National Treasure Hall
Mandorla Buddha and Flying Apsara
Important Cultural Properties
Dated to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), these carvings depict a seated Buddha and a flying apsara, a type of celestial spirit, in Buddhist mythology. Although the origin of these sculptures is unclear, scholars believe the renowned Buddhist sculptor Unkei (1150–1223) supervised their creation as adornments for the mandorla frame that stood behind the statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha in Kofukuji’s Western Golden Hall. When the hall burned down in 1717, only treasures that could be carried or removed from larger works were saved. This seated Buddha and flying apsara may have been among them.