Japanese Zushi Shrine with Seated Nichiren Figure

The doors open on gold, and on a monk reading quietly inside.

This zushi shrine with a seated Nichiren figure comes from Japan, Taisho Period (1912 – 1926 CE), in gilt and polychrome wood. Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the 13th century whose followers revere him as the founder of their school, and a zushi lets the devout keep a sacred image close at home. He sits cross-legged in pale robes on a gilded dais, holding an open text. Gold fills the interior and both doors, and a dark curved roof caps the cabinet. Nine inches high.

He has not looked up from the page. Nor does he need to.