Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (Jingo-ji)

The Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (Jingo-ji) (Japanese: 木造薬師如来立像, Romaji: Mokuzō yakushinyorairyūzō) or Wooden Standing Statue of Yakushi Nyorai, is a late 8th to early 9th century Japanese Buddhist sculpture dating to the early Heian period depicting the standing figure of Bhaisajyaguru, or the Medicine Buddha. Designated a National Treasure of Japan, the Yakushi Nyorai serves as the principal figure of worship at Jingo-ji, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto. It is deemed a significant masterpiece of early Heian art, as well as a major icon of Shingon Buddhist history. Its primary sculptor remains anonymous.

Statue of Yakushi Nyorai
木造薬師如来立像 (もくぞうやくしにょらいりゅうぞう): Japanese
Photo by Manshichi Sakamoto (1953)
Year	late 8th-early 9th century
Catalogue	201/164
Medium	hinoki
Movement	Early Heian Art
Subject	Yakushi Nyorai
Dimensions	169.7 cm (66.8 in)
Designation	National Treasure
Location	Kyoto
Owner	Jingo-ji

Side Profile by Ken Domon; chisel marks are prominent on the cheeks.

Primarily housed in the Kondō of Jingo-ji, it has left the temple only once since its creation, as part of a special exhibit on the temple at the Tokyo National Museum in 2024.

Description

The Yakushi Nyorai, measuring 169.7 cm tall is carved from a single block of hinoki, with the left hand and arm, and right hand and forearm carved separately, the former holding a medicine jar and the latter forming an abhayamudra. Compared to earlier sculptures from that of the Nara period. After the Tenpyō era, the sculptor opted towards a more a stylistic tone of the body. The Yakushi Nyorai has increased body mass, a longer lower torso, and robes that accentuate the wideness of the hips and legs.

With a protruding belly and plump features, the body build is consistent to that of a wave of an Indian-style wave of the Gupta period and Mathura style art that swept thru Tang China during the 8th century, which contrasted to that of slimmer builds from the Northern Wei and Sui dynasty Buddhist builds, with the date of creation sometimes narrowed down to 782-793.

Full body by Ken Domon (1952)

The minimalistic embellishment of the hinoki, is signature to the early Heian "plain-wood style". Light amount of pigment was utilized on the Yakushi Nyorai, with metallic green tone of the hair, white sclera, black pupils, and cinnabar lips. Remnants of chisel marks of the face, compared to the polished body is also designed to accentuate the wood as an essential medium of the sculpture.

The Kondō, which holds the statue.

The face was carved to evoke power and presence with an exaggerated cranial bump, elongated earlobes, broad cheeks, large lips, and exaggerated limbs, which differs from the slimmer build of a Yakushi Nyorai held at Tōshōdai-ji. And when placed on an altar, its life-sized height and placement above the worshipper is designed for an imposing presence. Lighting from the candles in the hall would animate the face of the Medicine Buddha.

The statue is seen to be mostly intact since its existence, with only the medicine jar and the hair curls the only parts to see restoration.

History and Provenance

As Jingo-ji was established in 823 by Wake no Kiyomaro, advisor to Emperor Kanmu, as a result of the merging of two temples: Jigan-ji, and Takaosan-ji, there has been many debates going back decades about the provenance of the statue, and which temple its originally from.

Abhisheka ceremony held in Takaosan-ji/Jingo-ji by Kūkai, during the administrative management of the 9th century, designated National Treasure.

Record keeping studied by Adachi Kō surmisses that the statue was part of Jigan-ji by Wake no Kiyomaro based upon Kamakura period literature the Jingoji ryakki (Brief History of Jingo-ji, 1315), which in turn derives records of temple history from the Kōnin shizaichō (Temple Asset Records from the Kōnin Era, 810–824), and the Jingoji jōhei jitsurokuchō (Record of the True History of Jingoji from the Jōhei Era, 931), which confirms the Yakushi Nyorai's presence in the inventories with its height of Five shaku, five sun (169.7 cm).

A newer theory by historians Nakano Tadaaki and Nagaoka Ryūsaku, surmises the timeline of the publication of the Kōnin shizaichō, as well as inventory management of temple assets when Kūkai was present to establish a three temple network (sangō) in the area would line up with the Takaosan-ji origin story, which would then become the official Jingo-ji campus.

In addition, the Ruijū Kokushi and the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku which provided insight into temple asset merging and transitioning, described the land around Jigan-ji as sandy, muddy and impure, and that transferring "dirty items" over to a new space is classified as defilement, which would require said items to undergo purification. With no record of the Yakushi Nyorai getting "purified", Nagaoka surmises that the statue is from Takanosan-ji, which was established by Wake no Kiyomaro's sons.

In either case, the icon has bore witness to the administrative changes and transition of the region, which were overseen by Kukai and Saichō during the early 9th century.

National Recognition

The sculpture was designated an Important Cultural Property in 17 April 1902 during the Meiji era, and almost fifty years later, the gained the status of National Treasure in 9 June 1951, under registration number: 00002.

As a nationally recognized piece of art, it has appeared in many textbooks on the history of Japanese art.

In 2024, the statue was removed from the Jingo-ji for the first time as part of a special exhibit about the temple, held by the Tokyo National Museum, to commemorate the 1200th anniversary of its establishment as well as that of the 1250th anniversary of Kūkai's birth.