Enjoji Temple Prabhutaratna Pagoda: Vairocana Buddha

JAPAN, Nara; Heian period

The throne is signed by Unkei in ink and is the only surviving example of his earlier work. The head and main body were carved from different blocks of wood, to which other sections were added after the blocks were combined. The interior of the sculpture is hollow and the section at the back of the head is set with a wooden plate, possibly to enshrine objects within. Much of the original statue’s gold leaf covering has flaked away. It was listed as a National Treasure in 1993.
Vairocana Buddha has a high topknot encircled by a crown and is seated in full lotus position, making the bodhyangi (wisdom fist) mudra. His throne is an ornate six-layered lotus supported by an inverted lotus on a Sumeru pedestal. The original backing has been replaced with the present aureole and nimbus, and the lower section of the lotus throne was added later. The eyes in the youthful face are inlaid with jade. The figure also wears complex jewelry over a simple monastic robe. The drapery is lightly carved, and the contours are well proportioned, demonstrating the spirit of the early Kamakura period (1185–1333).