Fig. 3 Bodhisattvas can often be identified by an image on plaques in there coiffures (headresses), although the painted image on this bodhisattva's plaque is ambiguous. If it represents a flaming jewel, then the head most likely belongs to a sculpture of the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, who, with Avalokiteshvara, was commonly depicted in China and Japan as flanking the Buddha Amitabha. However, the image on the plaque also resembles a long-necked vase, which is an attribute of an unknown bodhisattva.