Buddha of the Future (Miroku Bosatsu)

Creator not recorded by the museum

Date: late 600s
Medium: cast bronze, incised, with traces of gilding
Dimensions: Overall: 45.8 cm (18 1/16 in.); Figure: 39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.)
Country / context: Japan
Movement / tradition: East Asian arts
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Pathway: East Asian arts ↗

FROM THE MUSEUM

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.

Collection text · The Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0

A MOMENT TO LOOK

Start with what you can see: shapes, surface, colour and scale. How might the listed materials affect the way this object was made and experienced?

Looking prompt · an invitation to observe, not a historical interpretation.

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