Shaka Triad

work by Kuratsukuri Tori

Also known as: “Shaka Sanzonzō”

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July 13, 2026

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The Shaka Triad is a significant Buddhist sculpture from Japan's Asuka period (552–645 CE). Created by the sculptor Kuratsukuri Tori, it is dated to 623 CE and was made as a memorial to Prince Shōtoku. The triad depicts the Shaka Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha) seated on a throne, flanked by two bodhisattvas, with a large mandorla behind them. This style is derived from Chinese Northern Wei sculpture and is characterized by slender figures, linear drapery, and a distinctive archaic smile. The Shaka Triad is now housed in Hōryū-ji Temple.12

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Japanese art
Sculpture
Also extant is the gilt-bronze Shaka Triad of Hōryū Temple, which is dated by inscription to 623. The Asuka Buddha, heavily restored, is attributed to Tori based on the stylistic similarity of its undisturbed head to the renderings found in the Shaka Triad, which is confidently assigned to the master…
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Also extant is the gilt-bronze Shaka Triad of Hōryū Temple, which is dated by inscription to 623. The Asuka Buddha, heavily restored, is attributed to Tori based on the stylistic similarity of its undisturbed head to the renderings found in the Shaka Triad, which is confidently assigned to the master…
Read More

Tori style
…best-known piece is a Buddhist triad, which was made in 623 ce as a memorial to Prince Shōtoku. It represents the Shaka Buddha (the Japanese name for Shakyamuni) seated on a throne and flanked on either side by bodhisattvas, with a great mandorla behind.
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…best-known piece is a Buddhist triad, which was made in 623 ce as a memorial to Prince Shōtoku. It represents the Shaka Buddha (the Japanese name for Shakyamuni) seated on a throne and flanked on either side by bodhisattvas, with a great mandorla behind.
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Kuratsukuri Tori
…Nara; and Shaka Sanzonzō (“Shaka Triad”), completed in 623, at the Golden Pavilion of the Hōryū Temple, also near modern Nara. Though made of bronze, the sculptures by Tori and his school clearly indicate the strong influence of the art of stonecutting, which had been developed in China when…
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…Nara; and Shaka Sanzonzō (“Shaka Triad”), completed in 623, at the Golden Pavilion of the Hōryū Temple, also near modern Nara. Though made of bronze, the sculptures by Tori and his school clearly indicate the strong influence of the art of stonecutting, which had been developed in China when…
Read More