Masterpiece returns to Tokyo after 60 years! Special Exhibition: “Unkei: The Space of Prayer – Kōfuku-ji's North Round Hall” runs until 30 November in Special Room 5, Main Building, Tokyo National Museum, Ueno
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The miraculous special exhibition ‘Unkei: The Space of Prayer – Kōfuku-ji's North Round Hall’, attempting to recreate the inner sanctuary of Kōfuku-ji's North Round Hall during the Kamakura revival period, is being held until Sunday, 30 November 2025, in Special Exhibition Room 5 of the Main Building at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.
TOP Image = National Treasure: Seated Maitreya Buddha (detail) by Unkei, Kamakura period, c. 1212, Kōfuku-ji Temple, Nara, formerly enshrined in the North Round Hall—photograph by Sasaki Kōsuke.
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Unkei's supreme space is revived:
The North Round Hall is considered a precious example that faithfully conveys the original space where Unkei's Buddhist statues were enshrined. To commemorate its completion, the Seated Maitreya Buddha will be displayed outside the temple for the first time in approximately 60 years.
Alongside the Seated Maitreya Buddha and the Standing Statues of Bodhisattvas Asanga and Vasubandhu, seven National Treasure Buddhist statues – including the Four Heavenly Kings, highly likely to have been enshrined in the North Enkodo Hall – will be exhibited together. This aims to recreate the inner sanctuary of the North Enkodo Hall as it was during the Kamakura revival period.
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Mr Daisuke Kojima, Head of the Conservation and Restoration Office, Conservation Science Section, Academic Research Department, Tokyo National Museum, stated: "Although Kōfuku-ji's Hokendō was destroyed by the Heike clan's burning of Nara, its reconstruction was likely undertaken by Unkei, arguably Japan's most renowned Buddhist sculptor.
This exhibition brings together the seated Maitreya Buddha, the standing statues of the Bodhisattvas Asanga and Vasubandhu that remain in the Northern Round Hall, and the Four Heavenly Kings statues now enshrined in the Central Golden Hall, recreating the Northern Round Hall during the Kamakura reconstruction period.
This is an exclusive feature of this exhibition, impossible to see even by strolling through the temple grounds. Do not miss this unparalleled opportunity to experience the supreme space created by these seven National Treasure Buddhist statues by Unkei."
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World Heritage Site Kōfuku-ji's Hokuen-dō Hall Appears in Tokyo:
The Hokuen-dō Hall of Kōfuku-ji Temple is said to have been constructed in August of the 5th year of the Yōrō era (721), the first anniversary of Fujiwara no Fuhito's death, by Emperors Genmei and Genshō, who commissioned Prince Nagaya to oversee its building.
However, it suffered repeated disasters and was rebuilt around 1210, following the burning of Nara in 1180. It is the oldest extant structure within Kōfuku-ji's temple complex and is designated a National Treasure.
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Within the inner sanctuary of the octagonal Northern Round Hall stands an equally octagonal shumidan altar platform. It houses nine Buddhist statues, including the principal Image, a seated Maitreya Tathagata.
Considered a masterpiece of Japanese-style architecture retaining features of the Nara period, it is acclaimed as the most elegant surviving octagonal round hall in Japan.
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Furthermore, the standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings from the North Round Hall at that time were long believed to be lost. However, the theory that the standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings currently enshrined in the Central Golden Hall correspond to these has gained considerable support.
Though differing in atmosphere from the Maitreya Buddha statue and the statues of Asanga and Vasubandhu, with their vibrant ornamentation and fierce expressions, these Four Heavenly Kings are also considered the work of the Unkei school due to their excellent modelling based on Tenpyō-period sculpture.
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Through this exhibition, which recreates the original arrangement by displaying the Maitreya Buddha and Vasubandhu/Asanga statues from the North Round Hall alongside the Four Heavenly Kings statues from the Central Golden Hall, visitors can experience the spatial composition created by the Unkei school.
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Exhibition Overview
Special Exhibition: ‘Unkei: The Space of Prayer – Kōfuku-ji's North Round Hall’
Dates: Tuesday, 9 September 2025 – Sunday, 30 November 2025
Opening Hours: 9:30–17:00
Venue: Tokyo National Museum, Main Building, Special Exhibition Room 5
Masterpiece returns to Tokyo after 60 years! Special Exhibition: “Unkei: The Space of Prayer – Kōfuku-ji's North Round Hall” runs until 30 November in Special Room 5, Main Building, Tokyo National Museum, Ueno
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