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Two wandering monks of the Edo period, Enku and Mokujiki, carved thousands of Buddhist figures as they traveled across Japan, leaving statues in village shrines and temples far from the great monasteries. This book brings together roughly 300 of their finest works, letting you see up close the rough chisel marks, the simplified forms, and above all the gentle smiles that have made these sculptures so beloved.
The book is built in two parts. The first follows Enku, whose carvings found the compassion of the Buddha even in scraps of split wood, tracing his birth, his awakening as a sculptor, and the development of his style. The second turns to Mokujiki and his journey toward two thousand carvings, with figures whose faces overflow with warmth. A special section gathers paintings by both monks, and the closing chapter considers how their work lived within the folk faith of ordinary people.
Closing material includes chronologies for both monks, listings of the main locations where their statues survive today, and an index, making this useful if you are planning to seek the works out in person. Columns on the poems each monk left behind round out the portrait of these two very different men.
The text is in Japanese, with abundant color photography throughout its 168 pages, so the sculptures themselves can be appreciated regardless of language. Published by Tokyo Bijutsu as part of the ToBi Selection series.
Language: Japanese|168 pages|Size: 25.8 × 18.5 × 1.5 cm|Tokyo Bijutsu|2015
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