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Nearly all the resources which are available on Buddhist Sculpture, in the country of Japan, inform us that there were four to five schools of statue creation existing in the country down the ages. Japanese Buddha Sculpture has been subjected to these influences. Over the ages Japanese Buddha Sculpture has been composed under different the influence of the different schools of style.
It is said that Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the mid- 6th century. Following this in the decades to come, the Sculpture related to the creation of the images of Buddha, was primarily in the hands of artisans who belonged to a Korean or a Chinese stock. They happened to be inhabitants of Japan. The main work in the designing of the statues of the Holy One can be attributed to Tori Busshi. He had pupils too. Busshi enjoyed royal patronage as well as rewards for his the immense talent he manifested. Tori Busshi is known to have have been influenced by the art of Japan's early Asuka period. The features of this style which found expression in the images comprise a marked frontal, crescent-shaped lips turned upwards, almond shaped eyes, as well as symmetrically shaped prominently visible folds. Busshi's style is evocative of an sense of inner peace which can be felt by the onlooker. This is very much in keeping with the nature of a religious sculpture.
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The Enpa School was the creation of Jocho. He trained and inspired a generation of artists. They then went on the establish Japan's three most powerful workshops. The Kei school also emerged from the efforts of Jocho, once again. It is this school which dominated Japanese Buddhist statuary right through the 13th and 14th centuries. The statues which were sculpted by this school, seemed to embody a sense of power, dynamism and realism at the same time. They had an a robust air about them
The Kamakura period saw the secularization of Buddhism. The religion became more open to the masses. The faith stressed simplicity of worship over complex ritual. Simplicity and frugality became the new watchwords. This influenced the arts too.
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The images featured elaborate hair topknots, long finger- nails, applied jewelry as well as robes which had wavy drapes about them .
During the Edo period, the declining fortune of Japan's traditional Buddhist monasteries witnessed a great interest in Buddhism amongst the peasant classes. Buddhism of this day and age was however, fraught with rituals and superstitions. However, there were two wandering monks of great fame who revived a carving technique. Their pieces were carved from a single piece of wood.
Through this brief overview you might have gained an insight into the sheer richness of Japanese Buddha Sculpture. One which enjoys a rich and diverse history and cannot be pinned down in words.
For more information on Buddhist Sculpture and Sculpture, do browse through the links provided for further information .
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