Ingyokei

JAPAN; Kamakura period

Ingyokei, also known as Ikotsune or Ino Yukitsune, was a stone craftsman from Yamato (present day Nara). He was the descendant of Yin Xingmo, also known as Igyomatsu, a Chinese stone craftsman of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) who came to Japan in 1180 to participate in the reconstruction of Todaiji Temple in Nara. Ingyokei was also the fourth-generation successor of the Yamato school of crafting, as well as the governor of Satsuma province. The stone Buddhas he created were mostly bas-relief with a natural and lifelike aesthetic, carved with delicacy. Stylistically, the statues are simple, elegant, and powerful, with high artistic value.
His masterpieces include the large Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva carved out of a piece of sandstone, now located in the main shrine of Jizobuji Temple in Wakayama, and the Buddha Triad at Hodukiyama, carved out of a stone slab at the ruins of Kounji Temple in Okayama. An inscription at the base of the slab records the name Ino Yukitsune with the year 1305. The hexagonal stone pillar at Hodukiyama, which features twelve Buddhas, was also carved by him. These works are listed as Important Cultural Properties. In addition, there is the two-tier Hodukiyama Stone Pagoda, and the cliff statue of Amitabha Buddha that remains in Nara also carved by Ingyokei.