The was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

school (style) of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

which emerged in the early

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

(c. 1200). Based in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

, it was the dominant school in Buddhist sculpture in Japan into the 14th century, and remained influential until the 19th. Art historian Joan Stanley Baker cites the Kei school's early works as the last highpoint in the history of Japanese sculpture.Baker, Joan Stanley. ''Japanese Art''. London: Thames and Hudson, 1984. p109.

Background and history

The Kei school developed out of that led by the ''

busshi A Busshi (仏師) is a Japanese sculptor specializing in Buddha statues. List of Busshi * Chōkai ( ja) * Chōsei ( ja) * Eikai ( ja) * Enkū * Ensei ( ja) * Genkei ( ja) * Gyōkai ( ja) * Higo Bettō Jōkei ( ja) * Inchō ( ja) * Injo ...

'' (Buddhist sculptor)

Jōchō Jōchō (定朝; died 1057 AD), also known as Jōchō Busshi, was a Japanese sculptor of the Heian period. He popularized the '' yosegi'' technique of sculpting a single figure out of many pieces of wood, and he redefined the canon of body propo ...

's successor, Kakujō and Kakujō's son Raijō, the leading sculptors of the preceding generations. These artists are sometimes said to have founded the Kei school;Keiha 慶派
" ''Japanese Architecture and Art Users System (JAANUS).'' 2001. Accessed 17 November 2008. however, the school would not come into its own, and become associated with the name "Kei" until Raijō was succeeded by Kōkei and

Unkei Unkei ( ja, 運慶; – 1223) was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He specialized in statues of the Buddha and other important Buddhist figures. Unkei's early works are fairly traditional, simil ...

around the year 1200. Unkei's six sons and their descendants in turn later succeeded to leadership of the school. Much of the cities of

and

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

were destroyed in the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

of 1180-1185. The Kei school was granted the opportunity to restore Nara's greatest temples, the

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...

and

Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. History Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 b ...

, replacing their Buddhist sculptures. The Kei school's strong and traditional style earned it the favor of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...

; the school also lacked the Imperial political ties that the

In school IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

and

En school En or EN may refer to: Businesses * Bouygues (stock symbol EN) * Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (reporting mark EN, but now known as Southern Railway of Vancouver Island) * Euronews, a news television and internet channel Language and writing * E ...

had, and was thus selected by the shogunate for this honor, catapulting the school to great success and influence. The Tōdai-ji restoration project lasted several generations, from roughly 1180 to 1212,Munsterberg, Huge. ''The Arts of Japan: An Illustrated History''. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1957. p98. and drew extensively on Tenpyō style in

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

, introducing new stylistic elements while remaining true to tradition. New human iconographic forms emerged, with greater simplicity and realism, and more subdued colors. For the first time, crystals with dark centers were used for the eyes of statues; while the Kei school style recalls elements of Nara period sculpture, Joan Stanley Baker describes the Kei school works as less idealized, generic, and impersonal than Nara works. The sculptors of the Kei school focused on the distinctive identity of each statue's subject, and on physical details. A late 12th century sculpture of

Dainichi Nyorai Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East ...

, attributed to Unkei, sold at auction at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

on March 18, 2008 for US$14.37 million, establishing a new record for Japanese art prices at auction, as well as for Asian art sold in New York.A Highly Important Wood Sculpture of Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana)
" ''

. Accessed 18 November 2008.

Gallery

File:Seated Dainichi Nyorai.jpg,

, 1176.

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

Enjō-ji is a Shingon temple in the northeast of Nara, Japan. A number of its buildings and images have been designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, and its late-Heian period gardens are a Place of Scenic Beauty. History ...

File:Gyoga SixPatriarchs Hosso Kofukuji.JPG, Six Patriarchs of the Hossō: Gyōga by Kōkei, 1189. Kōfuku-ji. National Treasure. File:Dainichi Nyorai by anonymous sculptor.jpg, Dainichi Nyorai, attributed to Unkei set a record of auction of Japanese art works at Christie's. 1193. Important Cultural Property File:Six of the Eight Attendants of Fudō Myōō I.jpg, Three Attendants of

Fudō Myōō or Achala ( sa, अचल, "The Immovable", ), also known as (, "Immovable Lord") or (, "Noble Immovable Lord"), is a wrathful deity and ''dharmapala'' (protector of the Dharma) prominent in Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism., Jp. re ...

by Unkei.

Kongōbu-ji is the ecclesiastic head temple of Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on , Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Its name means ''Temple of the Diamond Mountain Peak''. It is part of the " Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range ...

, 1197. National Treasure. File:Seated Jizo Bosatsu by Unkei.jpg, Jizō Bosatsu by Unkei.

Rokuharamitsu-ji is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Founded by Kūya in 951, the Hondō was burned during the wars at the end of the Heian period. Its replacement of 1363, damaged during the Shintō revival at the beginning of the Meiji period, was restor ...

. Important Cultural Property File:小野浄土寺三尊.jpg,

Amitābha Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, discernment, pure perception, purification of aggregates, and deep awarene ...

Kaikei was a Japanese Busshi (sculptor of Buddha statue) of Kamakura period, known alongside Unkei. Because many busshi of the school have a name including ''kei'' (慶), his school is called ''Kei-ha'' (Kei school). Kaikei being also called Annami-da ...

. Jōdo-ji, 1195－1197. National Treasure. File:Ryūtōki.jpg, Ryūtōki by Koben.

, 1215, National Treasure. File:Kuya Portrait.JPG, Portrait of monk

Kūya Kūya (空也; 903-972) was an itinerant Japanese Buddhist monk, or ''hijiri'' (聖), later ordained in the Tendai Buddhist sect, who was an early proselytizer of the practice of the nembutsu amongst the populace. Kuya's efforts helped promote th ...

by Koshō. Important Cultural Property File:Kongōrikishi by anonymous sculptor (Kōfuku-ji, 3) (National Treasure).jpg, Kongo Rikishi in

, 1189. National Treasure. File:Priest Shunjō.jpg, Chōgen, enshrined in the Shunjodo at

. 1206. National Treasure. Attributed to Unkei. File:Kofukuji Monastery The Twelve Generals of Yakushi (423).jpg,

Twelve Heavenly Generals In East Asian Buddhism, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or ''yaksha'', of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing. They are introduced in the ''Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra''. They ...

, Kōfuku-ji, 1207. National Treasure. File:The Twelve Divine Generals.jpg, Twelve Heavenly Generals, attributed to Unkei,

Jōruri-ji is a temple of the Shingon Ritsu school with an historic Japanese garden located in Kizugawa, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the few remaining examples of a Paradise Garden of the early Heian period. The three-storied pagoda, the mai ...

, 1212. Important Cultural Property.

Selected artists of note

* Kōkei *

Tankei Tankei (湛慶 1173 – June 13, 1256) was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He was the student of and eldest son of the master sculptor Unkei. Famous Works *Statue of ''Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokiteś ...

References

*Paine, Robert Treat and

Alexander Soper Alexander Coburn Soper III (February 18, 1904 – January 13, 1993) was an American art historian who specialized in Asian art. He was a longtime editor of the journal ''Artibus Asiae'' and professor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York Uni ...

. ''The Art and Architecture of Japan''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981 (third ed.). pp 110–115. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kei School Schools of Japanese art Buddhism in the Kamakura period Buddhism in the Muromachi period History of art in Japan