Koen - Koen

A Buddhist sculptor in the mid-Kamakura period. Also written as Koen or Koen, he was known as Tajima Hoin and is said to be the son of Unkei's second son, Koun. In 1254 (Kencho 6), he worked as a small Buddhist sculptor under Tankei to create the statue of the restored principal image of Rengeoin (Sanjusangendo) in Kyoto, and in 1256, when Tankei died halfway through the construction of the Thousand-Armed Kannon for the lecture hall of Todaiji Temple, he completed the work in his place and thereafter played an active role as the leader of the Kei school (Shichijo Buddhist temple). The earliest surviving work by Koen with a signature is a standing statue of Jizo Bodhisattva (Kizo Bodhisattva) (owned by the Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne, Germany), which is thought to have been created in 1249 (Kencho 1) for the Jizo-in Temple in Fukakusa-go, Yamashiro Province (Fukakusa, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City). Other works include the statue of Ten Kings of Yama at Byakugo-ji Temple in Nara, created in 1254 (Shogen 1), and the Niten statue at Joyu-in Temple in Eikyu-ji Temple (a ruined temple) in Nara, created in 1264 (Bun'ei 1). He created a great many statues, including the statue of the Four Heavenly Kings at the temple in 1867 (still on display at the Tokyo National Museum and elsewhere), the Eleven-Headed Kannon at the temple in 1869, the statue of the Eight Great Fudo Children at the temple in 1872 (still on display at Setagaya-san Kannon Temple in Tokyo), the Aizen Myoo statue at Jingo-ji in 1875, and the five Manjusri statues owned by Nakamura Yoichiro in 1885 (said to have originally been housed at Kofuku-ji Daijo-in). His active period was when Kamakura sculpture was in decline, and his works tend to be a little too detailed, but they still retain the traditional, powerful realism.

[Akio Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉中期の仏師。康縁、幸縁とも書き、但馬(たじま)法印とよばれ、運慶の第2子康運の子と伝える。1254年（建長6）湛慶(たんけい)のもとで小仏師として京都蓮華王院(れんげおういん)（三十三間堂）の再興本尊の造像にあたり、56年、東大寺講堂の千手観音造立のなかばで湛慶が死去すると、彼にかわってこれを完成させ、その後は慶派（七条仏所）の主宰者として活躍した。現存する康円のもっとも早い在銘作品としては1249年（建長1）に山城国深草郷（京都市伏見区深草）の地蔵院の像としてつくられたと思われる地蔵菩薩(ぼさつ)立像（ドイツ、ケルン市東亜美術館蔵）があり、また59年（正元1）の奈良白毫寺(びゃくごうじ)閻魔(えんま)十王像など、64年（文永1）奈良永久寺（廃寺）常有院の二天像、67年の同寺四天王眷属(けんぞく)像（東京国立博物館ほかに現存）、69年同寺十一面観音像、72年同寺不動八大童子像（東京・世田谷山(せたがやさん)観音寺に現存）、75年神護寺愛染(あいぜん)明王像、85年（弘安8）中村庸一郎蔵文殊(もんじゅ)五尊像（もと興福寺大乗院蔵と伝える）など、非常に多くの造像をしている。その活躍期が鎌倉彫刻の衰退しつつあったときで、彼の作も多少細技に走りすぎるきらいはあるが、なお伝統的な力強い写実性を残している。

［佐藤昭夫］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例