Unkei Buddha of the Hokuen-do Hall of Kofuku-ji Temple (Special Exhibition at Tokyo National Museum) -OCT, 2025-

Kofuku-ji Temple was originally the family temple of the Fujiwara clan, and was a large temple complex that took over 100 years to build from the Nara period to the early Heian period. The Hokuen-do Hall was the first structure built, and was erected in the early Nara period (Yoro era) as a memorial for Fujiwara no Fuhito. Surprisingly, this octagonal hall is older than the Tenpyo-era Yumedono Hall of Horyuji Temple.

Among them, the "Maitreya Buddha" was placed as the principal image. Maitreya is a bodhisattva before attaining the highest level of enlightenment and becoming a Tathagata. However, among the many bodhisattvas, he is the only one who is promised to become a Tathagata, descending as Maitreya Buddha 5.67 billion years from now to save all living beings. The number is interpreted as a metaphor representing a long period of time, but considering that the Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years and the lifespan of the solar system is estimated to be 10 billion years, it could also be interpreted as a savior who will save humanity from the impending destruction of the Earth. Speaking of Maitreya Bodhisattva, there is the half-seated statue at Koryuji Temple, which dates back to the early 7th century and has the delicate facial features typical of Asuka statues. Buddhist statues began to take on a plumper appearance during the Nara and Heian periods.

The current Hokuendo is the third in the series, and was destroyed by fire in 1049 and rebuilt in 1092. It was then destroyed again along with Todaiji Temple and other temples of Kofukuji Temple during the burning of Nara by Taira no Shigehira in 1180. When this reconstruction was undertaken, Unkei and his disciples were in charge of creating the Buddhist statues.

Taira Shigehira, Kiyomori's fifth son, was unusually brave among the Taira clan, and a man of culture, excelling in both military prowess and waka poetry. The year before the Nara Burning, Kiyomori imprisoned Emperor Goshirakawa and attempted to seize political control for the Taira. However, as the new year began, successive Minamoto clan leaders, including Emperor Mochihito, Kiso Yoshinaka, and Minamoto no Yoritomo, raised arms, creating a turbulent political situation. Kiyomori pursued a two-pronged strategy of fighting both the former powers (the Imperial Court, the nobility, and the temples and shrines) and the Minamoto clan. He attempted to move the capital to Fukuhara, but abandoned the plan. During the battles with Todaiji Temple and Kofukuji Temple, he ordered Shigehira to burn down Nara. It was truly unfortunate that the Great Buddha and other precious Nara Buddhist buildings and statues were lost. This, along with the anti-Buddhist movement that followed the Meiji Restoration, was a major disaster for Japanese Buddhist art.

The Unkei team moved to Izu with the transition of power to the Kamakura Shogunate, where they worked on the production of many Buddhist statues, many of which remain, including the National Treasure Amida Buddha statue at Izu Ganjojuin Temple. For the Kei school, a group of professional Nara Buddhist sculptors, this was an era blessed with many opportunities to produce Buddhist statues, and they would have been in high demand.

He returned to Nara and worked on the Hokuen-do Hall from 1208 to 1212. He created nine Buddhist statues, of which seven have been confirmed to exist, and they have now all been exhibited at the National Museum for the first time. For reasons unknown, the Four Heavenly Kings are currently housed in the Central Golden Hall, and the two missing statues are attendant Buddhas of Maitreya Buddha, so there are currently only three statues in the Hokuen-do Hall (a statue of Maitreya Buddha, and statues of Asanga and Vasubandhu).

The diary "Inokuma Kanpakuki" by Konoe Iezane, who served as regent in the early Kamakura period, records that the Buddhas in the Hokuen-do Hall were created by members of the Unkei school. For generations, the head priest of Kofuku-ji Temple was chosen from the two sub-temples, Ichijo-in and Daijo-in, and both were children of the regents. During the Heian period, Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture) was dominated by manors owned by the regents and temples and shrines (Kofuku-ji Temple being the most powerful). Even in the Middle Ages and the age of the samurai, the regents and Kofuku-ji Temple cooperated to protect their interests, and neither the Kamakura nor the Muromachi shogunate sent shugo (military governors) to the province.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi set Kofuku-ji Temple's territory at 21,000 koku, which was followed by the Tokugawa Shogunate until the Meiji Restoration. Yamato Koriyama Castle was built by Tsutsui Junkei, but it was Toyotomi Hidenaga who expanded it into a fortress with a huge castle tower that could be seen from Todai-ji Temple and Kofuku-ji Temple, marking the beginning of the early modern period in Yamato.

The creation and maintenance of cultural assets and artworks cost money, and stable times and understanding rulers and patrons are essential, a problem that remains relevant today. During the Haibutsu Kishaku movement, the five-story pagoda of Kofuku-ji Temple was apparently sold for 25 yen (750,000 yen, assuming 1 yen at the time is 30,000 yen today) using recycled materials, but we are glad that it was preserved. Meanwhile, we will be keeping a close eye on how Japan, with its many cultural heritage sites, will handle these assets amidst its dwindling national strength and changing values.

This special exhibition will run until November 30th.