Seigenji Temple: Sakyamuni Buddha, Mahakasyapa, and Ananda

JAPAN, Kyoto; Edo period

These three statues are carved from beech wood and painted. When this wood is carved, tiny holes absorb water so the tree rings become clearly visible, as is evident in these carvings.
The Sakyamuni statue has a broad, serenely smiling face under spiraling hair. Behind the head is a nimbus with Sanskrit characters inked about the inner rim. The Buddha’s hands and crossed legs are hidden beneath the monastic robe.
Mahakasyapa holds an alms bowl in his right hand and stands barefoot on a polygonal throne. The statue’s features are heavily wrinkled, and the ribcage is visible, the result of years of ascetic practice. The figure’s open eyes are meditatively focused and the nimbus is similar to the Buddha’s. The smiling Ananda is deliberately contrasted with Mayakasyapa. The figure’s nimbus is similar in style, but the hands are joined in anjali (reverence) mudra.
The style of these statues is slightly caricature-like. The facial expressions and exaggerated swell of the robes in particular are personal modifications from the traditional style.