seated Bodhisattva with One Leg Pendent (Important Cultural Property)

This statue is Bodhisattva with left leg pendent seated on a pedestal and with the right index and the middle fingers touching the cheek. This portrays Prince Sakyamumi meditating in his attempt to reach enlightenment, or said to be a figure showing the bodhisattva Maitreya in meditation at the Tusita palace, as one who has received the promise to become a Tathāgata.
Many statues of seated Bodhisattva with one leg pendent are on circular pedestals; however, this statue is seated on a lotus pedestal. It has a larger head and its torso is rather delicate in a child-like form with receding hips and its jaw thrust forward in emaciation, giving a sense of innocence. On the other hand, the overall composition from the large frame base pedestal to the top of the head appears to become narrower, composed to be beautifully coherent within a pyramidal contour; thus, the religious intensity can be sensed.
The countenance and the frame base pedestal style of the Kannon standing statue with the inscription of the year 692 at Gakuenji Temple in Shimane Prefecture is closely resemble this statue; therefore, it is useful in the light of making a determination of the year that this statue was made.