Zou Toudaiji Zoubussho　造東大寺造仏所

KEY WORD :　 art history / sculptures

Also Toudaiji Zoubussho 東大寺造仏所. A workshop which made statues for Toudaiji 東大寺 in Nara. In 748, the government set up a temporary bureau zoujishi 造寺司 to oversee the building of Toudaiji, and the sculpture workshop *zoubussho 造仏所 operated under the supervision of this bureau. The zoubussho was responsible for the production of wood, dry-lacquer, clay statues and temple accessories. Bronze statues, including the Great Buddha *daibutsu 大仏, were made in a separate metal-casting workshop, chuusho�鋳所. Zou Toudaiji Zoubussho developed from Konkoumyouji 金光明寺 zoubussho (742-48), and was the largest and longest-working zoubussho of the Nara period (late 7-8c, active from 748-89). In the years 762-63, period documents report that 1619 sculptors *busshi 仏師, worked there. The workshop had two directors bettou 別当: one was charged with administrative responsibility; and the other with technical supervision. Each bettou had a deputy: the administrative deputy was called shouryou 将領; and technical deputy choujou 長上. Under them worked the skilled sculptors zakkou 雑工, errand boys jichou 仕丁, and laborers kobu 雇夫. Zou Toudaiji Zoubussho held a powerful position in 8c Japanese statuary, and outstanding examples of late-Nara period works are preserved in Toudaiji. These include the dry lacquer *Shitennou 四天王 and *Kongou rikishi 金剛力士, the painted clay Nikkou Gakkou 日光・月光, *Bonten 梵天 and *Taishakuten 帝釈天 in the *Hokkedou 法華堂 (Sangatsudou 三月堂). When work on Toudaiji statues was finished, the government employed Toudaiji Zoubussho sculptors to make statues for other temples, including Ishiyamadera 石山寺 in Shiga prefecture, Saidaiji 西大寺 and Toushoudaiji 唐招堤寺 in Nara, and Touji 東寺 and Saiji 西寺 in Kyoto. Because of a shortage of sculptors, the zoubussho employed independent sculptors satojin 里人 to supplement the work of permanent employees shikou 司工. With the closure of Zou Toudaiji Zoubussho the system of government-run sculpture workshops zoubussho came to an end. Most Toudaiji sculptors went to work for temples in Nara, such as Yakushiji 薬師寺 and Shin'yakushiji 新薬師寺, or set up private workshops.

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