One of the best Japanese collections of Chinese stone carvings

Seated Bodhisattva with Ankles Crossed in Niche China, Northern and Southern dynasties, Northern Wei/5th century.Yamaguchi Collection

The collector of this work, Kenshiro Yamaguchi (born in Senba, Osaka, as the fourth son of Yoshirobei Yamaguchi) served as head of the Yamaguchi conglomerate in Osaka, centered around the former Yamaguchi Bank (one of the pillars of Sanwa Bank that later became the parent company of the current MUFG Bank Ltd.). During his career, he collected many pieces of art, mainly Chinese stone sculptures, and was at the time already known overseas as a collector. He had a particularly deep knowledge of Chinese stone sculptures, and made the Yamaguchi Collection, now housed in the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, one of the leading collections of Chinese stone sculptures in Japan.