Wooden Seated Statue of Amida Nyorai (by Jocho, in the Phoenix Hall)

The Only Surviving Work of Jocho

The Wooden Seated Statue of Amida Nyorai (by Jocho, in the Phoenix Hall) (木造阿弥陀如来坐像〈定朝作／（鳳凰堂安置）〉) is the Heian-period seated Amida enshrined in the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, which in 1951 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one figure by Jocho, owned by Byodoin, first designated under the old system in 1899.

According to Byodoin, it was completed in 1053, the year after Fujiwara no Yorimichi (992 to 1074) founded the temple.

How It Was Made

According to Byodoin, it is 2.8 metres high and the only surviving work by Jocho (died 1057), the renowned Heian sculptor; it has sat on its lotus pedestal in the Phoenix Hall for nearly a thousand years.

Jocho and his pupils used the joined-block technique, assembling pieces of cypress, carving the figure and then covering the joins with cloth, lacquer and gold leaf.

What to Look For

Byodoin describes the figure looking straight down with half-closed eyes, seated cross-legged in meditation; its gentle face, upright back and joined hands express a Buddha at once relaxed and focused.

Byodoin notes that Jocho was highly influential, and this statue set the standard for Buddhist sculpture for the next two centuries.

Visiting the Wooden Seated Statue of Amida Nyorai (by Jocho, in the Phoenix Hall)

The statue is enshrined in the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin; check the temple for visiting hours and access to the hall's interior.