itakōhai 板光背

Lit. board nimbus. A halo *kōhai 光背 on a Buddhist statue, carved from one or more wooden boards. Surface designs in paint, lacquer, or relief carving *ukibori 浮彫 are used to create the head halo *zukō 頭光, body halo *shinkō 身光, ornaments such as flames, clouds and flowers, miniature Buddha figures *kebutsu 化仏, or heavenly beings *hiten 飛天. Most common in the Heian period in the Nara area, examples are found on the Shaka Nyorairyūzō 釈迦如来立像 (late 9th century) and Jizō Bosatsuzō 地蔵菩薩像 (10th century) in Murōji Kondō 室生寺金堂, Nara. Itakōhai have also been found in Shikoku 四国, Kyūshū 九州 and western Japan, for example in Kitadera 北寺 and Burakuji 豊楽寺, Kōchi Prefecture.