Numinous Minamiyamashiro
Treasures from the Mountains between Nara and Kyoto

Heian period, 8th–9th century

The trunk of this statue was largely carved from a single block of wood. In such elements as how the robe covers both ankles or the delicate expression of the statue’s form and fabric texture, the statue evokes works in dry lacquer from the latter part of the Nara period (710–794). Yet the broad shoulders and sense of robust depth to its figure are more characteristic of sculpture from the early part of the Heian period (794–1185).

Heian period, 9th-10th century

This statue was formerly installed at the temple connected to Hōsono Jinja Shrine. It was moved to the neighboring temple of Jōnenji during the Meiji era (1868–1912). Prior to the statue’s 1949 repairs, it held a medicine jar in its left hand. The medicine jar is typically the attribute of the buddha Yakushi (Skt. Bhaiṣajyaguru), but this statue is regarded as a medicine master bodhisattva. Such an iconography emerged within the religious paradigm of combinatory faith in Buddhist deities and local kami known as shinbutsu shūgō.

Heian period, 10th–11th century

In the western part of the Fugenjidani Valley, this statue protects the realm from the peak of Mount Takagamine at Shuchi Jinja Shrine. Note its fierce expression and what remains of its flame-like hair fanning out from its crown, upon which is perched the head of an ox. The shrine is positioned on the Yamashiro side of the boundary between the three provinces of Kawachi, Yamato, and Yamashiro. The statue’s presence there was perhaps intended to ward off dangers from beyond the border.

Heian period, 10th century

This statue is the principal icon (honzon) of Kaijūsenji Temple. It was largely carved from a single block of Japanese nutmeg (kaya) without a cavity hollowed from its solid form. Its unique features make quite an impression, particularly the lifted eyebrows over its narrowed wide eyes. The archaic stylistic expression exemplified in the draping robes and elsewhere evoke s Buddhist sculpture of the Nara period (710–794).

Heian period, 10th century

Heiso (926–1002) served as the abbot of Tōdaiji. This statue was the principal icon (honzon) of Zenjōji, the temple he founded, which was completed in around 995 (Chōtoku 1). The statue dates to around the same year. Its steadfast expression and impactful frontality call to mind examples of dry lacquer statuary from the Nara period (710–794). This is an important icon reflecting the style of Buddhist sculpture developing in the Nara area at the time of its production.

Heian period, 12th century
Photographs Courtesy of the Kyoto National Museum

These are two of the Five Great Wisdom Kings (Godai Myōō), Fudō, Gōzanze, Gundari, Daiitoku, and Kongōyasha, a set of great importance in esoteric Buddhism. Today, the Daitoku Myōō statue from the set of which these statues are a part is at Kyōtanabe’s Shōfukuji, while the other four reside at Juhōji. Yet until the Meiji era (1868–1912), the five statues were still enshrined together in the Godaidō Hall of Enichiji, a nearby temple that no longer exists.

Heian period, 12th century

Paired with an image of Fudō Myōō from the same temple, this statue comes from Jindōji.
While the iconographic form referred to as “Tenkyū Aizen” in which the deity’s typical attribute of a bow and arrow are aimed at the heavens appears in scriptural texts, it is rarely realized in sculpture. This statue is particularly important since there are very few examples of its type.

Kamakura period, 13th century

Through exquisite technique erasing any trace of their carving, these statues are small in scale but resonate with the monumentality of colossal works. This is in part because they are believed to be precise miniatures of the enormous Shitennō produced for the Great Buddha Hall of Tōdaiji reconstructed early in the Kamakura period (1185–1333). These important statues created by the foremost sculptors of their time were ruined in a fire centuries ago; the statues before you offer a vision of lost Kamakura-period masterworks, particularly in their poses and coloring. It is possible that this set was formerly enshrined in the five-storied pagoda at Kaijūsenji completed in 1214 (Kenpō 2).

Kamakura period, 1196 (Kenkyū 7)

Temple bells are rung during Buddhist rituals and to announce the time. This bell dates back to the start of the Kamakura period (1185–1333). It was offered to Kasagidera by Chōgen (1121–1206), who was at the center of the efforts to reconstruct Tōdaiji after Nara’s devastating 1180 fire. The decorative register of distinctive engraved lines at the base suggest the possible influence of Chinese bells.

Kamakura period, 13th century
On View from July 8th to August 6th

This painting was enshrined in the Sutra Repository (Kyōzō) at Kaijūsenji along with the Tuṣita Heaven Mandara. In the west, one sees the Pure Land of Amida. The way that the composition is arranged to form a v-shape and the layout of its deities is unusual. The singularity of this example has led some to conclude that the painting depicts the Pure Land of Amida as Jōkei (1155–1213) envisioned it.

Kamakura period, 13th century
On View from July 8th to August 6th

This painting of the Tuṣita Heaven, the abode of the bodhisattva Miroku (Skt. Maitreya), was produced as a pair with the painting of Amida’s Pure Land. This is known from inscriptions on the rollers of the two paintings discovered during repairs. Together, they were enshrined in the Sutra Repository (Kyōzō) at Kaijūsenji completed on the thirteenth anniversary of Jōkei’s death in 1225 (Gen’nin 2).

Kamakura period, 14th century

Kyōchūji Temple is believed to have been established in 1318 (Bunpō 2). According to the Legends of Kyōchūji Temple, the statue enshrined as its principal object of worship at around this time was produced using wood from a pillar of the Izumi Ōhashi Bridge that the revered monk Gyōki (668–749) had constructed centuries earlier. The statue before you is regarded as the very icon mentioned in these temple legends, and it can furthermore be understood as a copy of the Monju statue created by the master Buddhist sculptor Kaikei (d. before 1227) enshrined at Abe Monjuin. The lion is a later replacement.

Kamakura period, 13th century

This is the principal icon enshrined at Genkōji. It revives such aspects of Nara-period Buddhist statuary as the sense of stability to its wide seat and its lithe, elongated torso. The image so closely resembles the Miroku (Skt. Maitreya) that serves as the principal icon of Kontaiji in Wazuka Town that the two statues are believed to have been produced by the same sculptor or the same workshop.

Muromachi period, 15th century
On View from August 8th to September 3rd

This is a portrait of Ikkyū Sōjun (1394–1481), the founder of Shūon’an. He was a Zen priest of the Daitokuji lineage of the Rinzai (Ch. Linji) school. He is depicted as a monk with stubble who has let his hair grow out, seated in a relaxed pose with his left leg hanging down. This alludes to his unconventional character. The inscription at the top of the composition was brushed by Ikkyū in his later years.

Edo period, 17th–18th century

In his later years, Taichū Ryōjō (1552–1639) was based in Mikanohara. This facilitated his travels to the various regions in which he preached his nenbutsu teachings. The statue was enshrined at Shinkōan, the temple that Taichū established. Later, it was moved to the nearby temple of Ōryūji. The portrait represents Taichū wizened by age, the hollows of his eye-sockets and deeply carved wrinkles depicted in an exaggerated mode.