The Japanese Ōtani Expedition went to the Western Regions of China and brought this bodhisattva head to Japan from the Kumtura caves in the outskirts of Kucha in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region at the beginning of the 20th century.

The missing element on the head may perhaps have been a jeweled crown. Can you see the withered wooden stub on top of the head? This is the core of the statue, around which clay was added. Slip was then applied to the hardened clay, and painted over in red, black, and other colors as the finishing touch. His thin, long eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and wavy mustache make his facial features distinctive. Such images typify the unique expressions of Buddhist art, which flourished in the Western Regions along the Silk Road.

The wavy hair originates from Indian Gandharan Buddha sculptures. The gentle yet powerful gaze of this bodhisattva is rare among the Kumtura bodhisattva images. A highly artistic sculptor must have been involved with the creation of this charming bodhisattva.