Wooden Standing Statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu

A Masterpiece of Early Heian Sandalwood-Style Sculpture

The Wooden Standing Statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu (木造虚空蔵菩薩立像) is an early Heian wooden standing statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu owned by Daigoji in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, which in 2015 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single figure owned by Daigoji.

According to the Agency, it was handed down as a Kokuzo at Bodaiji, a sub-temple within the Daigoji precinct.

The Sculpture

According to the Agency, the figure, including the lotus of its pedestal and the hanging ends of its scarf, is carved from a single block of torreya wood, and its style dates it to the first half of the ninth century.

Daigoji notes that the Council for Cultural Affairs recommended its promotion from Important Cultural Property to National Treasure on 13 March 2015.

What to Look For

The Agency praises the deep, precise carving of its intricately crossing drapery folds and calls it one of the representative sandalwood-style statues of the early Heian period.

Notice how pedestal and scarf are carved from the same block, and the depth of the drapery.

Visiting the Wooden Standing Statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu

The statue is owned by Daigoji and is not always on display; check the temple's announcements.