Seishi Bosatsu

Seishi (勢至) is the bodhisattva of great strength and wisdom, whose light awakens beings so that they turn towards the Pure Land. She is almost always seen as the attendant of Amida, opposite Kannon, and rarely alone.

Japanese 勢至菩薩, Seishi Bosatsu; Daiseishi
Sanskrit Mahāsthāmaprāpta
Rank Bodhisattva
Recognise by A water flask in the front of the crown; hands joined in prayer
Often with Amida and Kannon
Memorial rite The first anniversary, in the Thirteen Buddhas

Telling Seishi from Kannon

In an Amida triad the two attendants can look almost identical, so look at the crown and the hands. Kannon has a tiny seated buddha in the crown and holds a lotus pedestal. Seishi has a small water flask, hōbyō, in the crown and joins her hands in prayer, gasshō. In Japanese triads Kannon usually stands on Amida's left, to the viewer's right, and Seishi on Amida's right.

The kneeling attendants

In images of Amida's welcome, raigō, Seishi and Kannon lean forward from a kneeling position, ready to rise and carry the soul away. The Amida triad of Sanzen-in in Ohara, Kyoto, from the twelfth century, shows the attendants in this tender, forward-leaning pose.

Seishi and Hōnen

Hōnen, founder of the Jōdo school, was regarded by his followers as an incarnation of Seishi, whose wisdom showed people the way to rebirth through Amida. See Hōnen and Shinran.

Collecting notes

  • Single Seishi figures are usually from a dispersed triad. A triad that has stayed together is worth a premium.
  • The flask in the crown is tiny and easily lost, which can make Seishi impossible to tell from Kannon.

In the collection

Browse Seishi figures and Amida triads. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a complete triad.

See also

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