The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 14, 2026

A golden sculpture, with a worn surface, depicts a figure seated in a cross-legged position on a lotus pedestal. There is a golden halo with flower petals behind the figure's head and a larger golden halo behind their body. The figure's right hand is up, palm facing us, and their left hand is down, resting on their left leg.

Seated Buddha

1100s

Japan, Heian period

(794–1185)
gilded wood
Overall: 145.4 cm (57 1/4 in.); Figure: 88.2 cm (34 3/4 in.); Pedestal: 57.2 cm (22 1/2 in.)
Gift of Takako Setsu and her husband, Iwao, in memory of her father-in-law, Inosuke Setsu, and his long friendship with Sherman E. Lee 1973.85
Location: 235B Japanese

Did You Know?

A 1906 photo taken at Kōfukuji shows this sculpture without a halo or left hand.

Description

Composed of a number of hollowed-out pieces of wood that were then covered with lacquer and gilding, this sculpture served as an image of worship in one of the small temples surrounding Kōfukuji, a major Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan. Like many Buddhas, this figure has its right hand positioned in a gesture meaning "fear not." The left hand is a replacement, so its original gesture, a clue to this Buddha's identity, is unknown. However, as the left foot is exposed over the garment, in lotus position, it may have been created as a Medicine Master Buddha, Yakushi Nyorai in Japanese, or the Buddha of our era, Shakyamuni.
  • ?–1973
    Setsu Takako 瀬津 孝子, Tokyo, Japan, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1973–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Tōkyō Bijutsushō Kyōdō Kumiai 東京美術商協同組合. Kobijutsu tenkan tokubetsu sokubaikai: Orinpikku kinen [古美術展観特別即売会 : オリンピック記念 = Antique dealers' fair & exhibition in Tokyo: on the occasion of the Olympic Games]. Tōkyō: Tōkyō Bijutsushō Kyōdō Kumiai, 1964. p. 18, no. 4
    “The Year in Review for 1973.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 61, no. 2, 1974, pp. 31–78. Mentioned: no. 196, p. 79; Reproduced: no. 196, p. 69 25152513
    Yamane, Yūzō 山根有三, Shūjirō Shimada 島田修二郎, and Terukazu Akiyama 秋山光和. Zaigai Nihon no shihō [在外日本の至宝 = Japanese Art: Selections from Western Collections, vol. 8 ]. Tōkyō: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1979. Mentioned and Reproduced: no. 8, p. 118, pl. 8
    Shimizu Zenzō, "Japanese Sculptures in America and Canada," Bukkyō geijutsu [佛教藝術= Ars Buddhica] , no. 126 (September 1979), part I, pp. 67–88. Reproduced: p. 68, fig. 4
    Yamaguchi Ryūsuke 山口隆介 and Miyazaki Motoko 宮崎幹子, 「明治時代の興福寺における仏像の移動と現在地についてー興福寺所蔵の古写真をもちいた史料学的研究」 (The Transfer of Buddhist Sculptures from Kōfukuji in the Meiji Era and Their Locations Today: Source-study Research Conducted Using Old Photographs at Kōfukuji), Museum, no. 676 (October 2018), pp. ii-iii, 5-57. fig. 13.
  • Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).
    Kobijutsu tenkan tokubetsu sokubaikai: Orinpikku kinen [古美術展観特別即売会 : オリンピック記念 = Antique dealers' fair & exhibition in Tokyo: on the occasion of the Olympic Games]. Tōkyō Bijutsu Kurabu, Tōkyō, Japan (October 8-12, 1964).
    Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
  • {{cite web|title=Seated Buddha|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=14 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.85