|
Kuninaka no Muraji Kimimaro
(b c. AD 700; d 774). Japanese sculptor. He worked in the Buddhist tradition of the Nara period (AD 710–94; see also JAPAN, §V, 3(ii)). Like many artists of that time, Kimimaro was of foreign descent, his grandfather having immigrated from the Korean kingdom of Paekche in the 660s. His original family name was Kuni, but when he was rewarded in 749 with the honorary rank of muraji (a hereditary title granted to government officials), it was changed to Kuninaka after the village where the family resided. Kimimaro directed work on the monumental bronze Great Buddha (Daibutsu) at Todaiji (see NARA, §III, 4), which became the symbol of Buddhism as state religion. Since his name first appears in a record dated 745 (Tenpyo 17), he may also have worked on the predecessor to the Great Buddha, which was begun in 743 at Kogadera near the Shigaraki Palace to the north of Nara (anc. Heijo). Emperor Shomu moved the project back to Nara in 745 and appointed Kimimaro chief sculptor in 747. At the same time, Kimimaro is recorded as having requisitioned materials for the mandorla for the statue of Fukukenjaku Kannon (Skt: Amoghapasha Avalokiteshvara), the main image of the Hokkedo at Todaiji; although it is unclear whether he participated in the production of the image itself. It can, however, be assumed that, over the next 15 years, Kimimaro directed work on all the other statuary for Todaiji. While serving as assistant director of the Office for the Construction of Todaiji from 761 to 769, he oversaw sculptural projects at the Jodoin at Hokkeji, Shinyakushiji (see NARA, §III, 8) and Ishiyamadera. Kimimaro was not simply an administrator but a skilled artist with considerable knowledge of casting techniques. Unfortunately, the Great Buddha was twice burnt, and only the lotus pedestal, the legs and a small portion of the torso remain of the original image. Thus, the representations of the Paradises of Shaka (Skt: Shakyamuni) on the petals of the lotiform pedestal provide the only references to his style. Noteworthy for their naturalistic proportions and fluid drapery, these images reflect Chinese Tang period (618–907) styles from c. 700.
|
|
There are more than 45,000 articles in The Grove Dictionary of Art.
To access the rest of this article, including the bibliography, subscribe to
www.groveart.com.
To find out more about this subject, click on a related article below and
subscribe to www.groveart.com
|
