Pendant Plaque with Image of Kannon (Avalokitesvara)

For this kakebotoke (a hanging-type disc with a Buddha image), a gilt bronze panel is pasted on a wooden board and a narrow band is put around the rim. There is a border line near the rim that divides the entire space into inner and outer sections. In the center of the inner section, a copper-cast, gold-plated Sho Kannon (holy Kannon) is seated on a lotus pedestal. Behind the image is a ship-shaped halo with arabesque openwork while above the head is a canopy in the shape of an eight-petal lotus with hanging decorations. A pair of vases is placed on each side of the Kannon image. Although a kakebotoke is a three-dimensional representation or development of a mirror image that was popular in the Heian period, the increased addition of accessories other than the image of a deity like this one is a characteristic of kakebotoke of the late Kamakura period to the Muromachi period. This one is an early example of such a style. The following inscription is written in sumi ink on the back of the panel:「奉懸　観世音菩薩御正体／右志者為現世安穏後世善処／寺中繁昌山内泰平乃至／法界衆生平等利益也／建治元年五月十五日／信心大法主僧祐慶／敬白」