NARA NATIONAL MUSEUM

East entrance

The Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall is where the Exhibition from the Permanent Collection : Masterpieces of Buddhist sculptures are held. A large number of great sculptures from the Asuka period through the Kamakura period are on display in addition to the Buddhist sculptures from China and Korea. This is the most complete collection of Buddhist sculptures among all the national museums in Japan.

The Sakamoto Collection of ancient Chinese bronzes is exhibited in the Ritual Bronzes Gallery which is connected to the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall by a corridor.

◆About the building

The Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall (Original Museum Building) is made of bricks and was completed in 1894. It was designed by Katayama Tōkuma (1854-1917), an architectural designer of the Imperial Household Agency. The building adopts the architectural style of the peak of French Renaissance. Especially noted for the decorative ornamentation around its West Entrance, this building is an outstanding example of mid-Meiji period European-style architecture. In 1969 the building was designated as an important cultural property under the official name “Former Imperial Nara Museum Original Museum Building.”

The annex(Ritual Bronzes Gallery) was constructed as a storehouse in 1937, and is used as the exhibition room of the Sakamoto Collection of ancient Chinese bronzes since 2002.