Statue of Kudara Kannon
The Kudara Kannon is one of Horyuji Temple’s most famous treasures, attracting visitors from all over Japan. Kudara is the Japanese name for the Korean kingdom of Paekche (371–660). The statue has been displayed in Paris and Tokyo, and a replica was made for the British Museum in the 1930s. The beautiful wooden sculpture is 211 centimeters in height.
Research to date has not been able to establish when the statue was made. It first appears in Horyuji documents in the seventeenth century. Since 1917 it has been known as the “Kudara Kannon” because it is carved in the Kudara style.