Kamakura
Nara · 鎌倉Browse Nara’s cultural heritage from the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
A National Treasure enshrined at Yoshino Mikumari Shrine in Nara Prefecture, this seated wooden statue of Tamayorihime-no-Mikoto was created in 1251 by a Buddhist sculptor for the imperial patron Senyōmon'in. Its ink inscription gives the precise date, making it a rare dated example among Kamakura-period Shinto sculpture. Carved in joined-block cypress with inlaid crystal eyes, it portrays its subject as a refined court lady and is widely regarded as Japan's finest surviving goddess image. This guide introduces the statue and the World Heritage shrine that has sheltered it for centuries.
A detailed guide to the National Treasure Wooden Standing Statues of Tentōki and Ryūtōki, a pair of lantern-bearing demon figures carved by Kōben—third son of Unkei—in 1215 and displayed today in the Kokuhō-kan of Kōfuku-ji Temple in Nara.