RELIGIOUS STORIES have often been linked in some ways to man's awe of nature, a theme that plays a big role in many legends. The best known in Japan is the tale behind the country's most famous temple, Toshodaiji, founded by Jianzhen, a blind Chinese monk known in Japan as Ganjin. The history of Toshodaiji, whose exquisite treasures are now on display at the Tokyo National Museum, is linked to typhoons and earthquakes. It's said that the temple could be built only after its blind founder had braved typhoons to reach Japan 1,246 years ago. And the 1995 Hanshin earthquake helped bring about the present exhibition. Built in the then-capital of Nara, Toshodaiji served as a showcase of Chinese Buddhist architecture and sculpture, and a repository of Buddhist scriptures and practices. Exhibition curator Mitsuharu Iwasa says the temple has had an enormous cultural influence on Japan. 'Because Japan is an island surrounded by the sea, we've always been deeply interested in overseas culture,' he says. 'This is also true today, but back in those days, Chinese culture was the newest and the best, and things 'made in China' were highly regarded.' Added to the historical significance of Toshodaiji is the drama of Ganjin's attempts to reach his destination. When typhoons held him up, the religious aura of the traveller was only enhanced. The trials that he faced on his journeys, and his success in reaching his goal, became powerful metaphors for the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Before Ganjin's arrival, Japan had steadily been going Buddhist for almost two centuries. But the difficulty of the sea voyage meant Japanese Buddhism was cut off from the more developed and doctrinally correct schools of Buddhism in China. Also, Buddhism's rapid growth in Japan meant there was a need for order and discipline. So, in 733, in one of history's great acts of headhunting, the Japanese emperor Shomu sent envoys to Tang dynasty China to recruit a Buddhist master to reform the religion. In 742, after several years in China, the envoys asked Ganjin, who was then abbot of Daming Temple near Yangzhou, to come to Japan. He's said to have responded with the words: 'For the sake of Buddhism, how can I begrudge my life?' The comments reflect his recognition that the voyage to Japan was considered dangerous. His first two voyages ran into fierce gales and it seemed as if Japan's Shinto gods were doing all in their power to stop encroachment on their influence by a foreign religion. During one voyage, Ganjin was blown off course as far as Hainan Island and shipwrecked on a deserted coast for several months. After being rescued, he became infected with a disease that blinded him on the long journey back to Yangzhou. Iwasa says the Chinese government and Ganjin's fellow monks were reluctant to let him go on such a dangerous journey. Interference from authorities seems to have thwarted three of his attempts. In 745, after his sixth attempt and third sea voyage, he finally reached his destination. Once in Japan, Ganjin reformed Japanese Buddhism and created a cultural revolution, introducing new styles and techniques of architecture and sculpture. It might seem strange that one blind Chinese monk could have such a big impact. But, Iwasa says, Ganjin travelled with a large retinue. On his second attempted journey from China, for example, he travelled with 17 monks and 85 craftsmen. More than a mere missionary expedition, this was a major transfer of technology and art. Although Japan's typhoons played a major role in the saga of Ganjin, the catalyst for the Tokyo National Museum exhibition was Japan's other notorious force of nature: earthquakes. After the 1995 Hanshin earthquake, Toshodaiji's main hall gradually became unstable and needed full-scale restoration. The repairs began in 2000 and are expected to last until 2010. In the meantime, all of the temple's treasures, including a giant statue of Vairocana Buddha, have become part of the exhibition. The museum display recreates the original settings of the main hall, with the Vairocana Buddha surrounded by several protective deities. This great, seated statue was made using a hollow dry lacquer method that involves modelling the image first in clay, then wrapping it in hemp soaked with lacquer, which can be sculpted. After drying, the clay is removed and a wooden framework inserted, making the statue easier to move. The deities are mainly carved from solid blocks of wood with some retouching, using wood waste lacquer. With its enigmatic expression and dark patina, the Vairocana Buddha has an aura of menace, reinforced by the scowling expressions on the faces of the protective deities. This contrasts with the other exhibits, which feature more soothing and meditative works from the Mieido (image hall). Foremost among these is a detailed statue of Ganjin. Usually displayed only once a year - on June 6, the anniversary of his death - the sculpture was commissioned by Jianzhen in his final days. It's a realistic portrait, suffused with an aura of gentle spirituality. Those who get close enough notice the painted-on eyelashes, ear hair, and even stubble. The eyes of the blind monk seem to radiate a light that speaks of mystical inner visions, because the more exposed parts of the statue have been darkened from centuries of incense smoke. Also worth viewing are the 68 sliding door and wall paintings by painter Kaii Higashiyama. These delicate works present scenes of beauty from China and Japan connected with Ganjin, adding to the sense of the man and his legend. Moonlight Evening in Guilin (1980), a depiction of fantastically shaped peaks and rocks in southern China, is a scene with which Ganjin would have been familiar from his one-year sojourn there after another failed attempt to reach Japan. The sweeping beauty of The Sound of Waves (1975), executed in blue azurite, conjures up the power and the majesty of the ocean that first frustrated, then finally brought Ganjin to Japan. National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple: Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha, Tokyo National Museum, 13-9 Ueno Park, Tokyo. Go to www.tnm.go.jp . Ends Mar 6