Daianji Temple: Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara

JAPAN, Nara; Nara period

The statue was created near the end of the 8th century and lacks several of the iconographical details usually attributed to Avalokitesvara such as the third eye and the deer skin. It was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1902.
The figure was carved from a single block of wood, then partially coated in dry-lacquer to create the details. The wood is now mostly exposed but traces of the original paint remains. The proportions of the arms are smaller except for the lowest arms, having been replaced later. The attributes once held in the hands are now missing. The pair of hands at the front are raised in anjali (reverence) mudra while the right hand at the bottom is open in varada (wish-granting) mudra and the left hand forms the lotus mudra.