Minneapolis Institute of Art

Nyoirin Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with the Wish-granting Jewel

Japan

Date

13th–early 14th century

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The distinctive seated pose identifies this figure as Nyoirin Kannon, a wish-fulfilling form of the deity Kannon. One right hand holds a wish-granting jewel near his chest, while another holds a string of prayer beads. Lost to time are a bronze lotus blossom that would have been held in the left hand near his chest and a wheel (symbolizing the Buddha’s teachings) on the tip of his upraised finger. A fifth hand rests on his cheek while the sixth is flat on the ground, bracing him against the earth. To accurately depict this complex deity, the sculptor would have referred to iconographic drawings like those displayed here. Japan, Asia

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