Keywords
Art History
Sculpture
A kneeling position for a Buddhist image. Bodhisattva figures *Kannon 観音 and *Seishi 勢至 often sit this way when they attend *Amida 阿弥陀 in raigō imagery (see *raigō-zu 来迎図). The bodhisattvas in Amida sanzonzō 阿弥陀三尊像 (1148) from Sanzen'in 三千院, Kyoto, are excellent examples. This position is more commonly known as seiza 正座 and is the formal way to sit in Japan.
