Image of Amida Buddha, Gold Leaf Over Wood, Kama-kura, Japan, 1742 (Photo By Gail)

Some forms of Japanese Buddhism are rooted in the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, school of belief. They regard Gautama, the Buddha of India, as only one of an almost endless sequence of Buddhas reaching back over an incomprehensible span of years. However, Amida Buddha is considered the Buddha yet to come; his invocation has been particularly important in Japan.

Photographed in the Museum of Natural History in NYC.