58 - JAPAN—18th century

JAPAN—18th century A portable shrine housing a lacquered and gilded wooden statue depicting Hôkan Amida Nyorai (Crowned Amitābha). The figure is depicted seated in a meditative posture, with the hands arranged in the meditation mudra specific to Amida. It is clad in long robes with sculpted folds. The statue wears a crown from which pearls hang At the back rises a mandorla The deity rests on a double lotus-shaped throne, which in turn rests on a hexagonal base The entire assembly is housed in a wooden shrine—added at a later date—carved in the shape of an inverted lotus leaf, The shrine has two doors and a small drawer at the bottom; it is adorned with openwork metal hinges featuring plant motifs. It rests on four small legs. Hôkan Amida Nyorai refers to an esoteric representation of the Buddha Amida (Amitābha) in Japanese Buddhism, distinguished by the wearing of a jeweled crown (*hôkan*) and elaborate adornments, in contrast to the simple monastic robes usually depicted. Dimensions: Statue on pedestal: Height 46 cm, width 26 cm, depth 21 cm. Height of the statue: 20.3 cm. Shrine: Height 85 cm, width 67 cm, depth 45.5 cm. (Signs of wear, minor restorations to the gilding, small areas of lacquer loss...)