In Esoteric Buddhism, the entire universe emanates from Dainichi, the Supreme Buddha of the Cosmos. Appearing here in a form known as Ichiji Kinrin, or “One-Syllable Golden Wheel,” one of the Five Supreme Buddha Attendants. Dainichi’s gesture— the left index finger surrounded by the fingers of the right hand—is the “wisdom fist” mudra. This powerful pose expresses the union of the spiritual and material realms and is thought to restrain passions that hinder enlightenment.
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#8825. Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana)
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Playlist
8825. Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana)
123. The Director's Tour, Second Floor: Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana), Part 1
5872. The Director's Tour, Second Floor: Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana), Part 2
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Artwork Details
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大日如来坐像
Title:Dainichi, the Cosmic Buddha (Mahavairocana)
Period:Heian period (794–1185)
Date:12th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:Wood with lacquer and gold leaf
Dimensions:Figure: H. 36 3/8 in. (92.4 cm); W. 27 1/2 in. (69.9 cm); D. 19 5/8 in. (49.8 cm) Figure with base: H. 63 3/4 in. (161.9 cm); W. 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm); D. 39 1/8 in. (99.4 cm) Figure with base and halo: H. 86 in. (218.4 cm)
Classification:Sculpture
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1926
Object Number:26.118a, b
[ Morita Seitaro , Nara, until 1926; sold to MMA through Yamanaka & Co., Kyoto]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Resonant Image: Tradition in Japanese Art (Part Two)," April 27–September 27, 1998.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Japan," 1998.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Birds, Flowers, and Buddhist Paradise Imagery in Japanese Art," February 14–June 13, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Autumn and Winter," June 22–September 10, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "No Ordinary Mortals: The Human Figure in Japanese Art," 2007–2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Ukiyo-e Artists' Responses to Romantic Legends of Two Brothers: Narihira and Yukihira," March 27–June 8, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Animals, Birds, Insects, and Marine Life in Japanese Art," June 26–November 30, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Poetry and Travel in Japanese Art," December 18, 2008–May 31, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japanese Mandalas: Emanations and Avatars," June 18–November 30, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Landscapes in Japanese Art," June 24–November 7, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Beautiful Country: Yamato-e in Japanese Art," November 20, 2010–June 5, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Japan Galleries," February 2–July 28, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Discovering Japanese Art: American Collectors and the Met," February 14 - September 27, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Celebrating the Arts of Japan: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," October 20, 2015–May 14, 2017.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated," March 5–June 16, 2019.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Kyoto: Capital of Artistic Imagination," July 24, 2019–January 31, 2021.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japan: A History of Style," March 8, 2021–April 24, 2022.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art," April 8, 2023–July 14, 2024.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Three Perfections: Japanese Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting from the Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection," August 10, 2024–August 3, 2025.
Tokyo Kokuritsu Bunkazai Kenkyūjo 東京国立文化財研究所, ed. Nyūyōku Metoroporitan Bijutsukan, kaiga, chōkoku ニューヨークメトロポリタン美術館，絵画・彫刻 (Painting and sculpture of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Kaigai shozai Nihon bijutsuhin chōsa hōkoku 海外所在日本美術品調查報告 (Catalogue of Japanese art in foreign collections) 1. Tokyo: Kobunkazai Kagaku Kenkyūkai, 1991, p. 139, cat. no. 430.
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