Fukukensaku Kannon (Skt: Amoghapasa)
Fukukensaku (also known as Fukukenjaku) is one of the many manifestations of Kannon. This depiction of Fukukensaku is extremely rare. It is the only sculpture of the deity with eleven faces. Historians believe that centuries ago, priests at Kanzeonji Temple planned to install a Juichimen Kannon figure as the temple’s principal image. For reasons unknown, this plan did not come to fruition. However, the eleven heads destined for that figure were repurposed to adorn the Fukukensaku Kannon.
The Fukukensaku Kannon wields a sword and carries a coil of rope used to catch stray souls and guide them toward salvation. The other implements are a staff (or scepter); a lotus flower; and a ceremonial fly whisk (hossu).
The temple’s original image of Fukukensaku was sculpted from clay and was produced in the mid-Nara period (710–94). That statue toppled over and shattered during a fall in 1221. The wooden image seen here was made the following year, and a fragment of clay from the original statue was placed inside. It is 517 centimeters high, and the statue’s powerful appearance and strong countenance are typical of the period.