Heavenly Kings - Virupaksa by Yamaguchi no Atai; Asuka period
Camphor wood
Yamaguchi no Atai
JAPAN; Asuka to Hakuho period (538–710)
Yamaguchi no Atai was a sculptor who was active during the mid-7th century. His ancestor Achi no Omi was a great grandson of Emperor Ling (reigned 168–189) of the Later Han dynasty.
According to the Chronicles of Japan, in 650, Yamaguchi no Atai was issued an edict to sculpt 1,000 Buddhas. There are several different versions of these Buddhas; one features 1,000 seated Buddhas made of gold and bronze which are now kept in the Golden Hall of Horyuji Temple in Nara. Another version is that of 1,000 Buddhas made of bricks decorating the walls of the temple. The Golden Hall of Horyuji Temple in Ikoma, Nara also houses Four Heavenly Kings carved from camphor wood made by him, and an inscription with his name is found on the nimbus of Virupaksa, Heavenly King of the West, and Vaisravana, Heavenly King of the North.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People, page 313.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Pokorski, Stefanie and Yichao and Mankuang and Miaohsi,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People },
pages = 313,
title = {{Yamaguchi no Atai}},
volume = 19,
year = {2016}}