Muroji Temple Maitreya Hall: Maitreya Bodhisattva

JAPAN, Nara, Uda; Heian period

The statue is thought to date from the founding of Muroji Temple near the start of the Heian period (794–1185). Most of the figure was carved from a single piece of nutmeg wood while all the ornaments were added at a later date. The hair has been colored blue, the lips red, the pupils and temples black. The natural wood grain is exposed everywhere else.
The Buddha is depicted with a proportionately large head compared with the limbs, hands, and feet. He stands barefoot on a lotus pedestal, the left hand holding a long-stemmed lotus that was added at a later date, and the right hand toying with a strand of a waist ornament. The hair is piled behind an encased crown with five seated Buddhas on its front panel. The accessories and jewelry worn by the figure are complex and elegant. Long ribbons fall from the crown, winding down the arms to below the pedestal, and the folds of the skirt are carved in harmonious ripples.