YAMATOKORIYAMA, Nara -- A sculptor in this Japanese city is creating modern versions of small dish-sized plaques carrying the image of Buddha, and the cute little figures have attracted a social media following.

       Shun Nakamura, 31, has been creating "kake-botoke" -- literally "hanging Buddha" -- said to have been hung on the walls and columns of temples and shrines, and worshipped in ancient times. Nakamura's works will be on display at his solo show in Tokyo from late July to early August.

       Many kake-botoke plaques, consisting of a Buddha image on a round plate made of materials including copper, were crafted in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and committed to temples and shrines. The plaques are said to have come out of the syncretization of Shinto with Buddhism, and they portray the figure of Buddha reflected on a round mirror enshrined as a deity.

       Born in Yokohama, Nakamura graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo. He encountered an old kake-botoke on display at the Tokyo National Museum in around 2017, when he was working for an art museum in the capital. He said he had always envisioned Buddhist statues as elaborately sculpted godly figures, and so he was surprised at the simple and adorable plaque figures. He decided then he would make some of his own.

       Sculptor Shun Nakamura is seen in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on June 24, 2021. (Mainichi/Yusuke Kato)

       Nakamura got kidney stones when he was 26, and developed a panic disorder from the stress caused by the pain. Throughout that period, he had heart palpitations and bouts of dizziness, but these attacks subsided when he was making a kake-botoke. He said, "Sculpting was not just a creative activity for me, but an act of seeking salvation from the Buddha and stabilizing my mental state."

       He decided to move to Nara Prefecture, with its many temples, and turn his energies to the serious production of kake-botoke, which had hitherto been little more than a hobby. Nakamura quit his job at the art museum and moved from Yokohama to Yamatokoriyama in March 2020.

       Nakamura makes four types of kake-botoke: "sacred bodhisattva of compassion," "jizo-bosatsu" -- which literally means "earth treasury bodhisattva" -- "11-faced bodhisattva of compassion" and "1,000-armed bodhisattva of compassion." His kake-botoke consist of a round wooden plaque about 14 centimeters in diameter with a Buddha statuette about 10 centimeters tall. The statuette is made of clay, and recoated with acrylic paint to make it look rusty, and a special paint so that it looks old. They come in various colors including soft pink, blue and green.

       Since Nakamura began to post photos of his kake-botoke on Instagram in around spring 2020, he has received comments such as "The face makes you feel warm and fuzzy, and the form is cute, too," and, "I bet your room's interior atmosphere will soften with a kake-botoke." Nakamura says that many of his customers are women buying the creations as gifts for Buddhist statue lovers.

       Nakamura's solo show will be held at Buddhist statue store Isumu's Omotesando branch in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward from July 22 for about two weeks. Visitors need to make a reservation by phone at 03-6419-7822.

       "What's fascinating about kake-botoke is that they can be used as casual home decorations," Nakamura said. "I hope that people will feel like they've been around since ancient times."

       Kake-botoke can be purchased at Nakamura's online shop (https://shunnakamura.theshop.jp), starting from 4,500 yen (about $40) apiece including tax.

       (Japanese original by Yusuke Kato, Nara Bureau)

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