The Horyu-ji treasures are so rare, because they date back to the seventh century. They are among the world's most precious antiquities.
The temple and pagoda allow people today to see a wonderful example of architecture done in the Six Dynasties Chinese style. Because of this temple design, the shrine has been utilized over the centuries as a model for following and making repairs to other buildings that have been damaged by fires, namely the Golden Hall (Lee, 1994:167). The temple is also very special because it includes a statue of the Bodhisattava Kannon although "the multitude of small embossed Buddha-figures on the doors and walls of the interior... suggests that the original image was a figure of Shaka" (Mizuno, 2003: 48). The temple's four sides have paintings "Done in lacquer, they represent Bodhisattvas, Pagodas and scenes of devotion such as the sacrifice to a hungry tigress. There are also narrative scenes taken from the Jakata stories, depicting the virtuous deed accomplished by the Bodhisattvas and how they managed to attain Buddhahood as a result" (Popham 1990:40). In addition to the Tamamushi shrine there are also many other works in Horyu-ji temple like the Shaka Triad.
The Shaka Triad is one of the oldest bronze images. It is located in the Golden Hall. It is six feet tall and was designed by the famous sculptor Tori Busshi. Its image displays the Buddha Shakyamuni sitting between two Bodhisattvas (Lee, 1994:168). The Shaka has his legs crossed. His hands are placed in one of a number of mudras. "He has a protuberance on his head and a third eye that indicate extraordinary knowledge and vision and are among some twenty three bodily signs introduced by the Mahayana Buddhist to indicate [shaka's] superhuman qualities" (Varley, 1984:26). The empress Suiko asked Tori Busshi to make the statue after Shotoku Taishi, the leader of Horyu-ji, died. The back of the sculpture is inscribed with a dedication to the prince, and the statue's dimensions are the same as the prince (Mizuno, 2003:32). In addition to the bronze statue, there are several wooden sculptures in Horyu-ji that are very important too.
The most famous wooden sculptures are Yumedono Kannon, the Kadara...
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