Last two of nine wooden statues of seated Amida Nyorai moved to repair shop

Two (Nos. 4 and 7) of the nine wooden statues of seated Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Tathagata) of Kyoto’s Joruriji temple were transferred back to the main hall of the temple from the Nara National Museum on June 29, 2022, after successful repairs. On the following day, the last two statues (Nos. 1 and 8) were moved to the museum from the temple for repairs.

The five-year repair work of the nine statues — collectively designated by the Japanese government as a national treasure — which started in 2018 (fiscal year), is scheduled to finish in spring 2023.

The nine statues of the temple in Kizugawa, Kyoto Pref., represent the beliefs of the Jodo school of Buddhism, which was founded near the end of the Heian period and is known to have fascinated the aristocrats of time. The chuzon (principal statue) is about 2.2-meters in height and flanked by four statues on each side.

According to conservators from Bijyutsuin, a public interest incorporated foundation in Kyoto taking charge of the repair project, the shippaku (gold leaf over lacquer) on statues No. 4 and No. 7 were peeling off and steps had to be taken to prevent further peeling. The halo was losing color where repairs were conducted during the Meiji era and had to be retouched.

The experts will be taking the same steps to prevent the peeling of the shippaku on statues No. 1 and No. 8.

Statue No. 7 reinstalled (in sequence):

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)