KAMAKURA PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), THREE SETS OF DOUBLE DOORS SIGNED TAKAMURA OR KOUN (TAKAMURA KOUN; 1852-1934)

According to the inscriptions on the wood box, this pagoda was collected by renowned sculptor and busshi (sculptor specialized in Buddhist statues) Takamura Koun (1852-1934). Made in the Kamakura period and originally situated in the Horyuji Temple, the pagoda was seen and acquired by Koun in a trip to Nara Prefecture in the summer of 1899. In June 1911, the pagoda was exhibited with huge acclaim in the commemorative exhibition of the Prince Shotoku Festival at Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts). In the autumn of 1932, Koun offered the pagoda to his friend Mr. Okamoto who showed a deep passion in acquiring it. In the autumn of the following year, three sets of originally missing double-doors were remade by Koun with the usuniku bori (thinly carved) technique which he was highly skilled at. Additional deities were also meticulously carved to perfect the masterwork.
Inscriptions on the bottom of the pagoda reveal that it was commissioned by the monk Benyu for Horyuji Temple with twenty-nine pieces of shari (stones symbolizing the cremated remains of the Buddha), now lost.
Takamura Koun was an appointed Imperial Household Artist and represented Japan in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the 1900 Paris Exposition with his masterful sculptures of animals and immortals. He was invited by Ernest F. Fenollosa and Okakura Tenshin to run the wood carving department in Tokyo School of Fine Arts where he was a professor for nearly 30 years.