Yagi, Kyoto - Mokujiki's Buddha 木喰仏

Mokujiki (木食, lit. eating plant) is a name given to a Shingon sect Buddhist monk who has gone through an ascetic practice of restricted diet for 100 days, excluding all grains: “5 grains” (rice, wheat, variety of millets) or “10 grains” (5 grains + corn, buckwheat, soy, azuki and black beans) and only eat uncooked mountain vegetable and nuts. Mokujiki (木喰), however today, commonly refers to a particular monk (1718-1810) who made peregrinate journeys through Japan and carved over 1,000 Buddhist statutes for the poor communities. Mokujiki was inspired by the saw statues by a monk “Enku” when he was abut 56. He started curving statues himself around the age of 61 and set out to travel around Japan. He eventually came back to his hometown at the age of 83 but set out again after two years, saying “there is still so much work to be done”. His last work was made in 1808 shortly before his death at the age of 93.

Mokujiki’s work was not discovered until 1924 when an art historian/ethnologist Yanagi Yoshimune (1989-1961) found three of Mokujiki statues in a private household. Known as “smiling Buddha”, Mokujiki’s Buddha are distinct for their warm smiling round faces. They look as if they are inviting you to come and talk. Some of them look even cheeky as if they know the funny and silly side of our lives. They were really made for ordinary people to be part of their everyday lives. It is moving to learn that many statues have scratches, some large holes and scars - they are the marks made when children used them to play – eg swimming buoy, snow sleigh and simply a companion, and scratches were made when people fell ill but had no money for medicines - they scratched off the wood dust to take as medicine. His work gave a considerable influence to Artist Munakata Shiko, most well known for his woodblock prints (http://www.lantecweb.net/shikokan/ )

Seigen-ji Temple is in Yagi, Kyoto is known to have Mokujiki’s rare “16 Rakan” (arhat, spiritual practitioner who bared the burden for all), one of them believed to be his 1,000th work. I went to “meet” this “16 rakan” kept in the temple's treasure house, which proved to be a most moving experience. The 14 statues (two kept in private household) have the warmest smile (except the two who are hiding their face with their robe!). I particularly liked the one who winks at you as if to share an evil secret with you. They are made of keyaki cypress and to avoid further deterioration (eg insects) kept in glass-sealed cabinets. Cultural properties need to be cared and preserved as much as possible, and wood works require a particular kind of care. Mokujiki’s stories and his works should be appreciated by the future generations. At the same time, however, I wished that these Mokujiki statues could live with people to share their ordinary everyday life. As I left the temple room, in my mind I said good-bye to each of them by shaking their hands, stroking the smiling round cheeks, winking back to the cheeky one, and bowing to them all. I felt I heard them saying “come again anytime".　（Photo - Mokujiki roadsign as photographibg statues is not allowed).