18th Century Japanese Edo Wood Bodhisattva Manjushri Monju Bosatsu Statue 文殊菩薩

Antique Japanese Carved Wood BuddhaMonju Bosatsu 文殊菩薩Maitreya Buddha In Teaching GestureCirca: Early Edo. 18th-19th centuryH 7 in. (18cm) , W 4.5 in. (11.5cm) , D 3.5 in. (9cm)Condition: minor chips, overall very good! Monju Bosatsu, his name in Sanskrit is Manjusri or Wenshu 文殊 in Chinese. He is regarded as the God of Literature, and as the disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, he is one of the Bodhisattvas of Supreme Wisdom who occupies the Universal Knowledge quarter in the center of the Womb Mandala in esoteric Buddhism. Immaculately carved with a highly polished smooth surface, this superb Monju Bosatsu was once seated in a Dangan (small sandalwood shrine). Here he is in his prevalent form as a handsome youth, serene with both legs pendant royally sitting in a benevolent pose (bhadrasana), his left hand poised in the dharmachakra mudra, and in his right, he is holding the wisdom sword that symbolizes elimination of ignorance. He is elegantly dressed in a draped garment with facile ple