Reliquary in the Shape of Flaming Jewel on a Lion

Gilt bronze; lion: wood with pigments
Total H 26.6, H of lion 14.8
Nanbokuchō period　
14th century

Reliquaries are made in the form of wish-fulfilling jewels (Skt. cintāmaṇi; J. hōju) because these precious sacred gems and the bodily relics of the historical Buddha Shaka (Skt. Śākyamuni) are believed to be equivalent in Japanese Buddhism. The relic enshrined upon this lion mount may represent the bodhisattva Monju (Skt. Mañjuśrī), who rides a lion. Monju is the “original form” (honji) of the Wakamiya deity, and so this reliquary is thought to be associated with Kasuga Wakamiya Shrine.

NAITO SakaeEnglish by Mary Lewine
Buddhist Art Paradise: Jewels of the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2021.7, p.341, no.112.

Accession Number	1308-0
Category	Decorative Arts
Bibliography	Buddhist Art Paradise: Jewels of the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2021.7, 354p.Splendors of court devotion : shrine treasures from Wakamiya and Kasuga Taisha in Nara : special exhibition : celebrating the cyclical rebuilding of Wakamiya Shrine.Nara National Museum, 2014.12, 80p.On-Matsuri and the Sacred Art of Kasuga : Feature Exhibition. Nara National Museum, 2013, 96p. (Japanese)On-Matsuri and the sacred art of Kasuga. Nara National Museum, 2008, 75, ivp. (Japanese)Ultimate sanctuaries: the aesthetics of Buddhist relic worship. Nara National Museum, 2001, 263p. (Japanese)