GREY STONE STELE OF NYOIRIN KANNON EDO PERIOD, DATED 1708AD 江戸 ‘理照妙諦信士 寳永五（戊子）年霜月四日 中沢氏’刻文 如意輪観音石碑 carved with Avalokitesvara seated contemplatively in royal ease posture on a throne, his right foot over left ankle and folded leg half raised, allowing his right elbow to gently rest on his inner right thigh, head tilted to right and sensitively rested on right palm, his eyes closed, face in serene expression, dated to right of the figure on the mandorla 'Fifth year (Year of Tsuchinoe Ne) of Hōei era, Fourth of Shimotsuki Month (Month of Frost, eleventh month in the old calendar)', carved on the opposite with a male devotee's holy name 'Rishō Myōtei Shinji' (?), centre of the base further with 'Nakazawa Shi' (93cm high) Qty: (1) Provenance: From the collection of the late Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham (1865-1952), bequeathed by the late Marjorie Debenham, thence by direct descent. With an original letter dated 14 August 1970 from John G. Ayers, the then keeper of the Far Eastern Section in the Victoria and Albert Museum, addressed to the abovementioned 'Miss M C Debenham', the current owner's aunt. The letter identifies the stele is of Japanese origin and dated the stele according to the inscription. Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham, 1st Baronet, was an English businessman who famously owned and chaired the renowned namesake departmental store Debenhams Ltd in 1892-1927. Note: Nyoirin Kannon (Skt: Cintamani Chakra Avalokiteshvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion with the Wish-fulfilling Jewel, is a prominent deity in the Japanese Esoteric Buddhist pantheon. Nyoirin is also a transformed figure of Kannon Bosatsu and one of the Roku Kannon (six Kannon). Mostly depicted seated in Hanka (half-lotus posture) with six arms holding various tributes, including Nyoi hoju, a wish-fulfilling jewel (Skt: Cintamani), and Rin, an abbreviation of Horin, the Dharma wheel (Skt: cakra) representing Buddhist teachings, which combined into Nyoi-Rin, the name of the Kannon. The name carries Kannon's aspirations and vows, which is to fulfil all hopes and through the Buddhist teachings, one would destroy Bonno (earthly desires). Its true wish is to preach at will, living in zanmai (Skt: Samadhi) of Nyoi hoju, removing the troubles of living things in Rokudo (six posthumous worlds) and providing benefits to these worlds. The votive stele of Nyoirin Kannon presented here is carved with two hands. The right hand raised in Shiyui-so, a meditative posture with chin resting upon palm, left palm naturally rested on left leg. Flowingly carved, this example shows a harmonious and meditative tranquillity in Buddhist votive figures. A slightly larger and similar example of a stone stele depicting Nyoirin Kannon, with inscriptions on both sides of the mandorla, dated to Edo Period 1703AD, is in the collection of the Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món, Barcelona, accession number 'MEB 152-795'; Further compare with two slightly smaller examples, dated to the Edo Period, in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, accession numbers 'TEMP01' and 'TEMP02'; Also compare with a Memorial Stone (Ita-Hi) depicting Nyoirin Kannon Cintamanicakra, dated to 1671AD, in the collection of Horniman Museum and Gardens, London, accession number 'nn19126' ---------------------以下为软件翻译，仅供参考---------------------