This scholarly volume is dedicated to the 52 wooden bodhisattva statues enshrined within the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uji, Kyoto. Crafted in 1053 by the workshop of the master sculptor Jōchō, these National Treasure figures are suspended above the hall’s beams, depicting a heavenly Pure Land where they ride clouds, play music, and dance in praise of Amida Buddha. Author Mitsuharu Iwasa offers an accessible yet in-depth analysis, combining insights from archaeology and art history to illuminate the statues’ refined form, polychromy, and the broader religious and cultural context of Heian-period Buddhism.
