The original statue is made of one Japanese torreya tree, and it’s widely known as one of the “wooden statues of Toshodaiji Temple. It was designated as a National Treasure of Japan in 2019.

This restoration was made as part of my research in the second semester of graduate school. In this production, I tried to restore his Rahotsu hairstyle, his hands, and the altar. The research contained examinations of the process and also the background of the original production, focusing on the unique lumbering technique and the structure of the altar. The statue is currently stored in Toshodaiji Temple.