Buddha of the Future (Miroku Bosatsu)
late 600s
- Medium
- cast bronze, incised, with traces of gilding
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- Overall: 45.8 cm (18 1/16 in.); Figure: 39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.)
- Culture
- Japan, Asuka period (538–710)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Japanese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth century. For early Japanese devotees, Buddhism offered the promise of salvation through faith in the Buddha of the Future, who would appear at the end of the world. The concept of eternal salvation held particular resonance with the Japanese aristocracy, who became the staunchest supporters of this new faith. Small sculptures like this one, with its gentle grace and powerful presence, were popular devotional objects.
