Amida Buddha in ContextThe Buddha was and is an important figure in several cultures, and his influence has spread over large areas. In these different cultures, many art forms have portrayed him in different ways. In Japan, one of the Buddha's titles stood out as "Buddha Amida." The statue that this article will detail portrays "Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light" ("Amida"). The statue is located in the Japanese Art Gallery 105 of the Dayton Art Institute under the acquisition number 1935.1. Created in the 13th century during the Kamakura period, this statue stands out in the Dayton Art Institute as a prominent Buddha figure. It is made of lacquered and gilded wood and was built to be about the size of a normal person. The statue that will be the focus of this article portrays the figure "Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light". Like many other Buddha statues, this Amida Buddha was depicted in deep meditation, sitting cross-legged. A viewer might observe that Amida Buddha is making a hand gesture while in deep meditation. These gestures, also known as “mudras,” are symbolic in the Buddhist religion and are used to convey certain ideas (O'Riley 70). In this case, Amida Buddha is doing the mudra of pacification (“Amida”). Further physical observations could be made by emphasizing the “balanced form, divine features and flowing drapery” (“Amida”) of the Amida Buddha. These qualities represent the nature of the Buddha, revealing him as “transcendent, graceful, and compassionate” (“Amida”). Features common to other Buddha sculptures are present in this Amida Buddha, such as the elongated earlobes, the mole on the forehead and the patterned hair. At first glance, the name Am...... in the center of the paper ......and The name of the Buddha Amida is recited over and over again in a chant, both silently and aloud, so that the individual can concentrate on Amida Buddha. and nothing else (Cleary). This sculpture is intended to represent the Amida Buddha who presides over the Pure Land, and is a reaction to the popularity of Pure Land ("Amida") Buddhism. The process by which this particular statue was created involved using a method developed by Kaikei, a Japanese sculptor. It was an innovative process that involved carving different pieces of wood separately and then joining them together (“Amida”). Instead of using a single object to create a sculpture, multiple parts could be used to make the statue easier to build and assemble. After all the parts were joined together, the statue was covered with a lacquer finish and gilding was added to the face to give it the golden look.