Saioji Temple: Master Baozhi

JAPAN, Kyoto; Heian period

The statue is based on the legendary events of the Chinese monk Baozhi (Hoshi in Japanese). Emperor Wu (reigned 502–549) of the Liang dynasty ordered the imperial painter, Zhang Sengyou, to paint Baozhi according to the Chronicle of the Buddha and Patriarchs. The monk pointed at his own face and suddenly an eleven-headed Avalokitesvara appeared, thus rendering the painter unable to carry out his work. The story indicates that Baozhi might have been a manifestation of Avalokitesvara and was a popular subject during the Southern Liang dynasty (502–557).
Baozhi stands barefooted on a lotus pedestal, his face splitting down the middle with another face emerging from within. One of the hands holds a vase while the other is raised in varada (fearlessness) mudra. The statue is carved from a single piece of coniferous wood and still retains it’s original chisel marks. The back of the statue is secured with a wooden board and the insides are hollowed, but the artifacts, once thought to be kept inside, are missing.