Hachigatamine Sutra Mound: Maitreya Buddha
Stone
Hachigatamine Sutra Mound: Maitreya Buddha (back)
Hachigatamine Sutra Mound: Maitreya Buddha (bottom)
Hachigatamine Sutra Mound: Maitreya Buddha - Lotus Throne (top)
Hachigatamine Sutra Mound: Maitreya Buddha
JAPAN, Nagasaki, Iki; Heian period
The stylized soapstone sculpture was unearthed from a sutra mound at Hachigatamine. There is a long inscription on the flattened back and arms with the information that the figure was created by the Tendai monk, Raien, in 1070. The sculpture was hollowed and contained a copy of the Lotus Sutra. The top of the lotus throne on which the Buddha sits is engraved with nine circles that contain the names of the Nine Grades of Rebirth. This suggests a syncretization of Pure Land and Maitreya beliefs at the time. The statue is listed as an Important Cultural Property.
Maitreya sits in full lotus position with hands in dhyana (meditation) mudra. The flattened back indicates that the figure was made to fit a niche. The shallow incised folds of the robe were also a common stylistic feature of statues during the Heian period (794–1185).
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 407.
Cite this article:
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 G-M},
pages = 407,
title = {{Hachigatamine Sutra Mound: Maitreya Buddha}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}