This comparison is offered between the Yumedono Kannon
and another famous Kannon image also found at Hôryûji. The point
of the comparison lies in the haloes. Whereas the halo of the Kannon to the
right is supported by a slender bamboo pole, that of the Yumedono Kannon
is attached by a large nail driven into the back of the head. This highly
unusual method of attachment, it is argued, is just like the voodoo technique
of sticking pins in dolls, an effort to subdue the spirit of Prince Shôtoku
rather than save it. This might also help explain why the image was kept
wrapped up for so many centuries. The remaining mystery, however, is why
the revered Prince Shôtoku should be so angry. The most persuasive
theory is that his ghost was angered by the termination of his family line
in 643, when his son was forced to suicide by the Soga clan leader.