2-740-569 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Shotoku Taishi at Age Two, early 1300s. This sculpture depicts Shotoku Taishi (about 574-622), prince regent of Japan, in a pose indicating a particular episode from legends about his life. Shotoku is widely recognized as a major force in the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, and a robust religious cult devoted to the prince had developed by the late 13th century. This idealized portrait commemorates the moment when the precocious prince, aged two, faced east, placed his palms together in a gesture known as gassho , and intoned the name of the Buddha, all without having been taught the practice. The incident foreshadowed his future role as a champion of Buddhism.