Todaiji Temple Lotus Hall: Brahma and Sakra

JAPAN, Nara; Nara period

The dry lacquer figures stand on either side of Amoghapasha Avalokitesvara in Todaiji Temple’s Lotus Hall. They date from the 8th century, assuming they were produced from the same workshop as the other sculptures in the hall. Both figures have their hair neatly piled in a topknot, wear loose Tang-style clothing, and upturned shoes. They gaze solemnly downward as they face into the hall, standing on an octagonal double-layered pedestal. Brahma wears a breastplate beneath his robe and holds a sutra scroll in slender fingers. Sakra wears a wide-collared garment and gestures eloquently. The attribute he held in his closed right hand is now missing. These two figures were listed as a National Treasure in 1952.