Tatsuno City
Three Copper Images of the Amitabha and Saints


Tangible Important Cultural Property Designated by the Hyogo Prefectural Government
Kamakura Period

In Fuon-ji Temple, there is a copper statue set of three images. An image of the Amitabha stands with two images of saints called "Kannon" and "Seishi"standing on either side. They are believed to have been copied from the main images of the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano Prefecture. The Amitabha has a right hand with five straight fingers and palm facing front, which means that the Buddha rids people of fear and gives peace, and a lowered left hand with the second and third fingers straight and the rest bent. The Kannon and the Seishi each have one hand placed on the other hand, palms facing, as if they are rubbing treasure balls. This type of Amitabha image characteristically has a number of spiral marks on its clothing.
The Kannon and the Seishi images are wearing sacred crowns without figures of the Buddha, and they are not holding vases, which is unusual for this type of image. There are more than one hundred images which are similar to the Amitabha image in Zenkoji Temple, and all of them were made after the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). These images of the Amitabha and two saints in the Fuon-ji Temple were made at the end of the Kamakura Period.
Height of images:
The Amidabha image: 48.5cm
The Kannon image: 34.3cm
The Seishi image: 34.3cm

Source: The Tatsuno municipal government

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