This is a research project led by Dr. Hiromi Matsumae at Tokai University School of Medicine.
Buddha statues originated in India around the 1st century AD, and have since been created in a wide variety of styles.
It has been suggested that the facial features of Buddha statues often resemble those of the local people in the regions where they were made. For example, Japanese Buddha statues may resemble Japanese people, while Thai Buddha statues may resemble Thai people (Tsuchiya et al., 2007). However, the factors underlying this regional diversity remain poorly understood.

In this project, we investigate the diversity and regional variation of Buddha statue faces from multiple perspectives. We examine whether Buddha statues resemble the faces of local populations and explore the influence of biological, geographical, cultural, and psychological factors on their appearance.

​To achieve this, we compare the faces of Buddha statues and living people through: (1) Quantitative comparisons of facial shape based on photographs, and (2) Comparisons of subjective impressions based on questionnaire surveys. We are currently recruiting participants for Part 1, the quantitative comparison of facial shapes based on photographs. Participants will be asked to have facial photographs taken for research purposes. If you are interested in participating, please click here for further information.