A Japanese bronze votive plaque or 'Kakebotoke', Kamakura period, 12/14th C.

Dim.: 15 x 10,5 cm (the frame)
H.: 7 cm (the Buddha)

Kakebotoke, literally, 'hanging Buddhas' are usually fashioned from a round bronze or copper plate with an image of a Buddhist or Shinto deity, either separately attached or created by repousse (hammered from the rear). They derive from ritual bronze mirrors, and the term also refers to the similarly adorned large mirrors hung in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Our present example is likely fragmentary and mounted on a later gilt-lacquered backing.