Mokuzo Kannon Bosatsu 毛越寺宝物館 木造観世音菩薩坐像

Iwate Prefecture Tangible Cultural Property

This statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion in Buddhism, was made in the twelfth century from a single block of katsura wood and was covered with gold leaf.

The figure is seated on a lotus flower and holds another lotus flower in its left hand, with its right hand raised in a gesture of blessing. The delicate expression, soft drapery of the garments, and wisps of hair are characteristic of the gentle, refined aesthetics of Buddhist statuary in the twelfth century. The statue was previously housed in Hakuō-in, a sub-temple of Mōtsūji Temple.