This statue was seized in Uragami, Nagasaki Prefecture,in 1856, Ming-Qing dynasty, 17th century. It was then preserved by the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office. Currently the statue is kept safely in Tokyo National Museum.
It depict the feminine form of Koyasu Kannon (子安観音), the god that represent birth and child rearing. Despite bearing the resemblance of “Byakue Kannon”, she holds a child in her hand. To the Christians the statue resembles Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The white robe, according to Christianity, represents purity and righteousness. It also symbolizes salvation.
During the mid-17th century, outlawed Christians created statues of Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin). These statues are known as Maria Kannon. Maria Kannon was made or altered to look like Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), however they were not worshipped as Kannon. This act of concealment allowed the Christian to practice their faith in secret, minimizing the chance of being exposed. Since their faith were forced to go underground, the follower usual practice their faith in a hidden room, a cave or in a forest.
There are a number of Maria Kannon statues, which includes “Byakue Kannon”, “Jibo Kannon”, Guanyin (Kannon) and Child of many different sizes. Some of which even include hidden image of the “cross” within them and some have it at the back of the statue. With the presence of the cross within the statue it indirectly imply that the statue is in fact constructed for Christian and not Buddhist despite it resembling Buddhist deity Kannon. The Christians would honor this statue by silently praying to Mother Mary. With such “trick” it creates a sense of relief for the follower. To the outsider it appears as a Buddhist statue but to the outlawed Christian, it appears as an object of Christ faith. Which successfully also fooled the government and help them to keep their faith hidden and alive.
This statue was seized in Uragami, Nagasaki Prefecture,in 1856, Ming-Qing dynasty, 17th century. It was then preserved by the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office. Currently the statue is kept safely in Tokyo National Museum.
In 1549, missionaries brought Christianity to Japan. As Christianity gain its popularity among the population, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to fear that the Christian will be more loyal to their faith as compared to his shogunate.
In 1612, Christianity was banned in the country and whoever practiced it were persecuted, often with violence, and as the days pass the methods got fiercer. Eventually, Christianity was banned for over two centuries during the Tokugawa Era, also known as Edo Period (1603-1868). Authorities were eager to eradicate this foreign religion that they execute and imprisoned thousands of Christians, and even to the extent of ordering all families to register with local Buddhist parishes.
To deal with the situation, the Christian had to practice their faith in secret to avoid being punished. Therefore, in order to conceal their faith, Christian were forced to keep a low profile and practice their faith in private. These Christians were eventually known as Kakure Kirishitan, or Hidden Christian. Since then their faith were forced to go underground, and follower had to practice it in secret.
During the mid-17th century, outlawed Christians created statues of Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin). These statues are known as Maria Kannon. Maria Kannon was made or altered to look like Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), however they were not worshipped as Kannon. This act of concealment allowed the Christian to practice their faith in secret, minimizing the chance of being exposed.
There are a number of Maria Kannon statues, which includes “Byakue Kannon”, “Jibo Kannon”, Guanyin (Kannon) and Child of many different sizes. Some of which even include hidden image of the “cross” within them.
Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon, the feminine form of Koyasu Kannon (子安観音), is the god that represents birth and child rearing. Despite bearing the resemblance of “Byakue Kannon”, she carry a child in her hand. To the Christians the statue resemble Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The white robe, according to Christianity, represents purity and righteousness. It also symbolize salvation.
The statue is made from Dehua White Porcelain, known as “hakugorai” or “Korean White Ware” in Japanese. It is the porcelain that give the statue its colour. As the name of the material suggests, the statue is being produced not in Japan but in Dehua Kilns, located in Fujian Province. In other words, the Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon is being illegally imported from China.
One of the main reasons of the use of Dehua Kilns porcelain is that the white is the colour commonly used during rituals observance. To add on, white to the Chinese, the manufacturing country, symbolizes filial piety, death and mourning, which is why it is the common colour for statues and incense burners.
At the back of the statue, a hidden Christian cross can be found. With the presence of the cross within the statue it indirectly imply that the statue is in fact constructed for Christian and not Buddhist despite it resembling Buddhist deity Kannon. The Christians would honor this statue by silently praying to Mother Mary. With such “trick” it creates a sense of relief for the follower. To the outsider it appears as a Buddhist statue but to the outlawed Christian, it appears as an object of Christ faith. Which successfully also fooled the government and help them to keep their faith hidden and alive.
References & Further Reading:
Mark Schumacher. Virgin Mary & Kannon, Two Merciful Mothers (1995 – 2014), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from
