Relief sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus hidden in a Buddhist style rendition of a Kannon, Edo era.

During the Edo period Christianity was outlawed by the Shogun often with the punishment of death. Icons such as the rare example offered here were cleverly made to hide the belief in Christianity.

According to scholar Aaron P. Proffitt, this is a “Compassionate Mother Kannon Bodhisattva. I had the same thought, but Maria Kannons look less “orthodox.” I base this on nothing more than my gut feeling. I have however seem Kannon images in Buddhist temple that are just Mary with little attempt to look like Kannon at all!”

According to scholar Miho Nonaka, “Fumi-e or fumie translates literally ‘stepping picture.’ As you know, the type of plague/board the Japanese were forced to step on to prove that they weren’t Christian. Metal ones are most famous, but there are paper versions, too. The image of the Madonna with Child was most popular among hidden Christians as opposed to, say, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which became prevalent in 20th century.”

According to scholar Makoto Sawai, “On the surface of the box, it says “Edoki Jibo Kannon Ritsu so”. I wonder if it was rabbled in later period.”