Todaiji Temple Golden Hall: Consecration Objects

JAPAN, Nara; Nara period

These consecration objects were found 45 cm beneath the pedestal of Vairocana Buddha in the Golden Hall of Todaiji Temple in 1908. It is believed that they were created during the 8th century and were placed underneath the statue to pray for the safe construction of the Golden Hall. The consecration objects included pearls, crystals, and amber, a sword, a bronze mirror, a gilt silver bowl, and a painted container. These objects are important cultural artifacts from the Nara period and were listed as a National Treasure in 1957.
On the side of the gilt silver bowl, there is a hunter riding a horse against a mountain background. The lid has a knob in the shape of a leaf and is decorated with flying birds, mountains, flowers, and grass. There are two crystal containers inside the bowl, each with pearls that have become gray with age.
The bronze mirror is in the form of a flower with six petals. There is a raised boss decorated with lotus petals at the center. The mirror is decorated with a scroll leaf pattern, blooming lotuses, lotus buds, and leaves.
The glass beads have different sizes and colors, such as blue, yellow, and brown. These beads were later strung together.
One latch is in the shape of a cicada and is made of gilt silver. It consists of two parts: one is attached to the lid of a container, while the other is affixed to the body. The second gilt silver latch is incomplete, since there needs to be a device to connect the two. They are both decorated with openwork floral and scroll leaf patterns.