Ancient Japanese (Unknown)

Ancient Japanese sculpture is deeply tied to Buddhist tradition, which arrived from Korea in 538 CE and transformed the country's artistic culture. The earliest Buddhist sculptures date to the Asuka period (538-710 CE), with the Tori school establishing a formal style influenced by Chinese and Korean models. The sculptor Tori Busshi set the standard for early Japanese Buddhist imagery.

Japanese sculptors worked in bronze, wood, stone, and dry lacquer, developing the distinctive dakkatsu kanshitsu (hollow-core dry-lacquer) technique during the Nara period. By the 9th century, artists shifted to natural, unpolychromed wood, carving large-scale Buddhist figures with increasing realism. Pre-Buddhist traditions include the haniwa terracotta figures (3rd-6th centuries) and ancient dogu figurines. Our collection spans temples including Todai-ji Temple in Nara.