Special Exhibition Expressing Prayer, Capturing Form Buddhist Sculptures by Unkei from the Northern Round Hall of Kohfukuji Temple

This special exhibition recreates in Tokyo the interior of the North Octagonal Hall (Hokuendō) of Kōfukuji Temple in Nara, a space usually closed to the public, as it appeared when rebuilt in the Kamakura period. On display are seven Buddhist statues designated as National Treasures: the late masterpiece Seated Maitreya by the renowned Kamakura-period sculptor Unkei, the standing images of the bodhisattvas Mujaku (Asaṅga) and Seshin (Vasubandhu), as well as the Four Heavenly Kings, which are believed to have once been enshrined in the North Hall. The Seated Maitreya will be shown outside the temple precincts for the first time in about 60 years, and this marks its first public exhibition since restoration.

https://tsumugu.yomiuri.co.jp/unkei2025/english.html