Takeya’s Buddhist figures are some of the most unique toys I collect. The releases may be a bit staggered, but the line seems to be going strong.
Juichimen Kannon, also known as Guanyin, is one of the more complicated and revered figures throughout the various Buddhist sects. He is the Lord of Compassion and the God of Mercy. Kannon was so compassionate that, after attaining enlightenment, he chose to remain on earth in order to ease the suffering of all sentient beings and guide them towards enlightenment.
While the ideals behind Kannon are basic, the character has become incredibly complex over time. His biggest change was the eventual evolution from male to female, since females are closer associated with compassion. Today, Kannon is thought to take on any form necessary in order to assist those in need. From either to neither gender, a humble beggar to a just ruler, a being with two arms or many, a horse head to multiple human heads, Kannon’s forms are as endless as his concern for all sentient life.
I have yet to be disappointed with the sculpts of any of the figures in this line, and Kannon continues to maintain that high standard. The figure is an entirely new sculpt that fits in well with the previous entries while adding another unique body style to the line. The most distinctive aspect to this new figure is his height, which is almost towering over the other figures. Kannon also has elongated arms which stretch nearly to his knees and give him an extremely long reach when positioned in an action stance.
The other interesting thing about this figure’s sculpt is that he is a mostly naked body. Where the previous figures have had their clothes and armor sculpted on, Kannon relies on separate pieces of hard and soft plastic clothing to cover him up. I particularly like this effect with the scarf that encircles his arms. It makes the figure look as if there’s an ever present breeze around him.
Kannon’s head is easily the most detailed aspect of the figure. The main face has a peaceful yet androgynous look, allowing the figure to be seen as either gender. The other ten faces, which represent the stages of the Bodhisattva path and his ability to observe the entire world for suffering, are each sculpted with their own personality. Most seem to be either tranquil or concerned, with a few even looking angry. But the one facing behind is the most interesting with his hearty laughing. Continue to page 2…
Dang nifty figure, great review, and sweet pics. Thanks for sharing!
The extra-long arms are for more hugs!
lol, thanks Beedo!
cool figure.
always nice to see a good random review breaking away from the usual spandex and barbarian reviews.
Thanks, Brain!
These look great Vault! Thanks for bringing them to our attention, what’s the best place to get these from? I really like them
Thanks, Sunny!
I usually order them from Amiami.com, but you can also get them a HLJ.com and other various Japanese retailers. If you don’t mind waiting, and want a little lower price, check out Mandarake.
Thanks for that!
Thanks for the review! These are awesome! (My wife was born buddhist in china).
My only crack is that Kannon is, uh, supposed to be a girl? I get confused. “Kannon” is originally the Indian male Bodhisattva “Avalokiteshvara”. Buddhism traveled from India into China, and through some confusion with how Avalokiteshvara and the Sea Goddess Kwan-Yin were both rendered in white robes in paintings and both represented mercy, the two entities merged, ending with the “Buddhist Goddess” Kwan-Yin (Kannon in Japanese). But, whether Kannon is uniformly considered a goddess in Japan, I guess I must say “obviously not”.
Ah, whoops! You already knew about the woman transformation (had skimmed the pics, not read the reviews). But, the text is mistaken about Kannon becoming woman primarily because mercy is associated with woman. Kannon (Guan-yin) was an actual sea goddess in China with strong popularity in the south. It’s a lot like how Saint Nicholas the Catholic Bishop became associated with Odin, Sleipnir, and gift giving in Northern Europe.
PS. I think “Ju-ichi Ka-men Kannon” means Kannon with the Eleven Faces. Ju-ichi = 11, I’d have to look up “kamen” but “men” (like “menpo” armored face mask) is from the chinese loanword for face, “mian”.
PPS. Ignore my bluster. I’m excited by your review and this detailed Buddhist toyline that I’d never seen before!
one of these days, i’d love to see the display shelf where these all dwell, cuz that’s got to look cool as balls together. is there a display/dio theme set up for them? i hope so. if not, get on that STAT cuz these figs should have a divine setup.
I have also started collecting these action figures and I LOVE them.
I went and saw the Great Buddha in the sea in China when I was a guest at Miss World and I saw these additional figures and thought they’d make amazing action figures…and BOOM…5 years later we have a cool collection…
I’d love them to do Hindu Gods like Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Ganesh, Indra, Agni, Kama Deva, Durga, Korravai (who is effectively EXACTLY the South Indian Goddess of victory in warfare in looks from Kali in Sinbad) Kali, Uma, Lakshmi, Garuda, Hanuman etc
Fudo Myouou and Gunrari Myouou, the two most recent figures, are two of the Five Wisdom Kings (Vidyaraja). I speculate that the next three figures will be the other three wisdom kings:
1) Gozanze
2) Daitoku
3) Kongo-Yasha
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/myo-o.shtml
Though I share Celsius’s interest. For my part, I would rather have had the female version of Kannon (Guanyin).