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Lot Essay
This rare, Heian-period seated wooden statue of Dainichi Nyorai, the central deity of Esoteric Buddhism, may have been the main icon of a small Shingon temple. Dainichi (literally, Great Sun) is the cosmic origin of all things and supreme deity of Esoteric Buddhism. His mudra, or hand gesture, with the left index finger surrounded by the fingers of the right hand, is known as the “wisdom fist.” This powerful gesture expresses the union of the spiritual and material realms and is thought to restrain passions hindering the practitioner’s enlightenment.
Dainichi is classified as a Buddha but is presented here as a Bodhisattva in princely regalia. He sits in lotus position, with hair piled in a towering chignon and wearing the crown of royalty. In paintings and sculptures, Dainichi often assumes this pose while surrounded by the other four Wisdom Buddhas, representing the metaphysical world of complete enlightenment—known as the Diamond Realm in Esoteric doctrines.
The sculptor worked in the joined-block-construction technique (yosegi zukuri): the head and torso are made by combining several units of the same wood of equal size; and the split-and-join technique (warihagi zukuri). Each block is prepared individually, hollowed out and then fitted together to form the sculpture. This technique, involving many small pieces of wood, is unique to Japan and had been perfected by the eleventh century. Legs and feet are made of two or three horizontal blocks joined in front of each other. The assembled pieces of wood are held together with numerous iron staples and pins. The hollow joined blocks prevent cracking and make the sculpture light in weight.
The relatively flat surfaces and gentle modeling of this Dainichi contrasts with the fleshy physicality of the somewhat later National Treasure Dainichi at Enjo-ji, a small temple near Nara, the earliest work by the sculptor Unkei, dating from 1176. Both statues are made of wood covered in black lacquer with a surface of gold leaf and are weathered and worn from exposure to the elements. A smaller, Kamakura-period sculpture of Dainichi sold at Christie’s, New York, on 18 March 2008 for over $14 million.
Although the history of this Heian-period Dainichi is unknown, it probably came from a Buddhist temple during the Meiji period (1868–1911), when the government officially adopted Shinto as the state religion. A document accompanying this sculpture indicates that it was once in the collection of Baron Kuki Ryuichi (1852–1931). From a distinguished daimyo family in Hyogo Prefecture, Kuki was appointed ambassador to the United States in 1884, and later worked in Japan’s Ministry of Education. In 1888, he transferred to the Imperial Household Ministry, where he led the government's nationwide survey into cultural properties as the chairman of the newly established Special Nationwide Investigation into Cultural Artifacts Committee and was deeply involved in the establishment of the Law for the Preservation of Ancient Shrines and Temples in 1897. Kuki, a notable collector of Japanese art, was appointed as the first Director General of the Imperial Museum (a forerunner of the Tokyo National Museum).
Both the double round halo, one for the head attached to that for the body, and the lotus pedestal were made in 1946 by the sculptor Chūnosuke Niiro (1869–1954), a graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he became assistant professor. Niiro was a skilled restorer, specializing in sculptures. He dedicated his life to restoring cultural properties under the influence of Okakura Kakuzō (1862–1913). On Okakura's departure from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, he followed him and joined Okakura’s Japan Art Institute (Nihon Bijutsuin). Niiro played a crucial role in repairing Buddhist statues and supporting cultural heritage conservation. Following Okakura's demise, Niiro led the independent National Treasure Repair Center, pioneering innovative restoration methods for Buddhist statues still employed today.
There are several notable examples of Niiro’s work in the West. Tomita Kojiro (1890–1976), a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, gave a small wooden pagoda, a replica of those at Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, to Isabella Stewart Gardner on June 25th, 1924. Both Niiro, who carved that pagoda, and Tomita were connected to Gardner because of their shared friendships with Okakura.
Laurence Binyon, Keeper of the Sub-Department of Oriental Prints & Drawings at the British Museum, was guided around Nara by Niiro in 1929. Binyon was deeply impressed by the two-meter tall, 7th-century wooden sculpture known as Kudara Kannon at Horyu-ji. In 1932, the British Museum Trustees commissioned Niiro to carve a replica of the Kudara Kannon with funding from Sir Percival David and the National Art Collectors Fund. The large, camphor-wood figure of a bodhisattva has been on display in the museum’s Japanese galleries since 1997. Niiro made a second copy, now in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
Dainichi is classified as a Buddha but is presented here as a Bodhisattva in princely regalia. He sits in lotus position, with hair piled in a towering chignon and wearing the crown of royalty. In paintings and sculptures, Dainichi often assumes this pose while surrounded by the other four Wisdom Buddhas, representing the metaphysical world of complete enlightenment—known as the Diamond Realm in Esoteric doctrines.
The sculptor worked in the joined-block-construction technique (yosegi zukuri): the head and torso are made by combining several units of the same wood of equal size; and the split-and-join technique (warihagi zukuri). Each block is prepared individually, hollowed out and then fitted together to form the sculpture. This technique, involving many small pieces of wood, is unique to Japan and had been perfected by the eleventh century. Legs and feet are made of two or three horizontal blocks joined in front of each other. The assembled pieces of wood are held together with numerous iron staples and pins. The hollow joined blocks prevent cracking and make the sculpture light in weight.
The relatively flat surfaces and gentle modeling of this Dainichi contrasts with the fleshy physicality of the somewhat later National Treasure Dainichi at Enjo-ji, a small temple near Nara, the earliest work by the sculptor Unkei, dating from 1176. Both statues are made of wood covered in black lacquer with a surface of gold leaf and are weathered and worn from exposure to the elements. A smaller, Kamakura-period sculpture of Dainichi sold at Christie’s, New York, on 18 March 2008 for over $14 million.
Although the history of this Heian-period Dainichi is unknown, it probably came from a Buddhist temple during the Meiji period (1868–1911), when the government officially adopted Shinto as the state religion. A document accompanying this sculpture indicates that it was once in the collection of Baron Kuki Ryuichi (1852–1931). From a distinguished daimyo family in Hyogo Prefecture, Kuki was appointed ambassador to the United States in 1884, and later worked in Japan’s Ministry of Education. In 1888, he transferred to the Imperial Household Ministry, where he led the government's nationwide survey into cultural properties as the chairman of the newly established Special Nationwide Investigation into Cultural Artifacts Committee and was deeply involved in the establishment of the Law for the Preservation of Ancient Shrines and Temples in 1897. Kuki, a notable collector of Japanese art, was appointed as the first Director General of the Imperial Museum (a forerunner of the Tokyo National Museum).
Both the double round halo, one for the head attached to that for the body, and the lotus pedestal were made in 1946 by the sculptor Chūnosuke Niiro (1869–1954), a graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he became assistant professor. Niiro was a skilled restorer, specializing in sculptures. He dedicated his life to restoring cultural properties under the influence of Okakura Kakuzō (1862–1913). On Okakura's departure from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, he followed him and joined Okakura’s Japan Art Institute (Nihon Bijutsuin). Niiro played a crucial role in repairing Buddhist statues and supporting cultural heritage conservation. Following Okakura's demise, Niiro led the independent National Treasure Repair Center, pioneering innovative restoration methods for Buddhist statues still employed today.
There are several notable examples of Niiro’s work in the West. Tomita Kojiro (1890–1976), a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, gave a small wooden pagoda, a replica of those at Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, to Isabella Stewart Gardner on June 25th, 1924. Both Niiro, who carved that pagoda, and Tomita were connected to Gardner because of their shared friendships with Okakura.
Laurence Binyon, Keeper of the Sub-Department of Oriental Prints & Drawings at the British Museum, was guided around Nara by Niiro in 1929. Binyon was deeply impressed by the two-meter tall, 7th-century wooden sculpture known as Kudara Kannon at Horyu-ji. In 1932, the British Museum Trustees commissioned Niiro to carve a replica of the Kudara Kannon with funding from Sir Percival David and the National Art Collectors Fund. The large, camphor-wood figure of a bodhisattva has been on display in the museum’s Japanese galleries since 1997. Niiro made a second copy, now in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.