Relic grains (shari)

These minute grains are known as shari; they are among the most important objects placed inside the sculpture. Shari are relics of the body of the historical Buddha Śākyamuni, whose mortal remains multiplied after his death so they could be distributed to followers. In medieval Japan, concern over the growing length of time separating followers from the Buddha’s life on this earth in faraway India contributed to intense interest in Buddha relics, especially among nuns, to whom many relics miraculously appeared. To have custody of even one or two such grains was remarkable. The accumulation of so many grains speaks to the high status of those who commissioned the sculpture that contained them, and raises the question of whether the sculpture was in fact a reliquary.