Jokei

JAPAN; Kamakura period

Jokei was a Kei school Buddhist sculptor who is assumed to have been a disciple of Kokei, a famous sculptor from Nara. Although he inherited the sculpting style of the Chinese Song dynasty (960–1279), he developed his own unique and lively skills as an artist. The Buddhas he sculpted appear active, powerful, and stable, with rippling cloth folds. He was known to have almost exclusively sculpted for Kofukuji Temple in Nara.
His most well-known works include Bugaku Dance, which is listed as an Important Cultural Property and kept at the Kasugataisha Shrine in Nara; and the 87.9 cm high statue of Vimalakirti in the Golden Hall of Kofukuji Temple, listed as a National Treasure. In addition, he sculpted statues of Brahma and Sakra, both of which were originally also kept at Kofukuji Temple; the former is now at the Nezu Museum in Tokyo, and the latter is an Important Cultural Property still retained by the temple.