Kuninaka no Kimimaro

Japanese: 国中公麻呂 - くになかのきみまろ

Year of death: 5th year of Hōki, October 3rd (November 11th, 774)
Year of birth: Year of birth unknown. A technical official and great Buddhist sculptor in the Nara period. Also written as Kuni no Kimi Maro or Kuninuka no Michimaro. In the graduation biography for October 3, 774, in the Shoku Nihongi, it is written that his grandfather, Kuni no Kotsutomi, was from Baekje and held the position of virtue, and that he naturalized in the second year of Tenchi (663). His name first appeared in records when construction of the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple began during the Tenpyo era, and in the "Konkomyoji Zobutsusho Kosaku Kai" dated November 1, 746, it is written that he was "Chief Buddha Construction Officer and a Junior Fifth Rank Provincial Officer," and it is known that he supervised the construction of the Great Buddha as Chief Buddha Construction Officer of Konkomyoji Temple, later Todaiji Temple. In addition to the Great Buddha, he was also involved in the creation of other Buddha statues, such as requesting 20 iron poles for the Acalanatha statue (some say it is the statue currently in existence in the Sangatsudo Hall of Todaiji Temple, but strictly speaking it is unclear where this statue belongs; it could be for the Empress or Kofuku-ji Temple) in January 741, and in November of the same year he was appointed Chief Buddha Creation Officer and Totomi Inner Vice-Minister, with the rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Lower, in February of the following year he was promoted to Junior Fifth Rank, and on the occasion of Emperor Shomu's visit to the Great Buddha Hall in April 749, he was promoted to Junior Fifth Rank, Upper. There are no records of him for a while after this, but at the memorial service for the anniversary of Empress Komyo's death in June 761, he was awarded the first rank of peerage, and in October of the same year he was appointed "Vice Minister of Todaiji Temple Construction." After that, in his position as deputy director of the Todaiji Temple Construction Office, he was involved in the construction of Kazan Yakushi-ji Temple and Ishiyama-dera Temple, and in February of the third year of Tenpyo Jingo (767), on the occasion of Emperor Shotoku's visit to Todaiji Temple to commemorate the completion of the main buildings of Todaiji Temple, he was promoted to the rank of Junior Fourth Rank. Shortly thereafter, he resigned from his position as deputy director, and in November of the second year of Jingo Keiun (768), he was appointed to the honorary position of Tajima no Ingai-no-Kai. There are two theories about his status: one that emphasizes his artistic character as a "great Buddha sculptor" as seen in the "Daibutsuden Inscription" and the other that emphasizes his official character as deputy director of Todaiji Temple Construction, but as a Buddhist sculptor, he is thought to have played the role of director, overseeing the entire construction of the Great Buddha. <References> Kobayashi Tsuyoshi, "Kuninakamura Kimimaro" ("Research on Japanese Sculptors"), Tanaka Tsuguto, "The Todaiji Temple Construction Office and Kuninakamura Kimimaro" ("Research on Ancient Japanese Buddhist Sculptors")

(Kazuharu Asai)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：宝亀5.10.3(774.11.11)
生年：生年不詳
奈良時代の技術系官人で大仏師。国君麻呂,国中連公万呂とも書く。『続日本紀』宝亀5(774)年10月3日条の卒伝には,祖父の国骨富は百済人で徳率の地位にあり,天智2(663)年に帰化したと記される。天平年中,東大寺大仏の造営開始とともに記録にその名が現れ,天平18(746)年11月1日付の「金光明寺造物所告朔解」に,「造仏長官外従五位下国」とあり,金光明寺のちの東大寺の造仏長官として,大仏の造立を指揮したことが知られる。また大仏ばかりでなく,天平19年1月には不空羂索観音像(東大寺三月堂に現存の像とする説もあるが,厳密にはどこの像か不明。皇后宮ないし興福寺像の可能性もある)のために鉄20挺を請うなど,他の造仏にもかかわり,同年11月には造仏長官兼遠江員外介で外従五位下,翌20年2月に従五位下,天平勝宝1(749)年4月の聖武天皇の大仏殿行幸に際しては従五位上に叙せられている。その後しばらく記録が途絶えるが,天平宝字5(761)年6月の光明皇太后周忌斎会には爵一級を賜り,同10月には「造東大寺司次官」に任じられた。以後,造東大寺司の次官の地位にあって,香山薬師寺や石山寺造営に関与し,天平神護3(767)年2月,東大寺主要伽藍の完成を記念する称徳天皇の東大寺行幸の際には,従四位下に叙せられた。以後間もなく次官の地位を辞し,神護景雲2(768)年11月には名誉職の但馬員外介に任じられた。『大仏殿碑文』などにみえる「大仏師」としての作家的性格を重視するものと,造東大寺次官としての官人的性格を重視するものとの両説があるが,仏師として,大仏造立事業の全般を統括するディレクター的役割を果たしたと考えられる。<参考文献>小林剛「国中連公麻呂」(『日本彫刻作家研究』),田中嗣人「造東大寺司造仏所と国中連公麻呂」(『日本古代仏師の研究』)

(浅井和春)

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