Kongō Rikishi (Niō) of the Great South Gate
東大寺南大門金剛力士像
Artwork · Unkei · 1203 · statue · Tōdai-ji Temple
The two colossal guardian kings flanking the Great South Gate of Tōdai-ji, Unkei’s most famous work1. Unkei made them with Kaikei and sixteen assistants between 24 July and 3 October 12032, part of the rebuilding of the temple after the Genpei War3. Kobayashi 1954, “As the creator of the famous statues of the Giant Devas flanking the South Gate of Todai-ji Temple, Nara, his fame is still nation wide among the Japanese people”. ↩ Ebd., “The last and the most famous of his works in Todai-ji Temple began on July 24, 1203, and was finished on Oct. 3 of the same year. It was the erection of the statues of Giant Devas, flanking the South Gate, which Unkei made in collaboration with Kaikei and 16 artisans”. ↩ TNM, Unkei 2017, “in 1203 (Kennin 3) he fashioned a pair of enormous Vajra Warriors for Todaiji temple” · “the central role Unkei played in the restoration of Nara temples such as Kohfukuji and Todaiji in the wake of their destruction by the Taira forces during the Genpei Wars”. ↩ Literatur Kobayashi 1954: Takeshi Kobayashi, Study on the Life and Works of Unkei. English Summary, (Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Monograph No. 1), Tenri 1954. TNM, Unkei 2017: UNKEI – The Great Master of Buddhist Sculpture (special exhibition, 2017), in: Tokyo National Museum, Exhibitions (2017), https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=1861&lang=en (zuletzt abgerufen am 28.10.2026).