kesoku 華足

Keywords
Art History
Sculpture

Also kekyaku 華脚. Decorative legs that are attached to a desk, an offering stand or the dais a Buddhist image *daiza 台座. They may have a plant or animal-like motif. In an elaborate lotus pedestal *rengeza 蓮華座, they are usually positioned between the flower platter *keban 華盤, and the supporting pedestal, ukeza 受座. Late Heian examples of daises that include kesoku are the Amida Nyoraizō 阿弥陀如来像 from Hōkongōin 法金剛院 (1130) and the Senju Kannonzō 千手観音像 from Bujōji 峰定寺 (1154), both in Kyoto. The Shōsōin 正倉院 has many small stands with kesoku from the Tang dynasty. These flower legs come in a variety of forms, including leafy petals forms, flower petals, broken sprouts and clouds. These designs were later used for altar furniture in Japanese temples.