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Trying again to get a definitive on the inscription on this bronze Buddha. It’s 5 ¾ inches tall by 5 ¼ inches wide, has what appears to be the original carved wood base, and also has a very faint "Made in Japan" ink stamp on the bottom that leads me to believe it could be late Taisho or early Showa, but it looks late Meiji based on the quality, so could the “Made in Japan” have been stamped on it a couple decades later when exported to the U.S.?

Also, I was told the two characters are 丰寿. 丰 means "abundant", and 寿 means "longevity", but to my eyes they don’t seem to match what’s on the Buddha, so I’m not sure. Any further information about the inscription or age based on quality would be greatly appreciated!

This bronze model, complete with rootwood stand, is a copy of the giant bronze Amida Buddha of Kamakura city in Kanagawa prefecture. Almost identical okimono were made from the Meiji period on.

The maker's mark reads 豊寿　- 'Toyohisa' or 'Hôju' (alternative reading). The mark 'Made in Japan' should indeed imply that this object was casted for export purposes, probably Taisho or Showa era - or even after WW II, I'm not sure about that.

Guy.

Thanks for the translation, Guy! You read my mind about what this Buddha represents. I visited Kōtoku-in and Kamakura Daibutsu a few years ago, which is a big reason why I picked this bronze up when I saw it. Picture below so others can see what you’re referring to.

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