ichiboku-zukuri　一木造

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

Also called ichibokuchou 一木彫 or ichiboku chousei 一木彫成. Antonym of *yoseki-zukuri 寄木造. A wood sculpture construction technique where the main part of a statue (the head and torso) are made from a single block of wood. The term is used even if projecting parts, such as the hands, arms, or knees of a seated figure, are made separately and joined to the single-block main body. In many cases, however, projecting limbs and even a part or the whole pedestal may be carved from the same block. The sculptor usually hollows out a cavity *uchiguri 内刳, in the center of the statue by chiseling from the bottom or the back. This helps to prevent the wood from cracking with ambient moisture changes and lessens the weight of a statue. Often the *warihagi 割刳 technique was employed to carve the cavity. Ichiboku-zukuri is the most straightforward technique for carving images. Japanese examples exist from all periods. However as other sculptural techniques in wood and lacquer developed (particularly yoseki-zukuri), the technique had become less popular by the 11c. The consensus is that the finest pieces of ichiboku-zukuri are early examples that date from the later 8c to 9c. Their creative impulse and expression probably was influenced by the tradition of sandalwood sculpture *danzou 壇像, (which originated in India and came to Japan via China) and by the continuing Japanese reverence for the spirits thought to animate large trees. Representative examples include, Yakushi nyoraizou 薬師如来像 of Shin'yakushiji 新薬師寺 (late 8c) and Juuichimen Kannonzou 十一面観音像 of Hokkeji 法華寺 (early 9c). These are known for their solidity and imposing sense of volume that fully express the essential massiveness of a large block of wood.

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