Japanese deity identification?

[Nantonos]

Wandering around Japan gives one a real sense of empathy for people who can't read ... so okay, I can't read Japanese and thus, despite this statue having a clear description, I don't know who it is. Can anyone help?

Further details - it was in the grounds of the Engakuji buddhist temple at Kamakura (http://www.mysticwicks.com/photoalbum/thumbnails.php?album=876), Japan.

[KEishin]

Alas, my reading of Kanji (the characters adopted from China) is not as good as it used to be. I can make out a word here and there, but not translate it fully.

The statue itself looks like Shaka Nyorai Buddha; Shaka is a Japanese transliteration of the name Siddartha. It's the mudras of the hands and the standing on the lotus flower that make me think that is the identity. But the bottle in the right hand make me wonder - usually the Buddhist statues have empty hands. This pic looks like it's holding a bottle of sake . . .

Hope this helps.

[Nantonos]

Alas, my reading of Kanji (the characters adopted from China) is not as good as it used to be. I can make out a word here and there, but not translate it fully.
What do the parts you recognise say?

The statue itself looks like Shaka Nyorai Buddha; Shaka is a Japanese transliteration of the name Siddartha. It's the mudras of the hands and the standing on the lotus flower that make me think that is the identity. But the bottle in the right hand make me wonder - usually the Buddhist statues have empty hands. This pic looks like it's holding a bottle of sake . . .

Hope this helps.

It does, thank you. I felt so ... illiterate ... in Japan - clear labels next to things, which I could not read.

Some statues were standing on lotus and some were standing on chrysanthemum, apparently. Some were holding objects like wands or rods.

[Nantonos]

I see that there is something written on the pillar under the statue, as well. I don't know if it helps, though.

[Nantonos]

And here is the whole statue in context, rather than zoomed in parts of it. Note the bunch of flowers as an offering (some statues had lots of bunches of flowers).

[KEishin]

Don't worry - in Japan you're either 'gaijin' (a foreigner) or a native. You'll always be made to feel stupid as a gaijin. (Maybe a few of the other Japanese and Japanese freaks on this board'll pop over . . . paging KiNoRonin . . . :chattin: )

Part of what makes Japanese so hard to translate is that there are up to six different pronunciations for the same character. I'll do my best, but I guarantee nothing! I'm not native to Japan.

Hmm, I'm having trouble seeing the kanji in this photo - I can't make out the first kanji in the list. The second is the verb 'see' - it could be farseeing, or spiritual enlightenment in context. For the third word, the first group looks kind of like the word for south (but I'm not certain about it), while the second is defintely the word for nine (kokonotsu). I'm at a loss for the rest - my eyes aren't that good.

I asked around, and this could also be a statue of one of the Kan'non (Goddess of Mercy), since its located in the garden.

Sorry I'm not more help!

[Nantonos]

Hmm, I'm having trouble seeing the kanji in this photo - I can't make out the first kanji in the list. The second is the verb 'see' - it could be farseeing, or spiritual enlightenment in context. For the third word, the first group looks kind of like the word for south (but I'm not certain about it), while the second is defintely the word for nine (kokonotsu). I'm at a loss for the rest - my eyes aren't that good.

I hadn't even seen the writing on the pillar until I went to photoshop the image. So no worries there.

I asked around, and this could also be a statue of one of the Kan'non (Goddess of Mercy), since its located in the garden.

Sorry I'm not more help!

You have been lots of help. It could be Kan'non, at the same site there was a collection of "100 Kan'non". See:

http://www.mysticwicks.com/photoalbum/thumbnails.php?album=876