Japanese Boxed Zhushi Shrine with Standing Buddha

Gilded doors swing open on a standing Buddha, haloed and composed.

This boxed zhushi shrine with standing Buddha is from Japan, Edo period (1603 – 1867 CE), in wood and bronze. Portable cylindrical shrines of this kind, generally called zushi in Japan, let a devotee carry or keep a sacred image close and close it away when not in use. A black lacquered dome tops the case, and the inner walls and both doors are covered in worn gold leaf. Inside, a slender standing figure with hands lowered rests on a lotus and rock pedestal. A ring-shaped halo with a seed syllable floats behind the head. It is 1.75 inches wide, 1 deep and 3.75 high.

A whole temple, built to fit in a pocket.