Heian

Discover the National Treasure wooden standing statue of Kokūzō Bosatsu (Ākāśagarbha) at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Carved from a single block of Japanese nutmeg wood in the 9th century, this masterpiece of early Heian danzo sculpture features breathtaking drapery and a fascinating story of rediscovered identity.

Discover the National Treasure Five Great Kokūzō Bodhisattva statues at Jingoji Temple in Kyoto. Commissioned by Emperor Ninmyō and crafted under Kūkai's disciple Shinzei in the 9th century, these five color-coded seated figures are the oldest complete set of their kind in Japan, open to the public only a few days each year.

Discover the Five Great Bodhisattvas (Godai Bosatsu) at Toji Temple's Lecture Hall in Kyoto. These National Treasure wooden statues from the early Heian period form part of Japan's oldest three-dimensional mandala, conceived by Kobo Daishi Kukai.

Discover the National Treasure Five Great Wisdom Kings (Godai Myōō) at Tō-ji Temple's Lecture Hall in Kyoto. Dating from the early Heian period, these powerful esoteric Buddhist sculptures are Japan's oldest known set of Wisdom King statues and form part of the iconic three-dimensional mandala conceived by Kōbō Daishi Kūkai.

Discover the National Treasure wooden Four Heavenly Kings statues enshrined in the Lecture Hall of Tō-ji Temple, Kyoto. Carved in the early Heian period as part of Kūkai's three-dimensional mandala, these powerful guardian figures represent masterpieces of early Japanese Buddhist sculpture within a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Discover the National Treasure wooden standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) at Joruri-ji Temple in Kizugawa, Kyoto. These late Heian period masterpieces feature exquisite kirikane gold leaf decoration and vivid original coloring, guarding the only surviving nine-image Amida hall in Japan.

Seiryo-ji's National Treasure Shaka was carved in Song China in 985 and brought to Japan by the monk Chonen. Inside lay silk organs, among the oldest known.

Discover the National Treasure wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon statue at Rokuhara Mitsuji Temple in Kyoto. Carved in 951 by the monk Kuya, this sacred hidden Buddha is unveiled only once every 12 years during the Year of the Dragon.

The National Treasure Wooden Standing Statues of the Twelve Divine Generals at Kōryū-ji Temple in Kyoto are Japan's oldest surviving wooden examples of these iconic Buddhist guardian sculptures. Created in 1064 by Chōsei, a disciple of the legendary sculptor Jōchō, these twelve armored warriors protecting the Medicine Buddha showcase the refined artistry of mid-Heian period woodcarving. Experience them up close without glass cases in Kyoto's oldest temple.

Discover the National Treasure Wooden Seated Goddess Statues at Tō-ji Temple (Kyōōgokoku-ji) in Kyoto. These 9th-century Heian-period sculptures are among Japan's oldest surviving Shinto deity carvings, reflecting the fascinating fusion of Buddhism and Shinto known as shinbutsu-shūgō.

Sanjusangen-do's 1,001 standing Thousand-Armed Kannon include 124 Heian figures saved from the 1249 fire. The full set became a National Treasure in 2018.

A ninth-century National Treasure at Koryu-ji, this 266 cm Thousand-Armed Kannon was carved from a single cypress block and shows eleven faces and forty arms.

Near Tofuku-ji in Kyoto, Hosho-ji keeps a National Treasure Senju Kannon of the tenth century, cut from one cherry block, bearing some twenty-seven faces.

At Kyoto's To-ji, the seated image of Hachiman as a Buddhist monk is among Japan's oldest surviving Shinto deity sculptures, a record of how the two faiths merged.

A Heian National Treasure, the wooden canopy of Tō-ji hangs above a secret Fudō Myōō in the Mieidō. Unseen by the public, it is one of few ranked as sculpture.

Over the gilded Amida in Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall hangs a 1053 National Treasure: a shell-inlaid black-lacquer square canopy holding an openwork floral round canopy.

Tobatsu Bishamonten at Kyoto's To-ji, a Tang-dynasty National Treasure that once guarded Rashomon gate. The 189.4 cm figure stands on the palms of the earth goddess.

At Kurama-dera above Kyoto stands Japan's oldest Bishamonten triad, a National Treasure whose central guardian lifts a hand to his brow and gazes toward the capital.

A 313.6 cm Fukūkenjaku Kannon at Kōryū-ji, Kyoto's oldest temple. Three eyes, eight arms, carved from one block, it survived the 818 fire and stands in the Reihōden.

A ninth-century National Treasure no one is allowed to see: the secret Fudō Myōō hidden in Tō-ji's Mieidō, held by tradition to be Kūkai's own devotional image.