Name/TitleTamamushi (jewel beetle) miniature Buddhist shrine (玉虫厨子), Hōryūji, NT 1439-0
About this objectMade of lacquered camphor and cypress wood, species both native to Japan, this miniature shrine is built in the architectural style of the time with a hip-and-gable engraved roof covered in simulated tiles. Bands of openwork bronze are attached to the edges of plinth and dais and, originally, wings of the tamamushi beetle were placed under these as decoration: they have peeled off over time.
The shrine has three doors and the external and internal walls are decorated with paintings, lotus petal mouldings and embossed Buddha figures. These are the only surviving paintings from early 7th-century Japan and can be compared in style to the Tenjukoku Shūchō Mandala (天寿国繍帳) [EXH21].
According to temple records, the shrine was the personal possession of Empress Suiko (推古天皇, r.593–628).
Date MadeEarly 7th century
PeriodAsuka
Place MadeJapan
Subject and Association KeywordsLiving in Belief
Subject and Association DescriptionLearn More: Chan 2018; Saylor Foundation 2011.
Medium and MaterialsWood, bronze, pigment, beetle wings.
