Sk: a-hum. 'A' is the sound of the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet and is pronounced with the mouth open.…

A raised platform with a *tatami 畳 mat on top, often having a brightly…

A statue of a figure with its mouth open. Usually seen on one of a pair of guardian kings *Niō…

Also written as 阿瘤尉. A Noh mask *nōmen 能面, representing a dignified, old man who…

A dance piece in *bugaku 舞楽, as well as the mask *…

Lit. nun. A character in kyōgen 狂言 plays, represented by a masked figure *…

One of a group of chanted prayers used to express penitence to various Buddhist deities. Prayers of repentance to *…

Also read Amida kuhon-in. Lit. Mudras of the nine grades of Amida. The Pure Land jōdo 浄土 into which *…

The simplest form of robe that a Buddhist priest wears when he is either resting or at work. The andae is one of…

A style of Buddhist statuary originated by Kaikei 快慶 (?-1189-1221-?), a devout believer in the Pure Land sect, Jōdokyō …

Lit. rough cutting. The second stage in the making of a wooden statue. The first stage is to cut a large block of timber the…

Lit. rough clay. Clay mixed with other materials (known as *susa すさ),…

A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing an old man. The broad bone structure, direct…

Also written 麻緒, 麻苧, asahimo 麻紐, asa-ito 麻糸. Cord or thread made from hemp, asa 麻, and Chinese…

Lit. foot-tenon. A rectangular piece of wood that projects from the sole of a standing wooden statue and fits into a…

A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 of the basic emaciated *…

Also written 霊神, 網像, 危. Noh masks *nōmen 能面, representing a wraith or a…

Also written 阿夜岐理 and called Aikirijo 愛嗜女. A dance piece in *bugaku 舞楽 and a…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a sprite who possesses the elixir of long life…

Also bosatsusō 菩薩相. The expression of compassion found on Buddhist images. The opposite is *…

Also read jibutsu. Sk: lakasana. The hand-held attributes of a Buddhist image. Along with the mudra *…

Also ninchū. A vertical groove between the nose and upper lip of Buddhist images. The jinchū differed…

Lit. God body or God style; also written 神容. A noh mask*nōmen 能面 representing a…

An object shaped like a lotus bud and stem used in Buddhist rituals, particularly favored by the Ji 時 sect. Usually made of…

The Ten Greatest Ancient Sculptors of Noh masks *nōmen 能面…

Also nitō. Round earrings found on sculpted Buddhist images. These were used on Chinese figures, but were extremely…

A style of sculpture created by the Buddhist sculptor *busshi 仏師 Jōchō 定朝 (?-…

A standard height for a Buddhist statue. A variation of the *jōroku 丈六.…

A decorative scarf worn by Buddhist deities and guardian figures. It is draped diagonally across the upper body, usually…

A mask representing an old man, jō 尉, in particular the old men masks of the *…

A standard height for a Buddhist statue. Abbreviation of one *jō 丈 and six …

Also written 縄牀. Also jōton 縄榻. A rough chair, originally from India, with the back or seat wrapped in rope or cord…

Sixteen. A noh mask *nōmen 能面, representing the young Heike 平家…

A general term for any ornamental band of cloth found on a bodhisattvas *bosatsu…

A portrait, sculpted or painted, made during the lifetime of the subject. The most common was a *…