Kannon-sama

A piece depicting the Ofuna Kannon located in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Ofuna Kannon is a huge statue of the Byakue (white-robed) Kannon, standing at 25 meters tall, and is affectionately known as Kannon-sama. The background of this piece is made using walnut, the body of Kannon-sama using two whitewoods – kobushi magnolia and ilex macropoda holly, the lips of Kannon-sama using Japanese cherry, and the urna using Japanese nutmeg. The urna refers to the circular dot on Kannon-sama’s forehead, said to be a whorl of white hair 4.5 m in length. The urna is also said to give off a light that gives love and compassion to all living beings. The Japanese cherry wood used to create the lips will also darken in color over time, making it seem as though Kannon-sama is wearing rouge.