Buddhist sculptures of Daian-ji temple in Nara showcased at Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park, Tokyo) is running an exhibition in its Japanese Gallery (Honkan) to give visitors a unique opportunity to admire the marvelous Buddhist sculptures of Daian-ji temple (Nara), known as one of the Nanto Shichi Daiji (Seven Great Temples of the Southern Capital) of the Nara period (710-94).

Special Thematic Exhibition
The Buddhist Sculptures of Daianji Temple

Jan 2 (Mon) – Mar 19 (Sun), 2023

Tokyo National Museum
(Ueno Park, Tokyo)

*See outline below for more info

“The Buddhist Sculptures of Daianji Temple,” the special thematic exhibition in Room 11 of the Japanese Gallery, showcases 15 works including “The Willow Bodhisattva Kannon” and “The Deva Tamonten from a Set of Four Heavenly Kings,” both of which are designated important cultural properties of Japan.

The Buddhist sculptures housed at Daian-ji were produced applying the ichiboku-zukuri technique, that is to say, they were given shape from single blocks of wood.

Wooden sculptures remaining from the Nara period to the present day are very rare. According to the Tokyo National Museum, the works housed at Daian-ji are some of the earliest examples of Buddhist sculptures made out of wood in Japan, and renowned for their detailed carving. Creating wooden sculptures in the context of Buddhism became the norm some time later during the Heian period (794-1192).