kibusshi 木仏師

Lit. Buddhist wood sculptor. Term used to refer to makers of Buddhist statues from the Heian period onward. In the Asuka and Nara periods, Buddhist sculptors were called *busshi 仏師, bukkō 仏工 or zōbutsukō 造仏工, and sculptures were made of bronze, lacquer, or wood. In the Heian period wood became the main material for sculpture, and the term kibusshi was used to refer to all sculptors. Buddhist painters were called *ebusshi 絵仏師.