Small Figure of the Bodhisattva Sho Kannon (Avalokiteshvara)

These small wood figures of Kannon, as Avalokiteshvara is known in Japan, are from a large group of standing images of the Bodhisattva that once belonged to a temple in Nara. Large displays of “One Thousand Kannons,” each with subtly different gestures, as seen in these two figures, celebrate the diverse roles of the Bodhisattva.