Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-headed Kannon) (1959.72)
Devotion to the Bodhisattva of Compassion with eleven heads was especially popular among Japanese Buddhists of the 9th and early 10th century CE. Atop the deity’s head perch eleven miniature heads. Look closely to see that three heads show bodhisattvas (enlightened beings), three heads have tusks, three heads display righteous anger, and a single head at the back is laughing. A Buddha head sits at the pinnacle and a small, standing image of Amida Buddha attaches to the center of the main head’s crown. Inside the hollowed-out, wooden sculpture, documents and treasures were found, offering insight into its creation and its role in miracles attributed to the bodhisattva. Kannon is a bodhisattva associated with protection who is capable of manifesting in thirty-five forms to aid humanity.
Edited by Erica Belden, College of the Holy Cross, Class of 2026
