Wooden Seated Bodhisattva Statue (City Designated Important Tangible Cultural Property)

The details of the founding of Denpuku-ji Temple are not known, but the name of Nakajima Denpuku-ji Temple appears in the ancient records of 1619 (Genna 5) in the Chishinshu, and considering its location, it is thought that it was moved to Hiroshima when Mori Terumoto built Hiroshima Castle. The temple was later moved to its current location when the Nakajima area, the hypocenter of the atomic bomb in 1945, was developed into a peace memorial park during the postwar reconstruction. The name of the wooden seated bodhisattva statue in the temple's possession cannot be determined, but the figure of the statue with a jeweled crown on its head and an unopened lotus flower in its left hand is a typical figure of bodhisattva, which is generally based on the figure of an aristocratic class in ancient India and which, unlike the Tathagata, often wears possessions and flashy accessories. In addition, a scroll is attached to the back of the statue's knee, and the following is written in ink on it: Kausai/Miyosenchiyomeu/Monjuyu Keicho 19th year/February 21st Nishiun Considering the word "Monjuyu" in this inscription and the lotus flower in the left hand, this Buddha statue can be thought of as Manjusri Bodhisattva. This Buddha statue is small, about 26cm tall, but it is valuable because the name of the person and the date of its creation are clear, and it is a valuable piece for learning about the techniques used in the carving of Buddha statues.