Shotoku Taishi

anonymous, c. 1200 - c. 1350

Buddhism took hold in Japan in the middle of the 6th century. Around 600, the statesman Shotoku Taishi was a major advocate of the new religion. He would later be revered as a deity himself. Here Shotoku Taishi is represented as a child of two, the age at which he is traditionally believed to have worshipped Buddha for the first time. The sculptor has successfully rendered a childlike face, but one that nonetheless conveys great wisdom.

  • Artwork typefigure, sculpture
  • Object numberAK-BR-JAN-1
  • Dimensionsheight 74.5 cm x width 32 cm x depth 40 cm
  • Physical characteristicswood, traces of polychromy

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Shotoku Taishi

  • Object type

  • Object number

    AK-BR-JAN-1

  • Description

    Een houten beeld met polychrome versiering van prins Shotoku Taishi als kind, in staande houding, met de handen in verering tegen elkaar voor de borst, gekleed in een rode hofkleding-broek die achter hem sleept.

Creation

  • Creation

    anonymous, Japan

  • Dating

    c. 1200 - c. 1350

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    wood, traces of polychromy

  • Dimensions

    height 74.5 cm x width 32 cm x depth 40 cm

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    On loan from P.W. Janssen, Amsterdam

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Documentation

    • V. Harris en K. Matsushima, Kamakura : The Renaissance of Japanese Sculpture 1185-1333, London (The British Museum) 1991, nr. 24.
    • H. Washizuka et al., Enlightenment Embodied : The Art of the Japanese Buddhist Sculptor (7th-14th Centuries), New York (Japan Society) 1997.

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  • Shotoku Taishi
  • Shotoku Taishi
  • Shotoku Taishi
  • Shotoku Taishi
  • Shotoku Taishi