koukyakuzou　交脚像

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

A Buddhist image seated on a throne or pedestal having pendant legs that are crossed at the ankles to form an "X". Similar images which are seated, with uncrossed legs hanging straight down are simply referred to as *izou 椅像, which also applies to an image seated on a chair. Early examples of koukykuzou can be found on bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩 images from Gandhara, India, for example the CE 2-3c Maitreya *Miroku 弥勒 excavated at Peshawar and now in the Tokyo National Museum. By the 5c, the position had come to be used in China, and there are examples in the Yungang (Jp: Unkou 雲岡) and Longmen (Jp: Ryuumon 竜門) caves. Although there are many cross-legged bodhisattva sculptures from the Northern Wei dynasty which have inscriptions identifying them as Maitreya, other extant images have attached miniature Buddha images *kebutsu 化仏, that symbolize Avalokitesvara *Kannon 観音. Buddha or Tathagata images *nyorai 如来 have also been found in this position. Although small gilt bronze images with crossed legs were popular especially before the Tang dynasty in China, the koukyakuzou is not known to have been used in Japan.

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