Carved by the Buddhist sculptor Kaikei in 1189, it was once held and venerated at Kōfuku-ji, Nara until the temple sold it in 1906.

[1][2] The Kei school (Keiha, 慶派) was a studio consisting of sculptors who primarily operated in Nara and Kyoto, which initially was established by Jōchō, but was then flourished under the visage of Kōkei, who then trained his son, Unkei along with Kaikei.

[3][4][5] The Boston Miroku, carved in 1189, nine years after the battle is considered to represent an early phase of Kaikei, and was held by Kofuku-ji until 1906, when several of its holdings were sold for the temple's upkeep, a result of the fallout of the shinbutsu bunri by Haibutsu kishaku (separation of Buddhism and Shintoism).

[6][7] The Miroku was then owned by scholar Okakura Kakuzō, where upon his passing in 1913, his estate gifted the sculpture to the MFA on 3 June 1920.

The Boston Miroku was signed "Busshi Kaikei", thanks to a sutra found inside the cavity of the statue.