About this artwork
This figure is said to represent the seventh-century Korean monk Eji, the foremost spiritual teacher of the first great patron of Buddhism in Japan, Prince Shotoku (574-622). The sculpture is made in the ichiboku technique, utilizing only a single block of wood. Its dramatic power is enhanced by the natabori technique, in which the sculptor’s chisel marks are clearly visible on the surface. This is very different from the more polished, usually lacquered surfaces of most Japanese Buddhist sculptures.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 103
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Department
- Arts of Asia
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Title
- Shinto Deity in the Guise of the Monk Hyeja
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Place
- Japan (Object made in)
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Date
- 1001–1125
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Medium
- Wood with traces of pigment
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Dimensions
- H.: 97 cm (38 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Kate S. Buckingham Endowment
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Reference Number
- 2002.22
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/159534/manifest.json