Horyuji Temple Great Lecture Hall: Medicine Buddha Triad

JAPAN, Nara, Ikoma; Heian period

The sculpture was made when the temple’s Great Lecture Hall was being rebuilt in 990. The central Medicine Buddha was carved out of a block of cypress wood, while the attendant Bodhisattvas were assembled. The statues were listed as National Treasures in 1952.
The Buddha is seated in full lotus position on an eight-layered lotus throne. The Buddha’s right hand is raised in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and the left hand holds a medicine pot. The outer rim of the mandorla is decorated with vine-like designs in openwork, while the inner nimbus contains the Buddha’s seven manifestations and is connected to the aureole. The figure has a high usnisa, curly hair, and an urna on the forehead. The shoulders and chest are broad and covered with monastic robes that fall over the knees in bold, symmetrical folds, a common style in the late 10th century.
The attendants on either side are the Suryaprabha and Candraprabha Bodhisattvas. These figures have similar leaf-shaped mandorlas and sit in full lotus position on lotus pedestals. They wear cylindrical crowns and are ornamented with jewelry. Stoles drape across their chests from the right shoulder and are carved with delicate folds. Both Bodhisattvas have one hand raised with the thumb and middle finger touching, and the other hand placed on the knee.