Buddhist image exposed to the elements
Refers to a Buddhist statue or image placed outdoors, unprotected from rain and weather. Often carries a poetic or slightly melancholic nuance.
古いお寺の庭に濡れ仏が立っていた。
A weather-worn Buddhist statue stood in the garden of the old temple.
Compound of 濡れ (nure, 'getting wet') + 仏 (hotoke, 'Buddha' or 'Buddhist image'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term straightforwardly describes a Buddhist image that is exposed to rain.