Sonchi - Sonchi

Japanese: 尊智 - そんち

Years of birth: Dates of birth and death unknown. A Buddhist painter active in the early Kamakura period. He was appointed Hokan. He belonged to the painting studio of Ichijo-in Temple at Kofuku-ji Temple, and became the founder of the Shonan-in za, one of the Nara painting studios. He is known for his wide range of painting skills, from paintings of famous places to Buddhist paintings, such as painting famous places at Saisho Shitenno-in Temple in 1207, the murals for the nine-story pagoda of Hossho-ji Temple in 1213, the Daishishoko Hohonzon of Minase-den in 1214, and the "Kyubon Ojo-zu" (Picture of the Nine Stages of Rebirth) and other works in the painting hall of Seiryo-in Temple at Shitenno-ji Temple in 1224. His surviving works include "Prince Shotoku Lectures on the Sutra of Victory over the Wisdom of the Buddha" (owned by Horyuji Temple), created in 1222, and in recent years, a theory has been put forward that Sonchi painted the "Statues of the Sixteen Good Deities" (owned by Tokyo National Museum) at Eikyu-ji Temple in 1225.

(Arata Yajima)

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

Japanese:

生年：生没年不詳
鎌倉前期に活躍した絵仏師。法眼に叙せられる。興福寺一乗院の絵所に属し,南都絵所座のひとつである松南院座の祖となる。建永2(1207)年に最勝四天王院に名所絵を描き,建保1(1213)年に法勝寺九重塔の壁画,7年に水無瀬殿大熾盛光法本尊,元仁1(1224)年には四天王寺聖霊院絵堂に「九品往生図」ほかを描くなど名所絵から仏画にいたる幅広い画技が知られる。現存作に承久4(1222)年制作の「聖徳太子勝鬘経講賛図」(法隆寺蔵)があるほか,「十六善神像」(東京国立博物館蔵)は尊智が元仁2(1225)年に永久寺で描いたとする説が近年提出されている。

(矢島新)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

<<: Srong btsan sgam po

>>: Susan Sontag