The seated Buddha Amitabha (Amida Nyorai)

Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise, is seated in deep concentration with half-closed eyes and hands held in the gesture of meditation. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, images like this were created in large numbers as a direct result of the popularity of faith in Amitabha. Devotees of Amitabha believe that meditation and recitation of Amitabha’s name will lead to release from the wheel of death and rebirth (samsara) by being reborn in his Western Paradise. This Amitabha figure is made in a technique in which multiple blocks of wood are separately carved, then joined together. To see a diagram of this method, see the Japanese Wood Sculpture placard in this gallery.