Maitreya Bodhisattva in Manas in a Semi-Lotus Position (弥勒菩薩半跏思惟像)
Maitreya Bodhisattva in manas in a semi-lotus position came to Japan when Miroku (Maitreya) worship was imported from China in the sixth through the seventh centuries, and many statues created in the Asuka and Nara period still remain in Japan.
One of the most famous Maitreya statues is 'Maitreya with berretta' (the first natural treasure) kept in the Reiho-den of Koryu-ji Temple in Uzumasa, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and it is known for his posture in which he is lost in thought with the right ring finger on his cheek. As the statue was made of pine, which is unique for the statues created in the Asuka period, there has been a theory that the statue came from the Kingdom of Silla in 623 as written in Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan). Gold leaves were originally attached to the statue surface with lacquer.
The smile of Maitreya Bodhisattva is known as an 'archaic smile.'
Statue height: 123.3 cm (measured from the feet; height from the pedestal: approximately 147 cm)
Major Work Examples
Maitreya with berretta: at the Reiho-den of Koryu-ji Temple in Uzumasa, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; woodcraft
Crying Maitreya: at the Reiho-den of Koryu-ji Temple in Uzumasa, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; woodcraft
A statue of Maitreya: at Chugu-ji Temple, Ikaruga-cho, Ikoma-gun, Nara Prefecture; woodcraft
A statue of Maitreya: at Yachu-ji Temple, Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture; gilt bronze statue
A statue of Maitreya: at Tokyo National Museum, Taito-ku Ward, Tokyo; gilt bronze statue
A statue of Maitreya: at National Museum of Korea, Seoul Special City, Republic of Korea; gilt bronze statue
A statue of Maitreya: No. 38 cave interior wall, Kizil Cave, Kucha Prefecture, Xinjiang Uighur, China; mural