Japan, 11th-12th century, late Heian (794-1185) to early Kamakura period (1185-1333)

Finely carved from a hollowed section of hinoki (cypress) wood in yosegi-zukuri with traces of lacquer and gilding in a classic Heian standing pose with his right arm raised and left arm lowered in what was likely raigo-in (vitarka mudra). Amida is wearing monastic robes, his fukuken'e descending from the shoulders and forming a series of folds over the abdomen, the kun with typical Y-shaped and vertical pleats. The soft features of his face bearing a serene expression, subtly smiling lips, elongated lobes, and hair arranged in spiral curls; his eyes were once decorated with inlays and now open to the hollow interior giving the piece a striking presence combined with the well-worn nature of the wood.

HEIGHT 51.5 cm

Condition: Extensive wear commensurate with age, the wood with natural imperfections including signs of insect activity, expected age cracks, losses, remnants of old repairs and resin residue, the hands and feet lost.
Provenance: From a French private collection.

The present figure has characteristics of both Heian and early Kamakura sculptures. Yosegi-zukuri was a technique adopted in Japan from Indian and Chinese artists and became popular during the 10^th century. The elegant folds of the robes and the inlaid eyes come from techniques which became widely used during the Kamakura period. The combination of these two elements suggests a dating to a period of overlap between the two periods.

The sculpture represents Amitabha, known in Japanese as Amida Nyorai, or the Buddha of Limitless Light. Amitabha reigns over the Western Pure Land, a paradise to which anyone is welcomed if they faithfully and sincerely incant his name. This place of salvation became central to the Jodo [lit. Pure Land] sect of Buddhism. Propounded in 1175 by the monk Honen, the accessibility of such tenets of redemption allowed this form of Buddhism to proliferate across the nation and feudal classes of Japan. Often depicted with an elaborate mandala, the boat-shaped halo is said to remind his followers that he serves as a guide for them to cross the ocean of suffering which contaminates the living.

Yosegi-zukuri, or the joined wood-block construction, is a sculpting method in which several rectangular blocks of wood are individually selected and carved into shapes. Yosegi-zukuri, together with ichiboku-zukuri (single block construction), are the two main techniques associated with wood sculpture in Japan. There were several advantages to a sculpture made from multiple blocks of wood. It was much lighter than one carved out of a single block of wood. The technique also helped to minimise the cracking of the wood caused by the outside layer drying faster than the core of the sculpture. In addition, it was faster, as it allowed the individual blocks to be carved simultaneously by several artisans specialising in particular kinds of carving, which in turn led to the development of an assembly-line production and a true studio.

Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related gilt and lacquer wood figure of amida with preserved inlaid eyes, 96 cm high, dated to the 13^th century, in the British Museum, accession number 1945,0419.1

Auction comparison:
Compare a related gilt-lacquer wood figure of amida standing slightly taller on a lotus base, dated to the late Heian period, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 18 April 2018, New York, lot 5 (sold for USD 150,000).