It is not known who created the Heian period statues, but over 200 of the Kamakura revival era statues bear the inscriptions of their makers, which include Tankei as well as sculptors of renowned schools of Buddhist statuary such as the Keiha school, Impa school and Empa school, and make it clear that the most prominent Buddhist statue artisans of the era participated in their creation.
平安時代の像は作者不明だが、鎌倉復興像は二百数十躯に作者銘があり、湛慶をはじめ慶派、院派、円派など、当時の主要な仏師たちが総出で造像にあたったことがわかる。