"Kannon Ishigami" refers to a sculpture of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, in which a stone figure (ishi for stone) is naturally enveloped or em- bedded within a tree root (gami or kami for god, likely referring to the natural form). These naturalistic sculptures, often made in the Edo period, were popular among the literati (bunjin) for their rustic, organic aesthetic, which reflected the concept of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese philosophy and aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness, valuing the natural cycles of growth and decay over traditional notions of perfection and symmetry. It involves appreciating modest, weathered, or aged items, such as a cracked teacup or a moss-covered stone.

Kannon Ishigami
stone embedded in a boxwood root
19th century
Japan
Edo period

#kannonishigami #sculpture #wabisabi #japan #edoperiod #19thcentury #kwanyin #quanyin #avalokitesvara #gwaneum #quanam #kwanim #chenrezig #tara #bluetara #greentara #buddhism #buddhistsculpture #buddha #bodhisattva

"Kannon Ishigami" refers to a sculpture of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, in which a stone figure (ishi for stone) is naturally enveloped or em- bedded within a tree root (gami or kami for god, likely referring to the natural form). These naturalistic sculptures, often made in the Edo period, were popular among the literati (bunjin) for their rustic, organic aesthetic, which reflected the concept of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese philosophy and aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness, valuing the natural cycles of growth and decay over traditional notions of perfection and symmetry. It involves appreciating modest, weathered, or aged items, such as a cracked teacup or a moss-covered rock, to find a simple, profound beauty in the transient and flawed nature of life and objects.

Kannon Ishigami
stone embedded in a boxwood root
19th century
Japan
Edo period

#kannonishigami #sculpture #wabisabi #japan #edoperiod #19thcentury #kwanyin #quanyin #avalokitesvara #gwaneum #quanam #kwanim #chenrezig #tara #bluetara #greentara #buddhism #buddhistsculpture #buddha #bodhisattva

2/2
Then she offers her compassionate hand to provide exactly what that person needs for relief.

#KwanYin #Guanyin #Guanshiyin #KwanIm #QuanYin

1/2 The eyes on the hands means she’s open to a thousand viewpoints so she can identify—and identify with—the specific individual whose cries she hears. She’s able to see things exactly the way the suffering individual does.

#KwanYin #Guanyin #Guanshiyin #KwanIm #QuanYin