Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas (in the Lecture Hall)

The Serene Bodhisattvas of Toji's Mandala

The Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas (in the Lecture Hall) (木造五大菩薩坐像（講堂安置）) is Heian-period seated statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas enshrined in the lecture hall of Kyoogokokuji (Toji) in Kujo-cho, Minami Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1954 were designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records four figures, with a seated Kongo Haramitsu Bosatsu designated alongside, owned by Kyoogokokuji.

According to Toji, they are the five figures to the right of Dainichi Nyorai in the lecture hall mandala, centred on Kongo Haramitta Bosatsu.

The Mandala

Toji explains that the Five Great Bodhisattvas are esoteric bodhisattvas with gentle expressions, representing those who seek enlightenment. Heian figures such as Kongo Ho (Dharma) and Kongo Ho (Jewel) sit alongside a central Kongo Haramitta Bosatsu of the Muromachi period.

The single Kongo Haramitsu Bosatsu designated alongside in the Agency's record is this central figure.

What to Look For

Toji notes that the lecture hall was begun in 823 and completed in 839, and that Kukai placed twenty-one figures centred on Dainichi on its altar; bodhisattvas represent those who put the Buddha's teaching into practice.

Toji states that from 24 June 2019 the central Kongo Haramitta Bosatsu was moved for the time being to the Bijutsuin conservation studio for repair.

Visiting the Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas (in the Lecture Hall)

Toji says the lecture hall is open all year, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.).

According to Toji, the twenty-one figures of the three-dimensional mandala stand together in the lecture hall.