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Statue of Shotoku Taishi
Shotoku Taishi (574–622), the son of Emperor Yomei, played a central role in the acceptance and establishment of Buddhism after it was brought to Japan from the Asian continent in the mid-sixth century.
This 84.2-centimeter-tall statue of a seated Shotoku Taishi in court-style dress and holding a scepter was carved in 1121. The statue depicts the prince between the ages of 35 and 46, when he preached a sermon about the Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala Sutra to Empress Suiko (554–628).