BUSSHI 仏師 OF JAPAN = SCULPTORS OF JAPAN
Who Made Japan’s Buddha Statues?
Sculptors, Schools & Workshops
in Japanese Buddhist Statuary

Yamaguchi no Ōguchiatai 山口大口費. Also known as Aya no Yamaguchi no Atai Ōguchi 漢山口直大口. A sculptor of the late Hakuhō Period who is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki 日本書紀 (one of Japan's earliest documents, released around +720 but compiled in earlier decades). The Nihon Shoki reports he was active around +650 as a sculptor of Buddhist statues. He is thought to be a descendant of a Chinese family that moved to Japan in the 3th or 4th centuries. 

Work Attributed to Yamaguchi no Ōguchiatai:

• 7th-century statue of Kōmokuten 広目天, one of the four wooden statues of the Shitennō 四天王 at Hōryūji Temple 法隆寺 in Nara. His name is inscribed on the halo of the Kōmokuten statue.
   
• He is also thought to be the sculptor of the famous Kudara Kannon 百済観音 statue (see photo below at right), also at Hōryūji Temple in Nara, and one of Japan’s most acclaimed statues of the period. There is still some disagreement among scholars as to the sculptor who created this piece, but Hōryūji itself suggests it was Yamaguchi.

Representative Work of Hakuhō Era
Main material is bronze, which far outpaces statues made of wood.

• Main Characteristics: Fuller, fleshier figures, more rounded and better-balanced bodies, with softer facial features. Influences include China’s Qui, Sui & Early Tang dynasties.
   
• Says the Kimbell Art Museum: “In the Early Nara Period (Hakuhō Era), the stern face softened and was replaced by a gentle, pure, childlike expression. The body became more naturally rounded to suggest a soft fleshiness......In addition, some sculptures of the Early Nara Period exhibit the fresh, more advanced features characteristic of China’s Sui to Early T’ang (618-ca. 907) Periods, such as the well-balanced compositions and naturalistic proportions and clothing.” <end quote from museum catalog, page 22, entitled The Great Age of Japanese Buddhist Sculpture (AD 300 - 1300).> 
   
• Says JAANUS:
  Quote #1. It must be noted that most American and some Japanese scholars consider the Hakuhō years to be the "Early Nara" Period (Nara Jidai Zenki 奈良時代前期) because the artistic works of the period show stylistic characteristics which are direct precursors of the following Nara Period. <end JAANUS quote #1>
  
  Quote #2. Many extant sculptures and paintings at Yakushiji Temple 薬師寺 and Hōryūji Temple 法隆寺 exemplify the Hakuhō 白鳳 style. The four wooden Shitennō 四天王 statues at Hōryūji (see photo below) are carved in the columnar style of the Northern Qui Dynasty (Jp: Hokusei 北斉 +550-577). The wooden Kudara Kannon 百済観音 (Hōryūji) shares some of the same stylistic components, although it does not project the same sense of volume as the Shitennō; its gentle curves suggest a more naturalistic treatment of the body. The bronze Yakushi Buddha 薬師如来 statue and its two attendant figures Nikkō 日光 and Gakkō 月光 at Yakushiji Temple are full, fleshy figures in the manner of early Tang 唐 (Jp. = Tō, To) Chinese sculpture.” <end Jaanus quote #2> See photos of Yakushi Temple pieces below.  

Four Shitennō at Hōryūji Temple 法隆寺, Nara
Kōmokuten 広目天, Zōchōten 増長天, Tamonten 多門天, Jikokuten 持国天
Painted Wood, Each Statue Approx. 133.5 cm in Height
Photos from Comprehensive Dictionary of Japan's Nat’l Treasures
国宝大事典 (西川 杏太郎. ISBN 4-06-187822-0.


Kōmokuten, by Yamaguchi Busshi
Hakuhō Period, Hōryūji Temple 法隆寺 in Nara
Oldest extant image of Kōmokuten in Japan
Wood, H = 133.3 cm, Mid-7th Century
  PHOTO: Same source as prior photo.

For 50+ photos of Buddhist art that
exemplify the Asuka, Hakuhō, and Nara periods,
please see the Asuka Era Photo Tour (50+)
and the Nara Era Photo Tour (39 Images)