Jōkei (sculptor)
National Treasure of Japan
Jōkei (定慶) was a Japanese
Nara in the 13th century only complicates matters.[1]
Jōkei probably began his career as a disciple of Kōkei, the organizer of the Kei school of sculpture, or of Unkei. In fact, Jōkei may even have been Kōkei's son,[1] though others call him the son of Unkei.[2][3] In this capacity, he sculpted works for the reconstruction of the temples Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji in Nara.
Jōkei followed the lead of Unkei and others in the Kei school in his pursuit of
Niō), carved sometime in the 1190s.[3] The figure stands beside another by Unkei at the main gateway in front of the Kōfuku-ji. Jōkei's Niō is nude to the waist, exposing a tense musculature. The veins in the neck and head are engorged, only heightening the figure's expression of rage. The pose is action-ortiented, as if the king is in the midst of a fight.[4]
The figures of
Song China.[1] His Yuima sits on a pedestal, which is decorated with an elaborately carved lion. The sculpture's high wooden backing, carved to look as if it is covered in cloth, is another Chinese element.[6] An inscription inside the chest portion of the work says that Jōkei worked on it in 1196 for 53 days. It lists Kōen, possibly his son,[7] as the artist who did the coloration.[6]
Notes
References
- Mason, Penelope (2005). History of Japanese Art. 2nd ed, rev. by Dinwiddie, Donald. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
- Noma, Seiroku (2003). The Arts of Japan: Ancient and Medieval. Kodansha International.
- Paine, Robert Treat, and Soper, Alexander (1981). The Art and Architecture of Japan. 3rd ed. Penguin Books Ltd.
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