Seated Buddha

1100s

Seated Buddha, 1100s. Japan, Heian period (794–1185). Gilded wood; overall: 145.4 cm (57 1/4 in.); figure: 88.2 cm (34 3/4 in.); pedestal: 57.2 cm (22 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Takako Setsu and her husband, Iwao, in memory of her father-in-law, Inosuke Setsu, and his long friendship with Sherman E. Lee 1973.85.a Composed of a number of hollowed-out pieces of wood that were then covered with lacquer and gilding, this sculpture served as an image of worship in one of the small temples surrounding Kōfukuji, a major Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan. Like many Buddhas, this figure has its right hand positioned in a gesture meaning "fear not." The left hand is a replacement, so its original gesture, a clue to this Buddha's identity, is unknown. However, as the left foot is exposed over the garment, in lotus position, it may have been created as a Medicine Master Buddha, Yakushi Nyorai in Japanese, or the Buddha of our era, Shakyamuni. This Buddha is sculpted in the Jōchō style, associated with the sculptor of the Amida at Byōdō'in in Uji.