Bonten (Brahman)

Description

Bonten (properly Daibonten; Sanskrit: Maha Brahman), the King of the First Dhyana, the Heaven of the World of Form, is commonly paired with Taishakuten (Sanskrit: Inrdra) as an attendant to a Buddha or Bodhisattva, or is presented as a member of the Jūniten, the Twelve Heavenly Beings. He appears in a variety of forms, depending on the type of Buddhist scripture upon which his image is based. The Bonten image of exoteric Buddhism, as exemplified by the present work, is a princely figure clad in a loose robe with long sleeves, wearing a crown and other accessories. In esoteric Buddhism, Bonten takes a superhuman form, with three faces and multiple arms. This statue presumably had a lotus in its left hand and a rosary in the right. Alternatively, the right hand may have formed the mudra of hearing a worshipper’s prayer. Although they are now lost, the hands would have originally been mortised to the arms.

Early-ninth-century Japanese Buddhist figural sculpture is characterized by massiveness and heavy proportions, as well as solemnity of expression and sharply carved folds in the robes. The face of this statue is wonderfully modeled and flexible, and although the folds of the robe are much simplified, they still retain the sharpness of carving of the earlier period.