All Categories - Carving The Divine

The “hollowing” of a statue carved with the yosegi-zukuri technique presented opportunities for...

One of the more curiously sculpted features of a meditating Buddha is the portrayal of connected,...

One of the primary messages that the documentary Carving The Divine brings to our awareness is...

Butsuzo, Japanese sculptural depictions of Buddhist deities, can be found throughout the nation...

In the early periods of Japanese art history, eyes were simply carved into the wood (and then...

As one who has worked with a mallet and chisel, the subject of any artwork’s attribution has...

In my fourth blog, “Woodcarving Techniques for Scale,” the basic history and major techniques of...

The reception of the Todaiji’s twin guardian Kongōrikishi in 1203 was overwhelming (see previous...

After the Genpai wars (1185), the Nara-based Keiha Busshi knew big sculpting commissions were...

As we discussed in the last writing, Japan’s political separation from T’ang China ushered in...

Buddhist sculpture is a widely recognized art form that hails from many parts of Asia over a wide...

Although a common medium since Japan’s earliest days of Buddhism, it was around the mid-Heian...

When admiring Butsuzō in a temple, shrine or museum, you may see statues that have not been...

I am often asked to explain the word Butsuzō. There are a couple of ways to address this question...

Call me an overgrown kid, but I’ve always loved figures. From the earliest age, my action figures...