The
inscription on the Shaka triad describes, in essence, a legend that the
statue was created as a life-size replica of Prince Shôtoku himself.
It was made, it is said, at the time of his death, as a prayer for his
ascent into the Pure Land. Mention is also made of the death about the
same time of Prince Shôtoku’s mother and his principle wife, whom
we can conclude are represented as the two attendants. So we have here
Shôtoku deified as Shaka, an association already uncovered in the
pagoda grotto. This special symbolism may be the key to unlocking many
unsolved riddles about the iconography of this mysterious statue. The left-hand
gesture of Shaka, for example, is found in no other Buddhist image. Equally
baffling are the nut-like objects held in each hand by the attendants.