Kuya

JAPAN; Heian period

Master Kuya was a monk and artist who had a Dharma name of Kosho. It is said that when he was around 20 years old, he renounced at Kokubunji Temple in Aichi and called himself Kuya. While traveling extensively, he propagated the Dharma and promoted the Pure Land school, advocating the chanting of the Buddha’s name. He is regarded as the patriarch of the Nenbutsushu school of Buddhism. Master Kuya was devoted to assisting those in need and aided the communities he visited by digging wells, building bridges, paving roads, and educating the people.
In 948, Master Kuya observed Mahayana precepts under monk Ensho, the abbot of Enryakuji Temple in Shiga. He established Saikouji Temple in Kyoto three years later; the temple was renamed Rokuharamitsuji Temple after Master Kuya’s passing in 972.
Skilled in the sculpting of statues and copying scriptures, his surviving sculptural works include the Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara and the Four Heavenly Kings at Rokuharamitsuji Temple in Kyoto, which are listed as Important Cultural Properties. Master Kuya is also known for sculpting a 10 ft high Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Brahma, Sakra, Four Heavenly Kings, and more. In addition, he spent 13 years copying the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra.