Also takushu 磔手 and chōshu 張手 (Sk: vitasti). A unit of measure that originated in India, used in the…

Father old man. A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a cheerful old man. The powder…

The path purifier, mask worn by the first actor in a procession of ancient theatrical performances gigaku 伎楽.…

Lit. knowledge-fist mudra. A mudra or hand gesture *in 印 formed by…

Also enjiraku or enchiraku 円地楽. A piece in imperial court dancing *…

Also chinzō chōkoku, see *chinsō 頂相. Portrait sculptures of…

Eyes carved directly into the surface of a wooden sculpture. This method was in general use until the late Heian period when…

Also kinjūza 禽獣座 and jūza 獣座. A pedestal or throne for a Buddhist image in the form of a bird or a…

Also pronounced chōketsui. A garment with long sleeves. Seen, for example, on images of *…

Also kairen 開蓮. A lotus flower found on the head of a *Fudō Myōō …

A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 supposedly intended to represent the 9th-century poet and…

Metal casting. A technique used in metalwork to produce vessels or sculptures by melting down metal and pouring it into a…

Also chūdai-no-son 中台の尊. The principal statue in a group of Buddhist statues. The central image in a triad or group…

Also imono 鋳物. Casting. A technique used to make cast sculptural forms. 

The base material was heated…

Also called ichiboku chō 一木彫 or ichiboku chōsei 一木彫成. Antonym of *…

Also ikarakuri. A method of casting metal statues by joining several sections. In the case of a large statue it was…

Repairing a hole or crack in a metal object. There are two methods: 1) crack in a metal statue or vessel is…

One horned hermit. A *noh mask *nōmen…

A triad of Buddhist statues arranged in front of a large nimbus *kōhai 光背, that…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a young man of noble birth. Very similar to *…

A school of Buddhist sculptors *busshi 仏師, based in Kyoto, active from the late…

Also inzō 印相 also read insō, shu-in 手印, and mitsu-in 密印. Sk: mudra. A hand gesture…

A type of Buddhist print design made with a stamp. A seal, usually about 10 cm or smaller, is engraved with the image of a…

Also shizume ukibori 沈め浮彫. Hollow relief carving. An inscription or motif hollowed out of a surface using a burin…

The lowest section of a dais *kamachiza 框座 for a Buddhist sculpture that is…

Also izarai. A finishing stage in the making of cast metal statues. When a cast statue was removed from its mold,…

A square chair with armrests and a back in the form of a Shinto gateway *torii…

A method of metal casting where the form of the desired object was carved into a sandstone mold, and molten metal was poured…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing an old man. The slightly sunken…

Lit. board nimbus. A halo *kōhai 光背 on a Buddhist statue, carved…

Lit. one and a half *chakushu ちゃく手. Approximately 36.3 cm. A…

Lit. single casting. A term used in metal casting when the entire form of a statue was cast at once, and not in separate…

Also ichiji sanrai 一字三礼, ittō sanpai 一刀三拝. Lit. to worship three times with every stroke. A practice…

Also known as nara ningyō 奈良人形 or narabori 奈良彫. Small wooden sculptures made using a simple, rough-…

A base for Buddhist images *daiza 台座, made of rock. It is also referred to as…

Also called iza 倚坐, suisokuza 垂足坐, and chōjiza 丁字坐. An image that is seated on a stool or…