Prince Shōtoku at Age Two (Shōtoku Taishi Nisaizō)

Just over 700 years ago, a single piece of hard cypress wood was transformed by the hands of a master sculptor into the soft skin of a small child. With his large head, round belly, and tiny dimpled hands, Prince Shōtoku is immediately recognizable here as an infant. The intimacy of these familiar features invites us to draw closer, into a remarkable encounter with his eyes. Two reflective rock crystal lenses set within delicate lids animate his face, as if he were a living child. The infant prince, who appears to look simultaneously inward and outward, at something beyond our mundane vision, is both an appealing child and a transcendent Buddhist icon. It is in part the seamless melding of these identities that has made him the focus of the spiritual communities that have gathered around him over many generations. At age two (one by the Western count), the prince amazed his parents by facing east, taking several steps forward, placing his hands together, and praising the Buddha. A relic—the left eyeball of the Buddha—then appeared between his palms. The sculptor captured the narrative by carving Shōtoku’s left knee slightly ahead of his right, creating a sense of movement. X-ray imaging has also revealed the “relic”—a dried lotus seed—between his hands. Offertory incense and candle smoke have darkened his skin, but traces of his original bright white complexion can be seen just above the waistband of his long red hakama trousers. His hair would originally have been the same deep blue-green conventionally used for the depiction of Buddhas.