Past Exhibitions

Introduction to Buddhist Sculpture II
April 7, 2018 - May 20, 2018

All visitors must purchase a special exhibition ticket to enter the museum during the special exhibition period. There are no separate exhibitions of the permanent collection during this period.

This is a second installment of a small exhibition that covers many of the basic categories of Buddhist sculpture. Here you will find images representing four categories of Buddhist deities: Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Wisdom Kings (Myōō), and Heavenly Beings (Ten). Also featured are portrait sculptures of historical figures worshiped after death.

These images are made of various materials. The most typical sculptural material in Japan is wood, sometimes lacquered and covered with gold foil. Hinoki cypress is perhaps most prevalent, but camphor or Japanese nutmeg is found in early statues. Zelkova was used in Eastern Japan. Older wood sculptures were usually made with single-block construction, while later examples were pieced together from many parts and hollowed out inside. In addition to wood, you will also find sculptures here made of bronze (sometimes gilded), dry lacquer (hollow or wood core), or stone.

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