Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)

Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jūichimen Kannon (“Eleven-headed Kannon”), is an important bodhisattva in the Esoteric schools of Buddhism. Atop the deity’s own head are eleven additional heads. Ten of these take the form of bodhisattvas and represent the ten stages toward enlightenment. The topmost head is that of Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha), the Buddha from whom Kannon emanates. The fluid, deeply carved drapery follows a thirteenth-century sculptural style developed in Nara by the Kei school of Buddhist sculptors. However, the more decorative treatment of the robe and the heavy, solemn face suggest a fourteenth-century date for this imposing figure. It was originally installed at Kuhonji, a small Shingon school temple located northwest of Kyoto.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)Jūichimen Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion with Eleven Heads (Avalokiteshvara)

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.