"Japan’s iconographical material covers Buddhism, Shintoism and a few other smaller sects in that country. Yet’ Buddhist iconography sculptural and in painting constitutes by far the greatest in number and variety. Further, again, wood sculpture in that land of wood-yielding vegetation, forms the greater measure of iconographic material. In fact, Japan is not so fortunate in the availability of stone that can stand fine chiselling or carving, as Chine and India.

With this background it as but reasonable justified that specialist study of stone sculpture in icons and other subjects is undertaken and brought to the notice of scholars and the lay public. In doing so, the available stone material: early artifacts, religious icons and other subjects have been presented here in eight sections and a Map. The section deal with Early Artefacts, Decorative Sculptures, Lanterns, pagodas, Engravings, Buddha Images, Images of the Buddhist Pantheon and Biku, Bikuni & Rakans.

The over –all survey made of the sculptures of the Buddha and the Buddhist pantheon in stone in Japan, is a unique contribution to the study of Buddhist iconography in general and that in Japan in particular. "