L'image du bodhisattva Seishi du Kondō du Hōryūji retrouvée au musée Guimet. Le dossier documentaire [Le dossier documentaire

Abstract

It is almost certain by now, that the bronze statue of Bodhisattva Seishi (Mahasthamaprapta) discovered in 1989 at the storeroom of the musée Guimet, is in fact a work of Kosho, the fourth son of Unkei, who started it in 1231 at the same time as the two other elements of the Amida's Triad assigned to the West-Altar in the Kondo of Horyuji. Placed on the right of the principal Altar which ornaments the famous Shaka's Triad, executed in 623 by master Tori, and symmetrical of the one at the East, where the statue of Buddha Yakushi is placed dated at the time following the great conflagration of 670, this West-Altar was built during the proceedings of reconstruction at the end of the VIIth century. In spite of the engraved text, behind it's principal personnage's aureole, leading to believe, that the Amida's Triad was raised in the place of another, former one, stolen at the end of the XIth century — or, by the terms of a traditional variation as soon as the Xth century — , it seems that the West-Altar had to wait 1232 to receive the group of images corresponding to its original intention. So far, the Altar has been adorned with different kind of statuettes. When the Horyuji decided to charge Kosho with the execution of the original Amida's Triad, the artist did not fail to put forth a mark of potent expression as well as his remarkable realistic manner, but as it had to be in harmony with the former existing sculpture of the Kondo, he was constrained to work in an archaistic manner. Under the double influence of the development of Amidist's faiths and a certain reversal to the origin of Japanese Buddhism, the Prince Shotoku, considered formerly as the incarnation of the great compassionate Kannon, knew then a renewal of popularity. The origin of the inspiration placing the Amida's Triad in the Kondo has probably to be searched among a Religious like Kenshin, well-known compiler of an important mass of information about the prince's life accomplished in 1238 (Shotoku-taishi den shiki), an the instigator of a mandala centred on the Prince himself (Shoko-mandara). All things considered, the most fundamental place is granted to this Triad in the beliefs, expressed by the religious dispositif of the Kondo both in the Shotoku-taishi den shiki and in the mandala in question: stating her name, the mother of the Prince, widow of the Emperor Yomei (the Horyuji, it has to be recalled, has been built initially for his recovery) is nominated as a "descended trace" of Amida; the Prince, himself, like one of Kannon and his wife the Lady Takahashi, alias Kashiwade, like one of Seishi. This is the conception having apparently presided over the source of the statue, Emile Guimet acquired later. He bought it as a Chinese work suspecting nothing about the Holy and glorious origin. The circumstances of this object's disappearance from the Monastery has still not been resoluted in the present state of knowledge. This article is the presentation of the texts relating to this question.