Kofukuji Temple: Shrine with Maitreya Bodhisattva

JAPAN, Nara; Kamakura period

This wooden shrine was originally located in a hall within Kofukuji Temple and is now in the temple’s National Treasure Museum. The shrine consists of a cabinet containing a statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva. At the front there are double doors, the inner sides of which have images of patriarchs with ink inscriptions at the top. The shrine was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1902.
The cabinet is 165.8 cm high and the seated Maitreya Bodhisattva inside is 57.7 cm high. The Bodhisattva wears a triangular crown decorated with strings of beads and long ribbons. The face is round with an urna between the eyebrows, and the chest is adorned with a long beaded necklace and pendant. The left hand rests on the knee with fingers slightly bent, while the raised right palm faces the front. The Bodhisattva sits in royal ease on a multi-layer lotus throne supported by a circular Sumeru base. The nimbus is inscribed with Sanskrit seed syllables and its edge is decorated with clouds. There is a flaming pearl at the top and there are beams of light radiates from within the nimbus. A canopy suspended from the top of the cabinet is decorated with an apsara on each side. Within the base there is a mythical creature serving the role of guardian.