Unkei
Japanese·1150–1223
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Unkei (c. 1150-1223) was the greatest sculptor of Japan's Kamakura period and one of the most important artists in Japanese art history. He led the Kei school of Buddhist sculpture in Nara, revitalizing Japanese sculptural tradition after the destruction of major temples during civil wars.
His masterworks include the monumental guardian figures (Nio) at the Great South Gate of Tōdai-ji in Nara (1203), each standing over 26 feet tall and carved from thousands of joined wood blocks. Unkei's sculptures combine muscular realism with spiritual intensity, breaking from the elegant refinement of earlier Heian-period sculpture.
Sculptures by Unkei
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Museums with Unkei's Work
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About Unkei
Unkei carved the monumental Nio guardian figures at Tōdai-ji temple in Nara (1203), over 26 feet tall. His powerful, realistic Buddhist sculptures revitalized Japanese sculptural tradition during the Kamakura period.
The Nio guardians are at the Great South Gate of Tōdai-ji, Nara. Other works are at Kōfuku-ji temple in Nara, Jōraku-ji in Shiga, and the Tokyo National Museum.
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