NEWS

1,001 Bodhisattva Statues Restored at Kyoto Temple in 45-Year Preservation Project

By Craig Lewis | | Buddhistdoor Global

A 45-year undertaking to clean, repair, and restore 1,001 statues of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Jp: Kannon; Ch: Guanyin) has been completed at the Sanjusangen-do Buddhist temple in the historic Japanese city of Kyoto, after the final set of restored sculptures was returned to the temple hall on Friday. The project, which was undertaken at a cost of ¥920 million (US$8 million) and subsidized by Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency, began in 1973. Over the course of the intervening decades, the images, which are designated as important cultural properties, were removed from the historic hall in turn for restoration before being returned. Between 15 and 40 statues were restored each year. Sanjusangen-do, in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward, officially known as Rengeo-in, is a popular destination for tourists and Buddhist pilgrims alike. Translated literally, its name means hall with thirty-three spaces between its columns, describing the architecture of the tempe’s 120-meter-long main hall. The temple was constructed at the order of the emperor Go-Shirakawa (r. 1155–58) and completed in 1164. In 1249, the temple complex was destroyed by a fire and only the main hall was rebuilt in 1266. Sanjusangen-do is now part of Myoho-in temple, which is affiliated with the Tendai school of Japanese Buddhism. The main deity of Sanjusangen-do is Senju Kannon, the Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara. In addition to the main statue, itself a national treasure, Sanjusangen-do is renowned for its 1,001 life-size statues of Senju Kannon, which stand either side of the main statue in 10 rows and 50 columns.