The founder of Buddhism, Śākyamuni was said to have practiced asceticism for six years and left the mountain after he realized nothing of torturing own body. This statue was actualized based on this story, it was vividly expressed with sunken cheeks and rawboned body.

Masterworks from the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall at the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2010, p.142, no.124.