The statues of Zōchōten and Tamonten in the Nara National Museum’s collection were two of the Four Guardian Kings (shitennō) preserved together at Kōfukuji Temple until 1906 (Meiji 39). As representative works of our collection, they have been featured in various exhibitions, including the Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculpture exhibition at the Buddhist Sculpture Hall. It has been over a century since their last conservation in the Meiji period. The surface paint had begun to lift, and previous restoration areas had noticeably discolored. Conservation work focused on stabilizing the flaking pigment and retouching the aged coloration was conducted with the support from the Bank of America.

This exhibition presents the two statues restored to their original appearance, along with the latest findings on their internal structure and construction techniques through the conservation processes. In addition, the other two statues that once formed the complete set—Jikokuten (MIHO MUSEUM, Shiga) and Kōmokuten (Kōfukuji Temple, Nara)—are displayed together. It has been twenty-eight years, since all four statues were last shown together, during the Special Exhibition Masterpieces from the Collection of the Nara National Museum held in 1997 (Heisei 9). With the newly restored Zōchōten and Tamonten now unveiled, we invite you to appreciate the dynamic and powerful forms of these remarkable sculptures.