Japanese Zhushi Shrine with Seated Buddha on Lotus Base with Cloud Mandorla

The doors open. Devotion, here, was made to travel.

This zhushi shrine with a seated Buddha on a lotus base and cloud mandorla comes from Japan and dates to the Edo period (1603 – 1867). It is polychrome wood with bronze fittings. Small portable shrines let Japanese Buddhists keep a sacred image at home or carry it on a journey, closing it away when not in use. Two gilded doors part to show a crowned figure, one hand raised, against a halo of golden scrolling clouds. A tiered pedestal lifts the figure. It stands 10.75 inches high.

Closed, it is a small dark case. That was also the idea.