Unkei

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Unkei 運慶


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2008年03月19日Asahi Shinbun



© PHOTO and Text　www.asahi.com


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Unkei's wood sculpture sells for record $12.8 mil. in N.Y.
NEW YORK, March 18, 2008 (AP)

A newly discovered wood sculpture attributed to the legendary sculptor Unkei sold Tuesday for $12.8 million, or about 1.25 billion yen, in New York, the highest ever for any Japanese or Buddhist artwork auctioned in the world, British auction house Christie's said.

Major Japanese department store operator Mitsukoshi Ltd. made a successful bid for the 12th century sculpture against a private American collector, according to the auction house.

"History was made today with the phenomenal result of $14,377,000, which is a testament to the extreme importance and beauty of this supreme Buddha," said Katsura Yamaguchi, international director for Japanese and Korean Art. Yamaguchi was referring to the price with premium charged by the auction house.

Unkei was a favorite among warriors of the Kamakura period (1192-1333) known for his realistic and dynamic renditions of Buddhist figures.

The event has drawn strong interest from bidders as it was the first time that a work attributed to Unkei was put to auction outside Japan.

Christie's said before the auction that the supreme Buddha "is the most valuable work ever offered in the category" of Japanese and Korean Art. The final bidding price shattered the presale estimate of $1.5 million to $2.5 million.

The Dainichi Nyorai figure, decorated in gold foil, is 66.1 centimeters tall and made of Japanese cypress. It sits on lotus position, with hair piled in a high topknot and wearing the crown and jewelry of royalty.

According to Christie's, the statue has been owned by a private collector based in the northern Kanto region near Tokyo since 2000.

The statue, originally housed in a temple in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, is believed to have been lost during the late 19th century when the Meiji government enforced a widespread anti-Buddhist movement in a bid to unite Japan under its native religion Shinto.

The Tokyo National Museum inspected the statue in 2003 with X-rays and found inside several dedicatory items, including a wood placard with pagoda-shaped finial and crystal ball supported by a bronze lotus stand that are characteristic to the school of Buddhist sculptors led by Unkei.

Tsutomu Yamamoto, professor at Seisen University who conducted the examination, has said the statue dates back to the late 12th century and is likely attributed to Unkei based on its facial expressions, clothing design and the technique with which its hair is carved.

But the statue has not been designated as a cultural asset by Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency, a status that would oblige the owner to inform the government of any plans for a sale.

The agency so far designated 12 works made or believed to have been made by Unkei as national treasures or cultural assets.

"It was spectacular, because we're only here to bid some small goods. And actually this was the first time for me to join the actual auction," said Frederick White, 56.
"Buddha himself must have been surprised by this."
©　(Kyodo)—　News March 2008

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March 25, 2008

A Japanese temple revealed Tuesday that it bought a sculpture of the Buddha for a record 14.3 million dollars at a New York auction, saying it did not want the icon to fall into foreign hands.

Shinnyo-en, a Buddhist temple in suburban Tokyo, said it bought the 800-year-old depiction of the Dainichi Nyorai, or the Supreme Buddha, with donation money from believers.

The auction last week at Christie's in New York set a new record for a piece of Japanese art and far exceeded the sculpture's pre-sale estimates of 1.5 million to 2.5 million dollars.

Leading department store Mitsukoshi bid on behalf of the temple, reportedly against a private American collector.

"We didn't have special interest in this sculpture until news reports said it may fall in foreign hands at this auction," said priest Seiji Nishikawa, director of general planning department of Shinnyo-en.

"Even though we see it as the Buddha, our financial resources were limited. The bidding price was close to crossing our limit, which would have meant it went abroad," he told a news conference.

The seated figure of the Supreme Buddha in the esoteric pantheon is made out of cypress wood and was described by Christie's as being in fine condition.
The artist is believed to be Unkei, one of the master carvers of the early Kamakura period (1185-1333).

"We feel a deep connection to the Dainichi Nyorai as we are a religious corporation which is based on esoteric Buddhism," Nishikawa said.
"We don't see it as an art but see it as the Buddha. But we would like to prepare an appropriate facility that is open to people who want to see the sculpture as art," he said.

The temple will initially ask a museum to store the sculpture until the temple builds a sanctuary for it in 10 years, Nishikawa said.

The statue is believed to have come from a temple, later becoming part of a prominent family collection. However, its existence was unknown to wider circles until it was later sold to a Buddhist dealer and bought by the seller.

The figure contains three dedicatory objects sealed inside the torso including two five-stage pagodas, one in wood and one in crystal, as well as a crystal ball supported by a bronze stand.
©　news.yahoo.com


Shinnyo-en 真如苑
http://www.shinnyo-en.org


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新発見の大日如来像と運慶
山本勉　　(やまもとつとむ) Yamamoto Tsutomu


「運慶の如来像発見」。
今年3月13日の読売新聞朝刊は一面カラーで、この大日如来像の発見を報じた。 前日に取材をうけた当人であり、記事の内容を前夜遅くに聞いていたわたしも、駅の売店でもすぐに目にはいる金色の仏身の写真に心がおどった。 同日の朝刊では、朝日新聞にも記事が掲載され、夕刊以降は他紙にも後追い記事がつづいた。

後に聞いたところでは、新幹線車内の電光ニュースにも流れたという。 東京国立博物館で像の公開がはじまった4月6日にはNHKテレビのニュースでも放映された。

「運慶」という名前の大きさに、あらためて驚くばかりであった。

MORE is HERE
©　山本勉

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Unkei 運慶 (d. 1223)
It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of Unkei to the world of Japanese Buddhist statuary. He is the undisputed champion of Kamakura-era statuary, which featured a new realism, heroic spirit, power and passion, muscular bodies, plump fleshy faces, and virile strength.

UNKEI
Mark Schumacher has all the details.


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