An image of a Nara period Bijin taken by the music by Tsuda Houn enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hana no Okage. Signed on the base, she is 50 cm (20 inches) tall, 13.5 x 14.5 cm (5-6 inches) at the base. Years of dust and oxidation have darkened the wood surface, but it is otherwise in excellent condition.
This type of classical female figure is often described in Japan as a Tenpyo Bijin. Tenpyo was an era at the peak of Nara culture when Buddhism spread throughout Japan, and the great Buddhist hall at Todaiji was completed. The Emperor Shomu abdicated the throne after 20 years of rule, becoming the first Emperor to take Buddhist vows (as did his wife the Empress) and he was succeeded by his daughter, thus the era also has great relevance today.
