Almost all sculptures designated national treasures are owned by temples or shrines, though some exceptions do exist, including the seated statue of Bhaisajyaguru (Yakushi Nyorai, the Healing Buddha) under the care of the Nara National Museum in Nara (formerly in the possession of the Nyakuoji-sha Shrine in Kyoto), the wooden statue of Samantabhadra (Fugen Bosatsu in Japanese) riding an elephant owned by the Okura Shukokan Museum of Fine Arts (of the Okura Culture Foundation; the original owner is unknown), and the Usuki Magaibutsu (the stone-cliff Buddha) owned by the city of Usuki in Oita.
国宝彫刻のそのほとんどを寺社が所有しているが、例外として奈良・奈良国立博物館保管の薬師如来坐像（京都・若王子社旧蔵）、東京・大倉集古館（大倉文化財団）所有の木造普賢菩薩騎象像（伝来不明）、大分・臼杵市所有の臼杵磨崖仏がある。