Also gatsurin, getsurin. A perfectly round circle meant to represent the full moon, a frequently used…

Images carved in a niche. In a broad sense the term refers to the Buddhist images of high relief carved into the rock walls…

1　The triangular frame created by joining a pair of cruck-like members *…

Also hoko 鉾. A weapon, found as an attribute of fearsome Buddhist figures such as *…

Return to the castle dance, Alternative names: Genkyōraku 環京楽 (Return to Capital Dance), Genjōraku 還成楽 (Return of One of…

Masks worn for performances of *gigaku 伎楽, now-lost temple processions and…

Silver Buddha. Bronze was the most frequent metal used in the production of Buddhist statues. Where silver was used instead…

Also sōgishi 僧祇支 (Sk: Sankaksika). A robe worn by Buddhist priests under the *…

Also gobutsukan 五仏冠, gobutsu hōkan 五仏宝冠, gochi nyoraikan 五智如来冠, gohō tenkan 五宝天冠. A…

Maid of (the country of) Wu 呉. The only female mask in the *gigaku 伎楽 repertory…

Also written 御光. Aureole. The light emitted from the Buddha. Often expressed as a halo *…

Lit. Man of (the country of) Wu 呉, a gigaku mask *gigakumen 伎楽面,…

A short club with five prongs at each end, usually made of gilt bronze. The central grip is encircled by demons' eyes …

Lit. mudra of the Vanquisher of the Three Worlds (SK: trailokyavijaya mudra). A mudra or hand gesture *…

The internal organs of the body as defined in Chinese medicine kanpō 漢方. A model of the internal organs, made of…

Also written 君持 or 軍遅. Sanskrit kundika. A vase with two spouts, found as an attribute *…

A smile found on Buddhist images, where both ends of the mouth curve upward into the shape of a crescent moon. This smile is…

Lit. crystal eyes. Eyes made of crystal which were inserted into the head of a wooden buddhist statue in order to produce a…

An arrangement of sculpted lotus petals *renben 蓮弁 on a lotus pedestal *…

Lit. traveling image. 

1　Buddhist images shown in the position of walking, often used in…

Also written as 兜. A helmet, usually made of iron. The earliest Japanese helmets were made in the Kofun period. There were…

Also ka'enkō 火焔光. Lit. flame nimbus. A halo *kōhai 光背 on a…

1　Lotus petal design carved around the lower base kiban 基盤 of a lantern *…

1　A pictorial subject taken from one of the eighteen great kabuki plays *…

A ceremony where a Buddhist image not normally on view is unveiled to all worshippers. Normally carried out during a…

Also abbreviated to kaigen or kaigan 開眼, jugan, or jugen 入眼. Lit. eye-opening ceremony.…

Lit. frame base. The pieces of wood used around a window used to denote the lowest horizontal section of the dais for a…

Hairless old man. Also written 上無尉. Alternate name, inarijō 稲荷尉. A nō mask *…

Also sentenmon 旋転文. A spiral pattern used in drapery folds on Buddhist statues. Ridges, representing creases in the…

1　To teach and encourage people to follow Buddhist teachings.

2　To…

An inset or inlay technique. One example is the eyes in a wooden statue in which the shape of the eye is hollowed out and a…

Decorative rings on the arms and legs of Buddhist images. The rings are carved from the same material as the image, or are…

Also kanshitsuzō 乾漆像, kanshitsu-zukuri 乾漆造. Dry lacquer technique. A technique used to produce…

A general term for the ornamentation and style of Buddhist crowns *hōkan…

Also kanzō 冠繪, tentai 天帯, hōzō 宝繪, tenkantai 天冠帯. The ornamental ribbons which…

Also kantan. Man from Kantan. A nō mask *nōmen 能面…

1　Garuda. see *hachibushū 八部衆.

…

1　Flames which emerge from the mouth of the supernatural bird *Karura…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a Zen temple boy in training who serves in the…

A preliminary layer of lacquer applied to a wooden surface to reinforce and preserve the wood. *…

An animal-head decoration found on the shoulders of a soldier's armor yoroi 鎧. Often a lion's head *…

Also okigata 置型. A device used in metal casting. Often, in metal casting, a double mold was used, consisting of an…

1　Sanskrit; karma. A deed, interpreted according to the Buddhist laws of cause and effect.

2…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a ghost of a man of commoner…

Also sometimes read kashouza. A lotus-leaf, kayou 荷葉 dais for a Buddhist image *…

Also shōgon busshi 荘厳仏師. Artists who made metal and jewelled ornaments for Buddhist statues. These ornaments…

Also ōkebutsu 応化仏, hengebutsu 変化仏, ōshin 応身, or keshin 化身. Sk: nirmana-buddha. Lit.…

Also written 華瓶. A vase used to offer flowers on a Buddhist altar. Made of gold, silver, bronze, crystal, or clay. The vase…

A list that was inserted at the end of a sutra or on a piece of paper placed inside a statue, or sometimes written on the…

A school of Buddhist sculptors *busshi 仏師 active from the late Heian period…

Also read motodori. Hair tied on top of the head in a topknot. The same meaning as *…

Also read kyōsaku. A rod, used to awaken monks who doze off during Zen meditation. Shaped like a baton, about 130…

Also zenka fuza 全跏趺坐, or abbreviated to zenkaza 全跏坐, kafuza 跏趺坐, kaza 跏坐. The full-lotus…

Lit. fist. Transliteration of the Sanskrit musti. A mudra or hand gesture *in…

Also read kensaku, kenzaku; also saku 索. A rope, made from five different colored strands (…

Also written 見徳. A comic mask used in kyōgen 狂言 plays. Kentoku has a timid, clownish expression, with…

A line-engraving technique used in metal carving, which consisted of sequences of fine dots. The name keribori…

Buddhist surplice. A general term for an outer garment worn by Buddhist priests and found on Buddhist figures. See *…

Also kekyaku 華脚. Decorative legs that are attached to a desk, an offering stand or the dais a Buddhist image *…

Lit. Buddhist wood sculptor. Term used to refer to makers of Buddhist statues from the Heian period onward. In the Asuka and…

Also kakō kidori 加工木取; aradori 疎取; arakidori 疎木取.

1　The…

A method of metal casting using a wooden model. The wooden model was called kigata 木型. The kigata was…

Kijin masks. Masks representing gods who dispel evil, animal spirits, and Buddhist deities, particularly as…

Also written 金神. A golden figure of Buddha. This may be cast in gold, or made of copper or bronze with a golden colored…

Metal statue. A variety of metals were used for statues in Japan, including iron and silver, but bronze *…

Detached chin of a mask. A feature of the bugaku mask *bugakumen…

A dance piece in *bugaku 舞楽 and the mask *…

Fox. The fox is represented in the kyōgen 狂言 play Tsurigitsune 釣狐 (Fox Trapping) by a masked…

The rules governing the relative proportions of parts when a wooden statue is made by the joining of several pieces of wood…

A kneeling position for a Buddhist image. Bodhisattva figures *Kannon 観音 and *…

A seated position of Buddhist images in which both legs are stretched out to one side. The name of this position is derived…

A general term for armor, yoroi 鎧（*ōyoroi 大鎧) and helmets *…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a girl in the first blush of womanhood. The…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a fierce, old man. Koakujō's features…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a demon from hell who dances a fierce dance. A…

A nail used to secure the molds used in metal casting. When a metal statue was cast using the lost-wax method, a model of…

Halo found on Buddhist images, representing light said to be emitted by the Buddha *gokō…

Also called kōjijō 小牛尉, sometimes pronounced kōshijō. A type of noh mask *…

Also kojin kiza 胡人跪坐. A kneeling position for a Buddhist image. The figure sits with both knees fully bent, and a…

Also kokuso 木屎. A paste that was made by adding wood powder, or plant fibres like hemp, to a mixture of flour and…

Also kōkyakubu 光脚部, *ukebana 受花. A part of the nimbus…

A Buddhist image seated on a throne or pedestal having pendant legs that are crossed at the ankles to form an "X". Similar…

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing the aged, yet beautiful face of the hundred-…

Sometimes read komigata. Also warikomegata 割込型. A sectioned mold. A type of mold used in metal…

Also kondōzō 金銅造 (gilt bronze construction), kondōzō 金銅像 (gilt bronze statue), …

Also kongōza 金剛座. Lit. diamond throne. The throne on which the historical Buddha *…

A gigaku mask *gigakumen 伎楽面 and role paired…

Also banshi 盤子. A stand or tray on which are placed the *kongōsho…

A bell, usually of gilt bronze, rung during an Esoteric Buddhist service. Around the center of the handle are kimoku…

Lit. vajra pestle. A pestle-like object with pointed ends, derived from an Indian weapon. Usually made of gilt bronze, with…

Lit. Barbarian drunkard. Also Suikoraku 酔胡楽 or En'onraku 宴飲楽. A dance piece in *…

Ch: Kunlun baxian. Lit. Eight Hermits of Mt. Konron. Also read Konron Hassen. Alternative name: Tsurumai…

Statue of a high priest. These portrait statues were often made by pupils as a sign of respect and reverence for their…

Also written 小手. Formerly tamaki 手纏, taōi 臂覆. A gauntlet that protected the arms and hands. It was…

A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing the spirit of a fox or other…

Dance of the Virtuous Barbarians, a piece in *bugaku 舞楽 and a…

Also written 香狭間, and abbreviated to *sama 狭間. Formerly called *…

Fine-cutting, the third stage in the making of a wooden sculpture. Following timber-cutting *…