Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara
Gilt bronze
Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara
JAPAN, Wakayama, Nachikatsuura; Hakuho period
This late 7th century sculpture was excavated from a sutra mound at Nachisan and is the earliest depiction of the eleven-headed form of Avalokitesvara in Japan. Its design is thought to be based on the Eleven-Headed Dharani Heart Sutra that was brought back from China by the Japanese monk Dosho. The figure holds a vase in the left hand and stands on an inverted lotus pedestal. Stoles loop across the arms and the front of the skirt, which is also overhung by bead pendants falling from the jeweled necklace.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, page 735.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, vol. 12, 2016, pp. 735.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Yann Lovelock, Yuan Chou, Susan Huntington, Gary Edson, and Robert Neather. 2016. "Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, 12:735.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Lovelock, Y., Chou, Y., Huntington, S., Edson, G., & Neather, R.. (2016). Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr (Vol. 12, pp. 735).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr},
pages = 735,
title = {{Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara}},
volume = 12,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr},
pages = 735,
title = {{Nachisan Sutra Mound: Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara}},
volume = 12,
year = {2016}}