Japan. Medieval Kamakura Style, Japanese of late 13th centuryFaith in a compassionate Savior distinguishes the Mahayana school of Buddhism popular in East Asia. The grace of Amitabha, Benevolent Lord of the Western Paradise, guarantees salvation to those that invoke his mercy by calling his name at the moment of death. Amitabha, it is widely believed, personally descends to escort the faithful to his Pure Land in the West where, reborn upon a lotus, the devotee is granted eternal life in a hedonistic paradise of ease, beauty and sensuous pleasures. The harmonious proportions of simple sculpted masses convey the sense of equilibrium and solidity that are the hallmarks of the classic Kamakura image, from which this statue is derived. This is a more masculine image of Buddha than that produced in matrilineal Thailand. Its palpable sense of gravity, combined with the reassuring solidity of its forms, reflect the values of the military patrons - Kamakura was a samurai era - of this popular mass religion, as well as the unflinching certitude essential to all dogmatic religions based upon absolute faith in a compassionate Savior.

Bronze Each piece you see here is made individually by our master artisans. The craftsmanship involved creates slight variations in color, finish, size, and shape - a quality we consider to be an added touch of uniqueness. The remarkable detail of our bronze sculptures is due to meticulous and labor-intensive care by Thai craftsmen to produce these unique sculptures of exquisite detail and timeless durability. Buffing, polishing, and patinising give each piece its final green-grey verdigris or bronze luster, which conveys the essence of what we at Eastern Serenity admire in South-East Asian art.