Kannon seated in the lotus position, with the attribute of a lotus blossom in her left hand, her right hand in the ani-in gesture, represents an early type of the Goddess of Mercy Shō Kannon, the first of six basic manifestations of this popular bodhisattva who was first depicted in male, and later, in female form. The statue consists of several joined pieces of wood covered in a smooth layer of golden lacquer. The face is round and full, with a restrained smile and downcast eyes inlaid in crystal, and the forehead is decorated with a diadem. The hair combed high is hidden under a lavishly perforated triangular metal crown, its top decorated with the Buddhist wheel. The figure’s robust corporeality, the symmetrical stylization of the drapery folds and appealing smooth execution suggest it is an Edo era variant of the iconographical type from the turn of the Muromachi and Momoyama periods. The base with openwork windows also corroborates its dating to the 18th century.
