The 10th Seminar Held by the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems
At the 10th seminar held by the Department of Art, Research, Archives and Information Systems at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) on March 16, 2026, research presentations were given by Ms.MAIZAWA Rei (Department of Art, Research, Archives and Information Systems) and Dr. OKU Takeo (Musashino Art University).
First, Ms. MAIZAWA presented a report titled “Research Report: The Bronze Standing Statue of the Eleven-Faced Kannon at Hase-dera Temple,” providing an overview of the Eleven-Faced Kannon statue at Hase-dera Temple in Nara. The Hase-dera temple statue is a gilt-bronze statue of the Buddha created during the Kamakura period and is believed to be a standing statue of the Eleven-Faced Kannon modeled after the principal image of Hase-dera Temple. Ms. MAIZAWA examined the statue’s style and iconography and pointed out that it exhibits unique characteristics in its casting techniques.
Following Ms. MAIZAWA’s presentation, Dr. OKU delivered a research presentation titled “A Reexamination of the Statues of the Thousand-Armed Kannon and the Twenty-Eight Attendants in the Main Hall of Rengeō-in.” It is well known that the Main Hall of Rengeō-in Temple (Sanjūsangendō) in Kyoto was originally built in 1164 but was destroyed by a major fire during the Kamakura period and rebuilt in 1266. Regarding the Twenty-Eight Attendants—the retinue of the principal image of the Thousand-Armed Kannon—Dr. OKU first noted that, based on an entry in the Sankai-ki (a diary from the Heian period), these figures were present at the time of the temple’s founding. He further pointed out that many of the extant statues were created during the Heian period at the time of the temple’s founding, and that even those statues created anew during the Kamakura period generally followed the style of the original statues from the founding era. He argued that the dates of creation for the Twenty-Eight Attendants statues could be determined based not only on their artistic style but also on the characteristics of their production techniques; his argument was highly persuasive, drawing on the insights gained from his many years of experience in the field of cultural property restoration. He also discussed the possibility that the statue of Basūsen among the Twenty-Eight Attendants reflects a devotion to Mount Wutai in China, and touched upon the original vision of Retired Emperor Goshirakawa-in at the time of the temple’s founding. Dr. OKU’s presentation made a significant contribution to the history of research on the Twenty-Eight Attendants of Rengeōin, and following the presentation, participants engaged in a lively exchange of views, making it a highly productive seminar.