Abstract
＜Research Note＞
The Dainichidō Hall in Isumiyamada, Chiba Prefecture, houses an iron Buddhist head, the head of a bodhisattva-shaped statue. It is a large work with a total height of 113.0 cm, but it lacks a body, and the detailed background of its creation is almost unknown. Based on the structure of the Dainichido head, if the body part was intended to be produced, it seems likely that it was a seated statue, considering its size and weight, but there is no neckmortise part, and the method of joining them is questionable.Although the casting prototype is not known, the neat facial features suggest that a Buddhist priest was involved in the prototype production. It is believed that the Kazusa foundry was responsible for casting the head of the Buddha. The head of the Buddha was worshipped as a statue of Dainichi Nyorai in the late Edo period, but there is no proof that it was created as a statue of Dainichi Nyorai from the beginning. The face of the Buddha head is recognizable on Bodhisattva statues produced under the strong influence of art from the Song and Yuan dynasties of China. The hair on the head of the Dainichidō head of Buddha shares characteristics with the hair on bodhisattva statues imported to Japan from the Southern Song dynasty (960-1279). In this report, we have examined the author and the name of the head based on the style and structure of the Dainichido head, but we were unable to reach a clear conclusion. Research will be continued.
