Medieval · Rijksmuseum · 200106193
Shotoku Taishi
anonymous, Japan, c. 1200 - c. 1350
Rijksmuseum · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · AK-BR-JAN-1 · Public Domain · On loan from P.W. Janssen, Amsterdam · Public domain
- Artist
- anonymous, Japan
- Date
- c. 1200 - c. 1350
- Medium
- wood
- Dimensions
- width 32 cm × height 74.5 cm × depth 40 cm
- Era
- Medieval
Why it matters
Buddhism took hold in Japan in the middle of the 6th century. Around 600, the statesman Shotoku Taishi was a major advocate of the new religion. He would later be revered as a deity himself. Here Shotoku Taishi is represented as a child of two, the age at which he is traditionally believed to have worshipped Buddha for the first time. The sculptor has successfully rendered a childlike face, but one that nonetheless conveys great wisdom.