ittoubori　一刀彫

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

Also known as nara ningyou 奈良人形 or narabori 奈良彫. Small wooden sculptures made using a simple, rough-carving' method *arabori 荒彫. The technique itself is also called ittoubori. Because the wood is not given a smooth finish, the marks of the carving knife can be seen on the work's surface. The technique is thought to have originated in Nara in the early Edo period. Subject matter included popular figures from *nou 能 and kyougen 狂言 dramas, and the twelve animals in the calendar, juunishi 十二支. Ittoubori became famous through the work of the Nara sculptor Morikawa Toen 森川杜園 (1820-94), who specialized in animal figures, particularly deer. They are now known as a special product of the Nara region, and sometimes also called 'Hida no ittoubori' 飛騨の一刀彫, as Hida 飛騨 is the old name for the Nara district (Gifu prefecture).

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