Yakushi Nyorai

Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来), the Medicine Buddha, presides over the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli and vowed to heal the sicknesses of body and mind. He was one of the first buddhas to be widely worshipped in Japan, when emperors and empresses built temples to him in hope of recovery, and his healing vow has kept him close to ordinary people ever since.

Japanese 薬師如来, Yakushi Nyorai; also Yakushi Rurikō Nyorai
Sanskrit Bhaiṣajyaguru
Rank Nyorai
Recognise by A small medicine jar held in the left hand
Attendants Nikkō, bodhisattva of sunlight, and Gakkō, bodhisattva of moonlight
Guardians The Twelve Generals
Sacred day The 8th of each month

Identifying Yakushi

Yakushi is a buddha in a plain robe whose left hand holds a lidded medicine jar, yakko, while the right hand is raised in reassurance. This jar is the clearest attribute of any buddha, but beware: the earliest Japanese Yakushi images, before the eighth century, often had no jar at all, and on later figures the jar may be lost or replaced. Without it, Yakushi can be mistaken for Shaka.

His court

In a full Yakushi hall the buddha is flanked by Nikkō and Gakkō, the bodhisattvas of the sun and the moon, and guarded by the Twelve Heavenly Generals, who later became linked with the twelve animals of the zodiac. Some temples also enshrine seven Yakushi together, after a sutra that describes seven healing buddhas.

Yakushi in Japanese art

  • Yakushiji, Nara. The great bronze Yakushi triad, a masterpiece of Nara period casting, with attendants swaying in graceful counterpoise.
  • Shin-Yakushiji, Nara. A circle of clay Twelve Generals of the eighth century surrounds the seated Yakushi.
  • Jingoji, Kyoto. A standing Yakushi carved from a single block in the early Heian period, solemn and heavy, a key work of the age.

Collecting notes

  • Yakushi figures are rarer on the market than Amida or Kannon, and an intact medicine jar matters to value.
  • Small figures of the Twelve Generals, sold singly or in sets, are collected for their vigour and their zodiac animal headdresses.
  • Healing votive pieces and temple prints of Yakushi form a modest but rewarding field.

In the collection

Search the collection for Yakushi Nyorai or browse Buddhist Statues and Sacred Art. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a Yakushi figure or a set of the Twelve Generals.

See also

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