@article{oai:tobunken.repo.nii.ac.jp:00006669,
 author = {久野, 健 and Kuno, Takeshi},
 issue = {245},
 journal = {美術研究, The bijutsu kenkyu : the journal of art studies},
 month = {Feb},
 note = {The recent repair of this privately owned statue revealed an inscription with the date of the 7th year of the Kōhei Era (1064) written inside the image. The inscription adds to its importance since we have few examples with inscriptions of the 11th century. This example of course is also indispensable for the study of the iconographical evolution of Acalanātha images.
     This statue, 51. 2cm. in height, holds a dagger in the right hand and a pāśa rope in the left. The left leg steps forward. The hair is combed back and a queue hangs over the left shoulder. A crown band on the head bears on its front side a clearly seen trace of decoration. Exaggerated thick eyebrows are closely spaced, and above these on the forehead are three lines of wrinkles. The eyes are wide open, and the upper teeth press on the lower lip. All these features show the conventional expression of Acalanātha. The figure wears the upper robe which covers only the left shoulder, and a skirt.
     During the recent repairs, both arms, the front half of the right leg, the right ear, the dagger, the pāśa rope and the pedestal were added and the armlets of gilt bronze were supplemented in imitation of the ornamental rings of gilt broze of the legs. The surface of this image is not in good coodition. The paint is almost all flaked off, and it is therefore hard to identify the original colours. It is not certain whether what remains, that is, red on the lips and red and gold foil on the skirt, are original.
     Although it has been considerably repaired and its surface is pretty badly damaged, the work itself is excellent. It has well-balanced
proportions and its chest, abdomen and waist give the feeling of full roundness. The counte nance is not coarse, the apparance of emotion being well controlled. The movement of the body is by no means exaggerated. The drapery has a natural, soft expression. As a whole, the figure shows the graceful taste which was favoured by the noblemen of the period. Though no clue is left for knowing which temple it belonged to, this was perhaps made by a Buddhist sculptor in the capital of Kyoto.
     The technique is the orthodox multiple-block method of the 11th century. The head and the main portion of the body were carved out of one block of wood, which was split vertically just behind the ears to make it hollow. After that the two pieces were put together and arms made of different blocks were added. The legs belong to the front section of the two parts. The inside hollow is fairly large and therefore the outside shell is thin. This is a common characteristic in wooden “worshiping deities on the clouds” in the Hōōdo, Byōdōin.
     The inscription states that this image was made on behalf of a priest of the Tendai sect Ningaku who had always devoted himself to the worship of Acalanātha since he was seventeen years old. The Ningaku who is most easily found among Tendai priests of the time is the Ningaku who was the 37th archbishop of the Tendai sect. He is said to have died in 1120 at the age of 58. Therefore the Ningaku of the inscription could well be this Ningaku, but this is a subject of future study.},
 pages = {1--7},
 title = {康平七年銘不動明王立像},
 year = {1967}
}