kamachiza 框座

Keywords
Art History
Sculpture

Lit. frame base. The pieces of wood used around a window used to denote the lowest horizontal section of the dais for a Buddhist image *daiza 台座. Most kamachiza are made of more than one layer and can be divided into the uwagamachi 上框 (upper kamachi) and the shitagamachi 下框 (lower kamachi). Between these two levels there is often a stair-riser *keage 蹴上, a section that is inserted between the two projecting platforms. The lotus-pedestal *rengeza 蓮華座 of the Amida Nyoraizō 阿弥陀如来像 at Byōdōin *Hōōdō 平等院鳳凰堂 (1053) in Kyoto includes an example of a multi-layer kamachiza. As in the Byōdōin base, many kamachiza are octagonal, but they may be square kakugamachi 角框, hexagonal or round marugamachi 丸框. The term *mentori 面取 is used when the edges are beveled. When the corners are rounded, it is called irisumi 入角. An *irisumi marugamachi 入角丸框 is almost round with small indentations around the edge. An example is found in the base of the Nyoirin Kannonzō 如意輪観音像 (9th century) at Kanshinji 観心寺 in Osaka. In a rectangular pedestal shaped like the character 'sen' 宣, *senjiza 宣字座, the upper and lower kamachi are two larger platforms separated by a smaller rectangular box called koshi 腰.