Chikurinji Temple
Main Image Four Wooden Attendants of Monju Bosatsu (Zenzai Doji, Buddahari Sanzo (Buddhapali), Uten-o and Saisho Rojin) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
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DescriptionFour wooden attendants of Monju Bosatsu dating to the late Heian period are housed in Chikurinji's Treasure Hall. They represent Zenzai Doji, Buddahari Sanzo (Buddhapali), Uten-o and Saisho Rojin, each carved from a single block of camphor wood and painted. The figures tilt their heads or turn sideways, their simplified carving capturing lively, individual expressions. Together with the lion pedestal, they convey a rustic and sometimes humorous character. The four attendants and the temple's principal Monju make up a five-figure group of major importance as an early surviving Chinese-style depiction of Monju, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1911. The principal Monju is normally concealed, but the four attendant figures and lion pedestal can be seen in the Treasure Hall.
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