Everything about Tori Busshi totally explained
Tori Busshi (止利仏師) was a
Japanese sculptor active in the late 6th and early 7th century. He was from the
Kuratsukuri (鞍作, "saddle-maker") clan, and his full title was
Shiba no Kuratsukuri-be no Obito Tori Busshi (司馬鞍作部首止利仏師);
Busshi is a title meaning "the maker of Buddhist images". By the early 7th century, Tori Busshi had become the favorite sculptor of
Soga no Umako and
Prince Shōtoku. Such high-ranking patrons indicate that Tori was highly esteemed as an artist and not just an anonymous craftsman. Many extant
Asuka period sculptures in gilt
bronze are credited to Tori and his workshop. The artist's work epitomizes
Japanese sculpture during the era, with its solid, geometric figures in front-oriented, characteristic poses.
Life and works
Tori's grandfather was a
Chinese man named Shiba Tatto who immigrated to Japan in 522. Shiba and his son, Tasuna, were both
saddle makers. The position was hereditary, and the ornamentation common for saddles at the time familiarized them and young Tori with
metal casting,
lacquer working, and
wood carving.
Tori Busshi's first known work is a
bronze Shaka image of
Asuka-dera,
Asuka,
Nara Prefecture, which he finished in 606. The work made a favorable impression on Empress Suiko, and she granted Tori lands and rank equivalent to those of someone of the later fifth grade. Tori also produced an embroidered wall hanging this year.
The
Yakushi Nyorai (Buddha of healing) of
Wakakusa-dera is often attributed to Tori Busshi. The work was done in 607 at the request of
Emperor Yōmei and Prince Shōtoku for the newly established Wakakusadera. Attribution of the work to Tori comes from an inscription on the back of the Buddha's
halo. However, this inscription was probably done later than 607, which leads many scholars to speculate that the extant work is a copy of an original that may have been lost in a temple fire in 670. Nevertheless, art historians such as Seiroku Noma hold that only Tori Busshi had the skill necessary to do the piece.
Sculptural style
Tori's works exemplify Japanese Buddhist art during the
Asuka period. By Tori's day, Chinese sculptors had adopted a more realistic style, but Tori probably took his cue from traditionalist
Korean Buddhists from the kingdom of
Paekche. What distinguishes Tori's works is that it conveys peace and softness despite a rigid adherence to stock poses and geometrical features.
Tori's Buddha figures sit with an upright posture and crossed legs, their robes cascading down the body in regular, well defined folds. The geometric shapes underlying the sculptures appear in their triangular silhouettes and give them a look of tranquility and steadiness.
The Shaka Triad in particular is an example of a mature Wei style.
The sculpture features a Buddha figure similar to that of the earlier Shaka statue, seated on a rectangular dais. This Buddha's robes flow down the front of the platform and betray the weightiness of the figure. A series of animated elements contrast the serene and regular Buddha. His head is surrounded by a flaming halo, in which are seated the
Seven Buddhas of the Past (previous incarnations of Buddhahood preceding Shaka). A jewel of flames on an inverted lotus blossom, representing the wisdom of the Buddha, appears above the Shaka's head, and its leafed vine encircles the Buddha's head.
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