Myohakusan Saimyoji Temple
Main Image Seated Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Impression TagsMysteryNobilityDepth
DescriptionThe principal image in Saimyoji's Kannon Hall is a seated Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu in the forty-two-arm form. Measuring 116.5 cm high, it is carved from a single block of coniferous wood thought to be cedar and is dated to the first half of the 13th century in the Kamakura period. Thirty transformation faces are arranged in four tiers above the head, most of them bodhisattva faces, creating an exceptionally rare iconographic form; the unpainted wood finish and archaic robe folds are also distinctive. Older seated Thousand-Armed Kannon images are themselves relatively uncommon. The statue was designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Sanjo City in 2010. It is the principal image of the 33rd station of the Echigo Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage and can be viewed only during its annual unveilings on February 18 and August 9.
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