Kosho Busshi, “Portrait Statue of Priest Kuya”, Painted Wood, 13th Century’ Rokuhara Mitsuji Temple, Kyoto, Japan

Around 1198, Kōshō worked together with his father Unkei and his two brothers Tankei and Kōben on restoring the Niō-Niten statues at Tōji Temple in Kyoto. In 1208 he worked on the restoration of the Kōmokuten statue at Kōfukuji Temple in Nara.

Kūya Shūnin  was a famous 10th-century Japanese monk who gained the monikers “Sage of the People” and “Sage of Amida, for he walked among the common folk preaching simple faith in Amida Buddha while praying constantly to Amida for their salvation. During his many years of traveling around the countryside, he practiced a form of chanting that employed song and dance (odorinenbutsu). In this realistic portrait sculpture, there are six miniature Amida images flowing out of his mouth – they represent his prayers, specifically the chanting of the six-character devotional nenbutsu to Amida (Namu Amidabutsu). Kuta is shown with simple facial features, dressed in peasant’s garb with wrinkled clothing, wearing straw sandals, and holding a stick to beat his gong for the odorinenbutsu, with bodily veins even visable. The six characters of Amida’s nenbutsu symbolize the six states of karmic rebirth.