Artworks

Seated Shaka, Mirokudō, Murōji

Artwork · Anonymous · second half of the 9th century · sculpture · Murō-ji Temple

The most impressive sculpture of Murōji: Shaka seated, carved from a single piece of hinoki wood except the knees and forearms, but hollowed in head and chest and the openings closed with fitted pieces. The heavy torso and huge head lean forward over the broad base of the crossed legs, creating a tension between viewer and image. The robe is carved in the rolling-wave style (honpa shiki), a thick fold alternating with a shallow one; it was painted with gofun and textile designs, of which only the white ground and a patch of vermilion remain. 1 Mason 2005, p. 137, fig. 165. ↩ Literatur Mason 2005: Penelope E. Mason, History of Japanese Art, 2nd, Pearson Education LTD. 2005.