Lot 92
East Asia, Japan, Meiji Period, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A lacquered wood and gold washed zushi shrine portraying the Amida Buddha atop a lotus on a tiered pedestal. He stands barefoot with ankle length robes and right hand raised in the abhayamudra - a gesture of fearlessness- while his left hand points downward, extending the middle and index fingers and pressing the tips of the ring and little finger against the thumb in the prana mudra - gesture of life force. He is enveloped in black lacquer and gold wash, framed by the front pillars and the petaloid aureole behind. Buddhist statues in Japan frequently reside in zushi wooden shrines with doors that can both reveal or conceal the deity within. Some scholars trace this Japanese interpretation of a Buddhist practice to Shinto shrines, where it is rare to find a statue, and they are always concealed. Size (open shrine): 9" L x 3" W x 12.5" H (22.9 cm x 7.6 cm x 31.8 cm)
At the start of the Meiji Period (1868), the Japanese government declared that Buddhism must be separated from Shinto, the official state religion. Initially, enforcement of the separation was strict, and Buddhist images were stricken from many Shinto shrines. Within a few years, however, enforcement stopped, and Buddhist imagery crept back into Japanese religious art. A shrine like this one, depicting a Bodhisattva, was created during this time period.
Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection
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#173070
- Condition: Pillars repaired and reattached, and pedestal is loose but secure within the shrine. Fading to gold wash on Buddha and interior doors. Chips to doors and flaking to black pigment on verso and front door.
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