The elegant camphor-wood statue of the bodhisattva at Chuguji (574–622), was painted with a white pigment called gofun, made from heating and crushing the shells of clams and oysters, but the coloring has since faded away. Its ebony hue comes from centuries of exposure to smoke from incense, candles and lanterns. The figure is a depiction of Nyoirin Kannon, one of six traditional forms of Kannon.
country: Nippon
year: 1967
Yvert: 877
