Mirror with Water-Moon Avalokitesvara

CHINA; Northern Song dynasty

This mirror, now a votive object at Seiryoji Temple in Kyoto, was originally hidden in a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha brought from China to Japan in the year 986 by Chonen, a monk from Todaiji Temple. It was listed as a National Treasure in 1955.
This round mirror is engraved with extremely fine lines depicting Avalokitesvara seated in royal ease on a rock by a lotus pond. The left hand hangs down by the side and the right rests on the right knee. The Bodhisattva has a round face with an urna between the eyebrows, and a nimbus around the head. The headdress has ribbons which reach to the shoulders. A pleated stole adorns the upper body, while the lower half is covered in a flowing skirt. Bamboo plants, flowers, and birds surround the main image.