miniature shrine, unknown maker from Japan

Teaching Gallery Label: “Eyes on Icons: Exploring Japanese Buddhism at the Spencer Museum of Art,” Apr-2008, Yen-yi Chan This shrine (zushi) houses a standing Bodhisattva figure holding a lotus blossom. When the shrine is closed two monk figures carved onto the front doors appear side by side. When open, the interiors of the doors reveal images of lotuses. In Buddhism, the lotus, which grows out of the muddy water but is not tainted by the mud symbolizes purity. The lotus also refers to the minds of sentient beings, who are encouraged to make the effort to ‘blossom’ into enlightenment. This miniature shrine was likely an item for made for the foreign export market, but modeled after a type of small Buddhist shrine called oi, or “portable box,” which could be carried on the back while traveling. Exhibition Label: “The Sacred and the Secular: Buddhist Imagery in Religious and Popular Contexts,” Oct-2005, Hillary Pedersen The doors of this small ivory shrine open to reveal a standing bodhisattva figure holding a lotus blossom. The flower imagery continues on the sides and back of the shrine. The doors are incised with designs of two sages, dressed in monks’ robes. They appear back to back, so that when the doors are opened the two figures part ways, revealing the deity inside. Small devotional shrines like these allowed believers to worship while traveling.