Shinjyuan: Ikkyu Sojun

JAPAN, Kyoto; Muromachi period

The portrait statue of the Zen Master Ikkyu Sojun is thought to date from ten years after his death. It is assembled from several pieces of cypress wood with eyes inlaid with jade. It is listed as an Important Cultural Property.
Ikkyu is dressed in monastic robes with a textured over-robe decorated with banded floral patterns that reaches almost to the floor. He sits in a solemn state on a brocade-covered armchair with hands resting on his legs. The wrinkled face is mustached and lightly bearded. These latter details, in addition to the eyebrows and hair, are made from animal fur, which is a rare sculptural feature.