A VERY LARGE GILT AND LACQUERED ANNAMI SCHOOL WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAIJapan, the figure 15th-16th century, the lacquer Edo period (1615-1868)Finely carved standing on a lotus dais surrounded by individually carved petals raised on a leafy section supported by a shishi seated in a recumbent pose over lotus lappets on a red-lacquered base. His hands are held in raigo-in (vitarka mudra), used to receive the souls of the deceased as Amida descends from heaven, with the right hand raised and left hand lowered. He is wearing loose-fitting robes with neatly carved folds and decorated with swirling clouds and geometric designs. His serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, gently arched brows, a glass-inlaid byakugo (urna), and full red lips, with thinly painted brows and mustache. His hair is arranged in tight curls over the high ushnisha with a rose-colored stone nikkeishu (jewel of wisdom).HEIGHT 98 cm (the figure) and 139.5 cm (total)Condition: Good condition with minor wear, little flaking and few small losses to lacquer, minor age cracks, minor old repairs with associated touchups. Provenance: From the private collection of a gentleman in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. The back with an old label reading: "Amida Buddha - "Annami School" Ashikaga Period - 1393-1573 Decorated circa 1675 (Tokugawa) Agent claims this image long known to him at Horyuji (??)"This particular style of Amida Nyorai sculpture is called Annamiyō (Annami-style), a name which is derived from An-amidabutsu, a Buddhist title given to Kaikei (act. c. 1183-1223). Often compared with another Kei-School great master Unkei (d. 1224), Kaikei was one of the most important Buddhist sculptors in Japanese art history, active in the late-Heian to Kamakura periods. Kaikei’s works are generally known to be graceful, while keeping the reality of the figure. With the rise of the Jōdo (Pure Land) Buddhism sect, Kaikei, as a devout believer, produced a number of San-jaku Amida (standing Amida figures of approx. 80cm to 1m high) with raigōin, a mudra welcoming believers into the Great Western Paradise, throughout his career. Their beautifully proportioned faces are gentle and intellectual, bodies are moderately fleshy and the pictorial robes drape delicately. In his later works, the drapery becomes more complicated, making the figures even more graceful. Widely favoured as the ideal embodiment of Amida Nyorai in Japan, Kaikei’s style was carried on and developed by his followers and later generations. Most standing Amida figures produced during and after the time of Kaikei are said to be more or less influenced by his style.