Objects Placed inside the Statue (of the Shaka at Seiryoji)

Silk Organs inside a Living Buddha

The Objects Placed inside the Statue (of the Shaka at Seiryoji) (像内納入品一切) is the Northern Song objects placed inside the principal image, a standing Shaka, owned by Seiryoji in Saga, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1955 were designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the standing Shaka itself, made by Zhang Yanjiao and Zhang Yanxi and brought back by Chonen, as designated a National Treasure on the same day.

According to the Kyoto City Tourism Association, the monk Chonen had the Shaka image copied in Song China in 985 and brought it to Japan; inside were silk models of the five organs and six viscera placed there when the copy was made.

The Statue

According to the tourism association, the Shaka is the principal image, 162 centimetres high, known as the Shaka of Saga.

Because of the organ-shaped objects inside, it is called a living Buddha.

What to Look For

The association explains that Seiryoji, known as the Shaka hall of Saga, began when Chonen's disciple Josan enshrined at Seikaji the Shaka his master had brought from Song China.

Notice that the objects placed inside when the copy was made in China have come down together with the statue.

Visiting the Objects Placed inside the Statue (of the Shaka at Seiryoji)

The tourism association notes that the Shaka is shown on the 8th of each month (from 11:00 a.m.) and in spring (April and May) and autumn (October and November).

Check with Seiryoji for display of the objects themselves.