Tori

JAPAN; Asuka period

Tori was a Buddhist sculptor whose ancestors immigrated to Japan from China or Korea around the same time that Buddhism took root in the country. In 609, Tori was commissioned to sculpt a seated Sakyamuni Buddha statue, which is now kept in the main hall of Asukadera Temple. It was the first gilt-bronze Buddha statue made in Japan and is listed as an Important Cultural Property. In 623, he sculpted a gilt-bronze Sakyamuni Buddha Triad, dedicated to Prince Shotoku on the anniversary of his death. The triad is enshrined in the golden hall of Horyuji Temple. The back of the aureole was sculpted with “Busshi Tori.” The term “Busshi” was used for the first time and referred to an honored sculptor of Buddhist images. Tori’s Buddhas feature smiles on their elongated faces and wear robes with detailed, symmetrical folds.