It was her face that immediately drew me to her, to this beautiful carved image of Kannon Bosatsu; her face was very simply carved and yet she expressed such a deep serenity, a knowing, a gentle voice calling…
In March 2008, I had been looking on the internet for a birthday gift for someone, when I stumbled upon a rather obscure antique auction site in Kyushu, Japan. The website was actually in German and was targeting the European antique market to sell its Japanese antiques. Among the offerings from this antique dealer was a small statue of Kannon, about 55cms high, carved from native Japanese timber. Although it was said that the statue was carved about 70 years ago, I could see immediately that she had been carved in the style of the ancient images of Kannon that I had seen in temples along the pilgrimage – images that date from about 6th century. The carving was quite primitive in a way but it was also very strong and gentle. It said in the description that this statue was from a demolished temple.
I was curious to see what the selling price would ultimately be on this fascinating statue, so I checked the listing regularly over the next week. However, very strangely, no one made any bid for it. I watched the listing up until just one minute before the close of the auction, and on a whim I submitted the minimum bid – just $99! My heart skipped a beat when I realised just moments later that I had won her!
She arrived just three days before I departed for my annual pilgrimage. Although she was very dusty and covered in grime as if she had been stored in an attic, she had such a serene and beautiful face; she exuded such a powerful sense of compassion, that I felt moved to tears when I looked upon her. There was something so special that radiated from her that I decided then and there to enshrine her as our principal image of veneration in Wabi’an.
As I started to carefully clean her, I noticed that on the base there was an inscription carved in Japanese letters. I translated the inscription to find that it had been carved by a Buddhist priest named Kakushin Baba, from a temple called Daioji, on November 7th in the 10th year of the Emperor Showa; that is, in 1935.
At this point, however, an anxious thought arose in my mind: What if this statue had been stolen from Daioji? What assurance did I have that this really was from a “demolished temple” as the description from the antique dealer had said? So I searched for the name of the temple on Japanese internet sites. I found a diary blog written by a Japanese hiker who talked about hiking recently in the mountains when he came to Daioji temple and discovered dozens of fascinating carved stone images of Buddhas strewn along the pathways in the mountain and beside two waterfalls nearby to the temple. I then checked a database of Japanese temples and found an address for Daioji, which I followed up with a satellite picture of the area. Sure enough, there were a number of buildings to be seen on the mountain that certainly did not look as though they were demolished! Isn’t it amazing what you can find on the internet?!
In March 2008, I had been looking on the internet for a birthday gift for someone, when I stumbled upon a rather obscure antique auction site in Kyushu, Japan. The website was actually in German and was targeting the European antique market to sell its Japanese antiques. Among the offerings from this antique dealer was a small statue of Kannon, about 55cms high, carved from native Japanese timber. Although it was said that the statue was carved about 70 years ago, I could see immediately that she had been carved in the style of the ancient images of Kannon that I had seen in temples along the pilgrimage – images that date from about 6th century. The carving was quite primitive in a way but it was also very strong and gentle. It said in the description that this statue was from a demolished temple.
I was curious to see what the selling price would ultimately be on this fascinating statue, so I checked the listing regularly over the next week. However, very strangely, no one made any bid for it. I watched the listing up until just one minute before the close of the auction, and on a whim I submitted the minimum bid – just $99! My heart skipped a beat when I realised just moments later that I had won her!
She arrived just three days before I departed for my annual pilgrimage. Although she was very dusty and covered in grime as if she had been stored in an attic, she had such a serene and beautiful face; she exuded such a powerful sense of compassion, that I felt moved to tears when I looked upon her. There was something so special that radiated from her that I decided then and there to enshrine her as our principal image of veneration in Wabi’an.
As I started to carefully clean her, I noticed that on the base there was an inscription carved in Japanese letters. I translated the inscription to find that it had been carved by a Buddhist priest named Kakushin Baba, from a temple called Daioji, on November 7th in the 10th year of the Emperor Showa; that is, in 1935.
At this point, however, an anxious thought arose in my mind: What if this statue had been stolen from Daioji? What assurance did I have that this really was from a “demolished temple” as the description from the antique dealer had said? So I searched for the name of the temple on Japanese internet sites. I found a diary blog written by a Japanese hiker who talked about hiking recently in the mountains when he came to Daioji temple and discovered dozens of fascinating carved stone images of Buddhas strewn along the pathways in the mountain and beside two waterfalls nearby to the temple. I then checked a database of Japanese temples and found an address for Daioji, which I followed up with a satellite picture of the area. Sure enough, there were a number of buildings to be seen on the mountain that certainly did not look as though they were demolished! Isn’t it amazing what you can find on the internet?!
Well, having discovered that the temple was indeed still standing - what was I to do?
0 comments:
Post a Comment