Buddha’s Heads

Every section of twenty-seven pearls is separated by a larger, round bead. These large beads are called ‘head of Buddha’ (Ch. 佛頭). In this case they are made of coral, and on both sides of the heads of Buddha a bead in a different color to that of both the regular beads and the heads of Buddha is present on the string. These two smaller beads are made of jade. Since there are four heads of Buddha, they are also said to symbolize the four seasons.[cf, p 68] In imperial portraits, Qing emperors are often depicted holding the lowest head of Buddha between the thumb and index finger of their right hand.

This particular head of Buddha is the mother bead, the end and the beginning of the necklace. When worn, it sits in the neck of the wearer. Instead of a single hole bored straight through the bead, this bead has a third exit. This is where the string from both sides runs out of the mother bead, through the tapered bead, and exits on the other side. This tapered bead is called a ‘stūpa’ or ‘pagoda’ (fota 佛塔), because its shape is similar to that of a stūpa. This bead is also present on Buddhist prayer beads, although something different exits out the other side.