WOODEN KṢITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA / STANDING FIGURE, With wooden box【未翻訳:一】, Edo Period（1603–1867CE）

This is a standing figure of Jizō Bodhisattva carved from a single block of wood, dating to the Edo period.

This small Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva was carved from a single piece of wood. The sculptor left much of the material intact as the form was worked from the head, through the robes, to the pedestal-like area at the feet. The facial features are greatly simplified: the eyes, nose, and mouth are rendered with deep carving, and the lines of the robes are succinctly incised, the chisel marks still visible. Without over-refining the details, the figure appears to rise from the wood’s shape and the blade’s movement, conveying the unpretentious vigor characteristic of vernacular Buddhist sculpture.

Vertical tool marks remain on the back, and traces resembling ink inscriptions are also visible. The carving extends around from the shoulders to the back, so the figure’s volume is evident not only from the front but also in profile and from behind.

Modest in scale, it has a quiet presence when viewed from the front. The wood surface, marked by decay and insect damage, together with surviving chisel marks and a restrained treatment of the drapery, conveys the sense of a wooden Buddhist image long kept in human care. It is accompanied by its wooden storage box.

Overall, there is insect damage, chipping, cracking, abrasion, and soiling. The lower portion exhibits pronounced decay. In view of its condition, it should be regarded as an old folk Buddhist statue.