Amida Nyorai

Japonista Dictionary › Buddhas

Amida Nyorai (阿弥陀如来) is the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life, who vowed to bring all who call his name to rebirth in his Western Pure Land. From the eleventh century onwards, devotion to Amida swept through every level of Japanese society, and he became the most widely represented buddha in the country, from great temple halls to the household altar.

Identifying Amida

Amida's hands almost always form circles of thumb and finger. Seated, he holds the meditation gesture of the Pure Land, jōin, with both hands in the lap. Standing, he makes the gesture of welcome, raigō-in, the right hand raised and the left lowered as he descends to meet the faithful. Medieval texts describe nine variations of these hands, one for each of the nine grades of rebirth, kuhon.

The Amida triad

In a triad, Amida stands between Kannon, who carries a lotus pedestal to receive the soul of the dying, and Seishi, whose hands are joined in prayer. Kannon carries a small seated buddha in the crown, Seishi a water flask. Together they appear in paintings of raigō, Amida's descent, and in gilt triads in shrine cabinets.

Amida in Japanese art

• Byōdōin, Uji. The seated Amida of the Phoenix Hall, made by the sculptor Jōchō in 1053 using the joined-block technique, set the model of gentle grace that sculptors followed for centuries.
• The Great Buddha of Kamakura. A bronze Amida of the thirteenth century, more than eleven metres tall, seated in the open since its hall was lost.
• Mikaeri Amida. At Eikandō in Kyoto, an Amida turns to look back over his shoulder, a rare and much-loved form.

Amida at home

For the Jōdo and Jōdo Shinshū schools, a standing Amida, sculpted or painted, is the principal image of the household butsudan. Shinshū altars often use a painted scroll or a gilt standing figure with a boat-shaped halo of rays. See Pure Land Buddhism.

Collecting notes

• Edo period gilt-wood Amida figures are among the most available Japanese Buddhist sculptures, and quality varies widely. Look at the carving of the face and hands before the gilding.
• Inlaid crystal eyes, gyokugan, suggest a workshop of some standing.
• Complete triads in their original zushi are scarcer than single figures and command a premium.

In the collection

Browse Amida Nyorai figures, Amida triads and Pure Land art. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a particular image.

See also

• Hōnen and Shinran
• The Thirteen Buddhas
• Reading gilt surfaces on Japanese statues