This volume, the first in Brill's Japanese Visual Culture series, vividly describes the efforts of the Japanese monk Shunj 4d;b 4d; Ch 4d;gen (1121-1206) to restore major buildings and works of art lost in a brutal civil conflict in 1180. Through meticulous study of dedicatory material, Rosenfield is able to place the splendid Buddhist statues made for Ch 4d;gen in new light. The volume also explores how Japan's rulers employed the visual arts as instruments of government policy - a tactic that recurs throughout the nation's history. This publication includes an annotated translation of Ch 4d;gen's memoir, completed near the end of his life, in which he recounts his many achievements. While Ch 4d;gen has been the subject of major art exhibitions and extensive research in Japan; this is the first book-length study to appear in the West.