Busshi Explained

A busshi is a Japanese term for Buddhist artists who specialized in painting or sculpting images for Buddhist temples, predominantly in the Nara period.^[1] ^[2] Painters were specifically known as, whereas sculptors who worked with wood were called ki-busshi.^[3] Busshi were organized into both categories of task and grade of mastery:,,, and .^[4] These rank designations continued in use until the Heian period.

Practices

In both the Nara and Heian periods, busshi were organized in that belonged to the imperial court, temples, and the nobility. From the 10th century, the workshops became independent from temples and began working on commission.^[5] The bussho workshops disappeared entirely during the Edo period.

List of Busshi

Chōkai (ja)
Chōsei (ja)
Eikai (ja)
Enkū
Ensei (ja)
Genkei (ja)
Gyōkai (ja)
Higo Bettō Jōkei (ja)
Inchō (ja)
Injo (ja)
Inkaku (ja)
Inkichi (ja)
Inson (ja)
Jōchō
Jōkaku (ja)
Jōkei
Kaikei
Kakuen (ja)
Kakujo (ja)
Kōben (ja)
Kōen
Kōkei
Kōchō (ja)
Kōjo (ja)
Kochi no Obinari (ja)
Kōshō (ja)
Kōshō (ja)
Kōun (ja)
Kuninaka no Kimimaro (ja)
Matsumoto Myōkei (ja)
Myōen (ja)
Raijo (ja)
Seichō (ja)
Tankei
Tori Busshi
Unga (ja)
Unjo (ja)
Unkei
Yamaguchi no Ōguchi (ja)
Zen'en (善円) or Zenkei (ja)
Zenshun (ja)
Zenzō (ja)

Notes and References

Book: Louis-Frédéric . Japan Encyclopedia . 2002 . Harvard University Press . 978-0-674-01753-5 . 95 . en.
Book: Graham, Patricia J. . Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art, 1600–2005 . 2007-09-30 . University of Hawaii Press . 978-0-8248-6246-6 . 252 . en.
Iwao . Seiichi . Sakamato . Tarō . Hōgetsu . Keigo . Yoshikawa . Itsuji . Akiyama . Terukazu . Iyanaga . Shôkichi . Matsubara . Hideichi . Kanazawa . Shizue . 1978 . 9. E-busshi . Dictionnaire Historique du Japon . fr . 4 . 1 . 124–125.
Web site: 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),世界大百科事典内言及 . 小仏師(しょうぶっし)とは？意味や使い方 . 2023-08-23 . コトバンク . ja.
Book: Hempel, Rose . The Heian Civilization of Japan . 1983 . Phaidon . 978-0-7148-2295-2 . 233 . en.