Mandorla Buddha and Flying Apsara 木造化仏・飛天
Official explanation
National Treasure Hall
Mandorla Buddha and Flying Apsara
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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.
出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.
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