Image
Description
Culture
Title
Buddha Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai)
Period
Year
Medium
Materials/Techniques
-
Techniques
Materials
cryptomeria wood Geography
-
Origin: Japan
Dimensions
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294.6 x 212.1 x 165.1 cm (116 x 83 1/2 x 65 inches)
Credit / Object Number
-
Credit
Museum Appropriation Fund
Object Number
36.015 Type
Projects & Publications
Publications
Articles
Exhibition History
Exhibition History
Label copy
This Buddha Mahavairocana is undoubtedly one of the largest representations of a Japanese Buddha that can be seen in this country. It is similar in style to others of the "Jocho style," from the late Heian period, in its overall simplicity, emphasis on the serene quality of the facial expression, relatively slender body, and soft curves of the drapery folds. Sculptures of this period were generally made by assembling hollowed pieces of wood together which prevented the splintering and cracking often seen in solid wood statues from earlier times.
Label copy
This sculpture was originally the main figure of worship in a temple, surrounded by other Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and guardian figures. Visitors would have come to pray or attend rituals and sutra readings performed by monks. The RISD Museum acquired the statue in the 1930s. Records state it was the principal image of Rokuon-ji, a Shingon sub-temple in Hyogo Prefecture, along Japan’s Inland Sea. Legend has it that the temple was destroyed by fire hundreds of years ago but that
the statue was stored in a nearby farmhouse until 1933, when it was brought to the U.S. by the Japanese art dealer Yamanaka. The largest wooden Japanese sculpture in the United States, it was constructed from 11 hollowed and carved pieces of wood. Its simple surfaces and serene expression are representative of the late Heian Period.
Dainichi, or “great sun” in Japanese, is the generative force of all creation, from whom other Buddhas emanate. In a mandala or cosmic diagram, he is the central figure, surrounded by other Buddhas and attendants, identifiable by his high crown and dhyana mudra gesture, in which the tips of his thumbs touch.
Related Publications
Related Publications
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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
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