Jūichimen Kannon

Jūichimen Kannon (十一面観音), the Eleven-headed Kannon, looks in every direction so that no suffering goes unseen. It was one of the first esoteric forms to reach Japan and was honoured from the Nara period onwards, when rites of repentance before Jūichimen were held for the protection of the state.

Japanese 十一面観音, Jūichimen Kannon
Sanskrit Ekādaśamukha
Rank Bodhisattva
Recognise by Small heads arranged on the crown; a water flask with a lotus in the left hand
Realm Ashura, among the Six Kannon

Reading the eleven faces

The main face is joined by ten smaller heads on the crown, with a buddha face at the summit. Three faces at the front are calm and compassionate; three on the left are angry, to rebuke wrongdoing; three on the right bare their fangs in encouragement; one at the back laughs, scattering evil with laughter. Counting conventions vary, so some images show the main face as the eleventh and others add it as a twelfth.

The Hase style

At Hasedera in Nara the great standing Jūichimen holds a monk's staff, shakujō, in the right hand as well as the flask in the left. Images in this manner, common at temples affiliated with Hasedera, are called Hase-style Kannon.

Jūichimen in Japanese art

  • Kōgenji, Shiga. A ninth-century standing figure of extraordinary refinement, protected for centuries by local villagers.
  • Tōdaiji Nigatsudō. The hidden Jūichimen of the Second Month Hall is the focus of the Shuni-e, the rite of repentance held each spring since the eighth century.
  • Dōmyōji, Osaka. A small, dense figure of the early Heian period carved from fragrant wood.

Collecting notes

  • The small heads are fixed separately and frequently lost. A complete crown is a strong point in a figure's favour.
  • Fragrant-wood figures, danzō, of Jūichimen are prized for their compact carving.

In the collection

Browse Kannon figures, including eleven-headed forms. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a particular figure.

See also

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