Originating from the Shinto tradtion, shinzō (wooden statues of kami gods) are among the finest wooden sculptures in Japan. This comprehensive examination of the stylistic and iconographic evolution of shinzō from the ninth through the fourteenth centuries is the first of its kind. A major contribution to a neglected facet of Japanese art and religion, one of historical importance. Professor Kanda gives primary attention to one lineage of forms, the deity Hachiman, which throws light on the entire phenomenon of the role of figural imagery in Shinto.