快慶作 地蔵菩薩立像|Jizō, Bodhisattva of the Earth Store (Kshitigarbha)

Kaikei

ca. 1202 · Lacquered Japanese cypress, color, gold, cut gold, and inlaid crystal · Asian Art

The bodhisattva who relieves those suffering in hell, Jizō Bosatsu (Sanskrit: Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha) attends Amida Buddha as he delivers the pious to the Western Paradise and answers the prayers of all living beings. He is represented here in his usual attitude, with a shaved head and wearing the robes of a Buddhist monk. His right hand grasps a staff (shakujō), which he shakes to awaken humans from their delusions; his left hand most likely held a wish-granting jewel (hōju no tama), signifying the bestowal of blessings. An inscription on the interior of the figure identifies this as a work by Kaikei, one of the two leading sculptors of the early Kamakura period.

Artist

Kaikei

Date

ca. 1202

Medium

Lacquered Japanese cypress, color, gold, cut gold, and inlaid crystal

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015