Currently housed in the Hall of Hachiman (Hachiman-den) in Tōdai-ji, it is classified as a National Treasure of Japan since 19 February 1957 (upgraded from previous status as Important Cultural Property on 2 August 1901), and is the only syncretic piece by him.

[4] Up til the Meiji Restoration, syncretism was prominent between Shintoism and Buddhism, in the form of shinbutsu-shūgō, in which the history of Hachiman worship was closely involved with the construction of Tōdai-ji in 749.

As the reconstruction of the temple proceeded, Hachiman, who had seen popular worship and attention as the guardian kami of Tōdai-ji, had his hall erected with much support by Chōgen and the monks in 1194.

He wears a grey undergarment, ochre robe, and is painted with a tōyama pattern, wisps of reds (shades of lacquer and cinnabar), greens and blues.

Reduced emphasis on bone structure, wrinkles are to emphasize the statue's status as a god, though the polychromy is utilized to accentuate on its human features.