[2] This transitional time period was marked by much political turbulence, and Buddhism as a whole as well as the Maitreya played a significant symbolic role leading up to the peninsula's citation.

The bodhisattva is sculpted seated on a stool with his right leg crossed over his left knee, and one finger rests delicately on his face, upon which there is a thoughtful expression.

The pose itself, first conceived in India and then transmitted through China, is associated with an event that actually occurred in Sakyamuni Buddha's life before his renouncement when he was still a prince.

This contemplative pose was a popular subject of Buddhist art and the archetype spread from India to China and Korea and then to Japan.

The Miroku bosatsu at the Koryu-ji Temple of Kyoto, which is one of the Japanese National Treasures, is the twin of the statue and is almost certainly of Korean origin.

[4] The Miroku is carved from red pine and may be the statue the Nihon Shoki mentions that a King of Silla sent to the Yamato court.

The statues both share the elegant contemplative pose, highly proportional figures, realistic draperies, slim bodies, and plain tri-fold crowns.