zoubussho　造仏所

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

Government-run workshops making Buddhist statues during the Nara period (late 7-8c). Post-9c independent and temple-run workshops were called *bussho 仏所. In the Nara period, the government set up a temporary office zoujishi 造寺司, when a temple was to be constructed. Under the supervision of the zoujishi, was the zoubussho, which made statues for the new temple. When construction was finished the zoujishi and zoubussho were reduced in size or closed down. The head of a zoubussho was known as bettou 別当 and his deputy as shouryou 将領. Sculptors were divided according to specialist skills kou 工 (shikou 司工 and kokou 雇工 ), or general skills bu 夫 (jichou 仕丁 and kobu 雇夫). Shikou had a permanent position in the workshop and the status of government employee, while kokou were hired for temporary periods. Jichou did a variety of errands, and kobu non-skilled heavy labor. From the late 7c, important zoubussho were located in Yakushiji 薬師寺, Daianji 大安寺, Koufukuji 興福寺 and other Nara temples. The largest and longest-working workshop was at Toudaiji 東大寺, *Zou Toudaiji Zoubussho 造東大寺造仏所, and was active in approximately 748-789. In 762-3, there were 1619 sculptors recorded as working there. These sculptors were responsible for wood, dry-lacquer, clay statuary and various other artifacts. Metal statues were made in a separate casting workshop chuusho 鋳所. After the closure of Zou Toudaiji Bussho, no new government workshops were set up, and many sculptors became temple employees or worked independently.

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