The restoration initiative commenced with a request to “remove accumulated dust and dirt resulting from the temple’s renovation” from the wooden statue of the Twelve Heavenly Generals at Kanko-in Temple—a painted joined-wood sculpture. Inscriptions on its pedestal indicate its creation in 1811, the same year as the wooden statue of Nikko and Gakko Bodhisattvas at Kancho-in Temple.

While the statue suffered no major damage, it displayed signs of accumulated dust, firmly adhered dirt, peeling and detachment of lacquer and paint layers, and detachment of small components. Thus, the restoration primarily involved cleaning, preventing further peeling, and reattaching detached components. The cleaning process unveiled a vivid restoration of the gold leaf and paint layers.

Although the restoration focused on minimal repairs, its main goal was the physical preservation of the statue. However, the words of the head priest of Kanko-in Temple—”When the Buddha statue looks clean, the temple’s congregation will surely rejoice and take more interest in their temple’s statues. This will lead to the next repair.”—seemed to capture the essence of the restoration endeavor.

This project illustrated that, beyond the importance of physically preserving the statue, restoration efforts can effectively raise awareness of it among the local community, contributing to its “long-term preservation” within the region.