Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva of Compassion

Statue of a bodhisattva

Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva of Compassion

1100s, late Heian period
Maker
Artist not known, Japan
Country
Japan

Artist not known, Japan

1100s, late Heian period

Height: 50 in. (including base)

Collector's Choice IV Benefit Fund, 1982.134

Photograph © Denver Art Museum 2009. All Rights Reserved.

About the Artist

This sculpture was most likely made by multiple artisans who were called busshi [BOO-shee] (Japanese sculptors of Buddhist images). It was made during Japan’s Heian period (794-1185 CE), an era characterized by a great flowering of literature, art, and religious thinking. During the Heian period, sculptures were made almost exclusively of wood. This sculpture was made in the yosegi [yoh-SEH-gee] fashion, a technique that involved carving several separate pieces of wood and assembling them to form the sculpture. After the pieces were assembled, the detailed carving would be finished. Often, each piece of wood was carved by a different artisan-specialist. This kind of assembly line production turned out more large-scale images than a single artisan could, and in a shorter amount of time. This sculpture was also painted with brilliant colors, but the paint has worn off over time, leaving the wood exposed in certain areas.

What Inspired It

The word bodhisattva [boh-dee-SAHT-vah] means "one whose essence is enlightenment.” A bodhisattva is an important figure in the Buddhist religion. In Buddhism, all living beings take part in an ongoing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, known as the Wheel of Life. All deeds, good or bad, are carried from past lives into future lives. This cycle continues until sufficient knowledge and spiritual experience leads to enlightenment, or nirvana [neer-VAH-nah]. A bodhisattva is a being who has achieved nirvana but, instead of passing out of the Wheel of Life, chooses to remain in the world to help others. Bodhisattvas exercise compassion by sharing the wisdom they have gained during their many past lives.

This sculpture is a representation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion (called Kannon [KAH-known] in Japanese), who was one of the most popular bodhisattvas in Heian Japan. The name Kannon means “the one who hears their cries.” Believers appeal to Kannon for help in achieving enlightenment and protection from disaster. This sculpture was an object of devotion, probably placed in a Buddhist temple complex where devotees could make offerings to the bodhisattva.

Details

Eleven Heads

There are thirty-two different forms of Kannon; this sculpture depicts the form called the Eleven-Headed Kannon. Only five of the eleven small heads remain on the top of the sculpture. The eleven heads are said to originate out of the despair that the bodhisattva felt at seeing countless individuals who had not found salvation. This grief caused his head to split into ten fragments which then formed into additional heads. The additional heads symbolize his awareness of the needs of all conscious beings—humans, animals, and insects.

Crowns

Jeweled crowns are typical of bodhisattvas and suggest royal stature.

Caring Expression

The bodhisattva’s expression is meant to express gentleness or kindness. The eyes are almost closed and may convey a sense of calm.

Aristocratic Body and Clothing

The proportions of this sculpture mirror the fashions of the upper class during the Heian Period. The padded hips, slightly bulging belly, full arms, rings of flesh on the neck, and long, pierced earlobes are all signs of wealth and nobility. Being thin as a sign of beauty is very much a creation of the modern world. In the past, in most cultures, beauty was associated with having plenty to eat and being a bit on the fleshy side.

Lotus Throne

The lotus plant symbolizes purity emerging from an imperfect world. Lotus flowers grow from the mud at the bottom of a pond and eventually bloom on top of clear water.

Wood Grain

Although the wood grain would not have been visible originally (it would have been hidden under brightly colored paint), its lines follow the forms of the face and body with precision.

Hand Gestures

These hand positions are called mudra [MOO-drah] and are a kind of hand-sign language. One hand is held down with palm open and the fingers gently cupped. The other hand is raised with thumb and middle finger together. These two hand gestures together might have suggested appeasement, or bringing peace and calmness to the world. However, it is possible the hands were replaced over the years, as hands are fragile and tend to break off of sculptures.

More Resources

Websites

Buddhism and Buddhist Art

Informative essay, "Buddhism and Buddhist Art," from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, with accompanying images.

Introduction of Buddhism to Japan

Short video about the introduction of Buddhism into Japan.

Smithsonian Japanese Art Teacher Resources

This website features online exhibitions, teacher guides, lesson plans, and resources of Japanese art from the collections of the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler galleries.

The National Consortium for Teaching About Asia

A web resource for elementary and secondary teachers.

Denver Art Museum Asian Art

Denver Art Museum Asian Art web page.

Denver Art Museum Wacky Kids

Denver Art Museum web page, kids books about Japan.

Social and Emotional Curriculum: Compassion in Action

Explores need for students to learn about compassion and mentions clickable resources for how to incorporate this into classrooms.

Books

Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.

A comprehensive, extensively-illustrated, detailed overview of Japanese art, from the Jomon period (10,500 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E.) through World War II.

Trainor, Kevin, ed. Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

This book is divided into four sections with sub-chapters of short essays: Origins, Principles and Practice, Holy Writings, and Buddhism Today. Includes 200 full color photographs.

Children's Books

Ganeri, Anita. This is My Faith: Buddhism. Hauppage, NY: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 2006.

For ages 4-8, this book features real-life photographs, with interviews of a child talking about Buddhism.

Lee, Jeanne M. I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.

This book for ages 5 and up includes six Jataka stories (tales about the birth of the Buddha), each told as a different animal incarnation of Buddha, with accompanying illustrations.

Funding for object education resources provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.

The images on this page are intended for classroom use only and may not be reproduced for other reasons without the permission of the Denver Art Museum. This object may not currently be on display at the museum.