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was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He specialized in statues of the Buddha and other important Buddhist figures. Unkei's early works are fairly traditional, similar in style to pieces by his father, Kōkei. However, the sculptures he produced for the Tōdai-ji in Nara show a flair for realism different from anything Japan had seen before. Today, Unkei is the best known of the Kei artists, and many art historians consider him its "most distinguished member".〔Varley 94.〕 ==Career== Many extant works are said to be his, but the first that can be attributed to him with any certainty is a Dainichi Nyorai at Enjō-ji in Nara (1176). Unkei was a devout Buddhist, and records from 1183 (Heian period end) show that he transcribed two copies of the ''Lotus Sutra'' with the aid of two calligrapher monks and a woman sponsor named Akomaro.〔Stone 135.〕 In the works' colophon, Unkei gives the names of all involved in performing the ritual obeisance (''raihai'') during the project's duration; the list includes Unkei himself and several members of his school. Unkei further records that he tallied the lines copied at the end of each day and then had devotees bow three times and chant the "august title" (likely ''daimoku'') and the ''nembutsu'' for each one. In all, Unkei records that "During the copying, the above persons bowed fifty thousand times and () the ''nenbutsu'' one hundred thousand times, and the august title of the ''Lotus Sutra'', one hundred thousand times."〔Quoted in Stone 135.〕 In 1203, Unkei worked with Kaikei, two other master sculptors, and 16 assistants to create two guardian figures for the gates of the Nandaimon (Great South Gate) of Tōdai-ji in Nara. The statues, known as the Kongō Rikishi or Niō, are 26 feet tall.〔Paine 110.〕 The team finished the figures in 72 days using the ''yosegi'' technique of sculpting various pieces of wood separately and then combining them for the finished product.〔Mason 188.〕 Sometime between 1208 and 1212, Unkei sculpted a figure of a ''Miroku Butsu'' (Sanskrit: Maitreya Buddha) at Tōdai-ji, along with several accompanied figures. These included two bodhisattva, the Shitennō (Four Heavenly Kings), and a pair of Indian ''rakan'' (Sanskrit: arhats) named Muchaku and Seshin. Only the Miroku Butsu and rakan still stand today.〔Mason 189.〕 After the completion of these works and others at the Kōfuku-ji, Unkei moved the Kei school's headquarters to Kyoto. Unkei was chiefly acting in Kyoto and Nara. However, he traveled to Kamakura sometimes to do commissions for high-ranking samurai and administrators of the shogunate.〔 A late 12th century sculpture of Dainichi Nyorai, attributed to Unkei, sold at auction at Christie's on March 18, 2008 for US$14.37 million, making it the most expensive Japanese art ever sold.〔http://most-expensive.net/japanese-art〕〔"(A Highly Important Wood Sculpture of Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana) )." ''Christie's. Accessed 18 November 2008.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Unkei」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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