National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

　　This seated statue of Aizen Myōō (Skt. Rāgarāja) has six arms, three eyes and a fierce look on its face. Aizen Myōō is a deity of esoteric Buddhism that preaches the principle that earthly desires are in themselves enlightenment and transforms human passions into a bodhicitta.
　　According to the profile of the Buddhist sutra held in the statue and the chrysography on the bottom of the pedestal, Jakuchō (dates unknown), the leading disciple of the second founder of Saidaiji Temple, Eison (1201–1290), completed the transcription of an esoteric Buddhist sutra known as Yugayugikyō Sutra to be stored in the statue at Kedai-in Temple in Higashi-Odawara, Sōra County, Yamashiro Province on the last day of the first month in Kenchō 8 (1256). The statue was carved between March 12 and April 1 of the same year. The master Buddhist sculptor was Kaijō (dates unknown) and Kaison (dates unknown) and Kaiben (dates unknown) were also involved as assistant sculptors.
　　Inscribed on the pedestal is the fact that the statue was created using “the replaced pillar from the front of the Tōdaiji Temple’s Great Buddha Hall.” In December of Jishō 4 (1180), the Tōdaiji Temple’s Great Buddha Hall, which was built at the behest of Emperor Shōmu (701–756; r. 724–749), burnt down by soldiers commanded by Taira no Shigehira (1157–1185) and the building was rebuilt in Kenkyū 6 (1195). It appears that the replaced pillar at the time of the rebuilding was used for the statue. A close look confirms that there are some cracks on the stile of the pedestal and the cracks are covered with cloth for reinforcement. In short, considering the fact that imperfect materials were used, there is a high possibility that a pillar from the fire was used. As a matter of course, it is assumed that the sacredness and spiritual nature of the wooden material would be increased.
　　In fact, the standing Jizō (Skt. Kṣitigarbha) in Shunkakuji Temple in Murō Village, Uda City, Nara was created around the same time using old materials from the Tōdaiji Temple’s Great Buddha Hall.