Standing Sho-kannon Bosatsu

A statue of Sho-kannon placed in the Kannon Hall in front of the North Gate near Nagahama Hachimangu (in Miyamaecho, Nagahama City). The statue was carved from a single piece of Japanese cypress wood and is characterized by its calm expression and honpashiki emon (a manner of representing drapery folds in Buddhist sculpture, in which high rounded curves regularly alternate with low ridged curves) below its knees. There is writing in vermilion lacquer on the back of the statue, showing us that it was passed down to the branch temple, Myokakuin of Shinhojoji Temple, which was a Jinguji Temple of Nagahama Hachimangu.