The Rockefeller Collection in Focus: Jizo Bosatsu Asia Society
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Making a Buddhist Image Zen’en’s Style and Sculpture of the Kamakura Period
Kasuga Shrine Mandala
Attributed to Zen’en (1197–1258)
Monju Bosatsu
Japan; Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Japanese cypress (hinoki) with cut gold leaf (kirikane) and pigment, inlaid crystal eyes (gyokugan)
H. 17 in. (43.3 cm), excluding base
Tokyo National Museum
Image: TNM Image Archives
Source: http://TnmArchives.jp
Produced between 1221 and 1226, this Jizo Bosatsu is among the earliest known works of the sculptor Zen’en. As seen in this image, Zen’en’s early style combines elements of the powerful realism that marks sculpture of the Kamakura period (1185–1333) with a delicacy and charm more typical of eleventh- and twelfth-century works. Viewed from the back, the figure has a realistic presence and sense of mass. In front view, the delicacy of the features and smooth, plump modelling of the face, hands, and feet soften the impression of solidity given by the broad shoulders and firm stance. The Jizo image reveals Zen’en’s individual style, which integrates the old and the new.

The carving and decoration of the garments show a mastery of technique. The rhythmic folds across the abdomen have naturalistic depth, and the weight of the fabric can be sensed as it hangs from the arms, ending in the sharp corners characteristic of Kamakura-period works. Beautiful designs in cut gold leaf (kirikane), employed widely in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, are flawlessly executed over the surface; the skirt of the Monju image at Tokyo National Museum, believed to be a work by Zen’en of the same period, is meticulously decorated in a similar manner. Zen’en’s Juichimen Kannon image of 1221 (at Nara National Museum) is covered in a later application of gilt lacquer, but the fluid ripples of the garment, together with the long eyes and delicately carved nose and mouth, agree with the style of the Jizo and the Monju. All three sculptures share harmonious proportions and an easy, slightly sloping posture, as well as an identical construction method. In these works, Zen’en embraced the refined elegance of the previous era while working confidently within the realism of the Kamakura sculptural style.