Hashimoto Chōshū (1899–1960) 
Enlightenment 
Japan, 1930 
Wood 
Gift of Honolulu Myohoji Mission, 2013 (2013–20–01)

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Conserved in 2022 with a generous grant from Robert F. Lange Foundation 
 
Sculpture in Japan was traditionally limited to sacred objects in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. While individual sculptors were admired and lineages of schools were well-documented, sculpture was not considered “art” in the modern sense. The influence of Western ideas in the early Meiji period fundamentally changed perceptions of sculpture, and when the first government-sponsored annual exhibition was held in 1907 a category was reserved for it. Chōshū’s Enlightenment was selected for the annual national exhibition in 1930; in the following year, the artist won grand prize for a sculpture of the same subject. 
 
Chōshū was trained in traditional Japanese woodcarving, and the influence of early Buddhist sculpture from the Nara period (710–794) is evident in the medium, the scale and the poses of his figures, as well as in details such as the hands and feet. At the same time, in 1929 Chōshū traveled to India for six months to study early sources of Buddhist art, and his handling of facial features and elements such as the headwear reveals the impact of his time there. Most striking are the figures’ partially nude torsos. When Western nudes were first introduced into Japan in the early Meiji period they caused great controversy, but by Chōshū’s time the nude was widely accepted as an appropriate subject. In addition, Chōshū was undoubtedly influenced by the many religious nude sculptures he examined in India.