BASE: SUI DYNASTY, DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO KAIHUANG SEVENTH YEAR (587)

The inscription on the base is dated to the 7th year of Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty, corresponding to 587, and records the names of the commissioners, who dedicated the figure in hope of the emperor's longevity and their parents' well-being. A separate inscription on the circular part of the base lists the names of five ordained monks; one of them, Huixian, is recorded in Xu Gaoseng Zhuan (Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks) , vol. 25, to have passed away in 665 at the age of 75.