Unkei Exhibition
Unkei, the Miura Clan, and Their Faith

The Miura clan of warriors held great power on the Miura Peninsula in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and dominated political power in the formative years of the Kamakura shogunate. Many temples associated with that clan were built in Yokosuka and on the Miura Peninsula and symbolize the clan's status. Moreover, statues of Buddhas created by the finest sculptors of the time were enshrined in those temples.
The consummate examples are the statues that Unkei (d.1223)created in response to a request by one member of the Miura clan, Wada Yoshimori(1147-1213). Unkei's Amida Triad and standing figures of Fudo Myoo and Bishamonten are all enshrined at Jorakuji Temple, in Ashiya,Yokosuka.
This exhibition presents nine precious Buddhist statues that received the prayers of warriors in the eastern provinces (today's Kanto region). Its core is those five statues by Unkei. The exhibition also includes a standing figure of Yakushi Nyorai, said to have been Yoshimori's contemplative protective Buddha (Tenyoin Temple. Hasse-wada,Miura), and a seated Kannon Bosatsu imported from the Southern Song that communicates how religiously advanced the Miura Peninsula was (Seiunji Temple,Oyabe,Yokosuka city).