Shotoku At Two Years Essay

Shotoku at Two Years, made in the late 13th century, is a wooden sculpture depicting Shotoku Taishi, a famous historical and political figure in Japanese culture, as a young child praying. The piece is made of wood, crystal and pigments. This work is 53 cm high, 20 cm wide. This figure is about the size of a small toddler. Despite its small size, It is overwhelming in the sense that it depicts a future ruler as an innocent child. The piece of work appears to be delicate in both subject matter as well as its composition. Given the size of the work and the fact that it is a freestanding form, the viewer can easily inspect all aspects of it. Because of its delicate nature and depiction an important figure in Japanese history, the purpose of this …show more content…
As Pye explains, “Shotoku Taishi himself became the focus of a cult which carried forward this syncretistic pattern down to the present. Since he has been regarded widely as a national symbol, a personality who both received Chinese teachings and stood up as a Japanese figurehead, he has been claimed by various parties in the arguments over the very nature of Japanese identity” (Pye). As such, artwork has been dedicated to him. Many pieces dedicated to him typically focus on the religious aspect of who he was. This is undoubtedly shown in Shotoku at Two Years. This sculpture depicts Prince Shotoku as a toddler on his knees and praying. When viewing this piece, it is quite clear that it is sacred. Because Shotoku is depicted as a young child praying, it can be understood that his followers saw him as a wise ruler even at a young age. This sculpture shares some similarities with the statuary of the Virgin & Child. The Virgin & Child is a 14th century Christian statue of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ depicted as an infant. Both sculptures are similar because they depict
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