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 Jizo Bosatsu
(Japan,
late Heian period,
12th century)
Carved wood
Height: 57 5/8 in. (146.5 cm)
Base: 18 in. (45.7 cm)
Gift of Anna Bing
Arnold, M.74.117
This exquisite standing figure
represents the likeness of the Buddhist deity Jizo, who was a
bodhisattva (Japanese: bosatsu), one who achieves
enlightenment but forsakes nirvana to help others find paradise.
He was worshiped especially by the Pure Land Buddhist sect as
the protector of those in distress, of children, of mothers in
childbirth, and of travelers. He was most beloved as the deity
who saved from a future in hell those children who had died
before gaining merit, and for leading living children to a life
of piety. Worship of the bodhisattva Jizo began in the eighth
century with the importation of esoteric Buddhist practices from
China. Jizo, whose name means "matrix of the earth,"
was revered as one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas of the
esoteric sect. Jizo and his counterpart, Kakuzo ("matrix of
the void"), represent the union of the physical and
metaphysical realms.
The Jizo figure is defined by his
clothing, by the objects he holds, and by his physical
attributes. His head is shaven, and he is dressed in monk's
robes, a simple rectangle of cloth (kesa) tied in front
over a longer skirt. Most bodhisattva are shown in the garb of
Indian royalty and coifed elaborately. Jizo, like other Buddhist
deities, stands upon a lotus base. The lotus was a symbol of one
who had achieved release from the karmic wheel of rebirth, as
the pure flower rises from murky waters. In his left hand, Jizo
holds a wish-granting jewel; he would have held a shakujo
(jingle-staff) in his right. The shakujo, one of a monk's
eighteen possessions, was used to alert insects and small
animals of his approach, so that he would not accidentally harm
them. Jizo's idealized face and head-the perfectly
proportioned features, third eye, elongated ears, and folds of
skin at the neck-also show attributes of an enlightened being.
These were all signs of beauty and royalty in India, and were
carried across Asia to Japan with the introduction of Buddhism.
The large head, broad brow, and
small, delicate features of this sculpture give an impression of
gentle benevolence and approachability, typical of late Heian-period
sculpture of the late eleventh and twelfth centuries. The broad
shoulders and torso are gently modeled, giving a subtle sense of
volume. The U-shaped, carved drapery folds, used in standing
Jizo figures from this period, are shallow and elegantly reveal
the form of the body within. This style of gentle modeling and
sweet countenance, which reflects Japanese aesthetics of beauty,
follows a severing of connections with the Chinese mainland
after the fall of the Tang dynasty in 907. Prior to that time
figures were more heavily modeled, in the Chinese style.
Following the end of the Heian period in 1185, the military took
over the political establishment and promulgated the return to a
more muscular and realistic style.
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