This wooden sculpture was probably originally made during the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333). It has changed significantly since then, with elaborate floral decoration added during the later Edo period (1600 – 1868). There is also evidence of original features that are no longer present.
By examining evidence on the sculpture and looking at surviving Japanese Buddhist sculptures we can understand how the piece probably looked originally. The Buddha would have worn a topknot hairpiece and a metal crown. There would also have been a rock crystal jewel set into the Buddha’s forehead. A metal necklace that is now missing caused abrasions on the sculpture’s chest.
To reconstruct these features on the actual piece would be potentially damaging. However, by using 3D recording to create a virtual computer model of the Buddha it is possible to replace these elements.
Have a look at how the Buddha sculpture looks now, plus digital images and a model of what it might originally have looked like, in the image gallery below.
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