Works Catalogue

Acquired 2016 with SC-1805-001. Devotional object for those unable to travel to Ise / Iwashimizu Hachimangū / Kasuga.

Earliest known Aomori-period work. One of the oldest surviving works. Age 61 confirms 1718 birth year.

Akiha Daigongen is the fire deity worshipped at Akiha Shrine. Held by Mingeikan; separate from the sculptures (SC-1801-001/002) also at Mingeikan.

Entry 96 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 96). Dimensions 丈五尺四寸五分×巾二尺二寸一分. Includes several waka poems inscribed on the pedestal base section of the scroll.

Entry 43 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 43). Poem: 壽長久はながくひさしきわか心 心にとへばいつも長久. Dimensions 長三尺×巾八寸八分. Written during stay at Jōsen'in in Kawachi Village.

Entry 95 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 95). Scroll length 二尺五分 (62 cm); 9 waka poems. Poems document the hardships of mokujiki asceticism and pilgrimage (see Yanagi source for full texts). Written at Ōguri Kannon-dō location (see also SC-1802-001).

Entry 85 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 85). Poem on print: 木喰の 身は はちぼくや あけのはる おもしろそうな ぎょけいなりけり. Only known printed (non-carved) self-portrait.

Earliest securely dated surviving work. Largest surviving Hokkaido sculpture. Predates the formal 千体之内 vow inscription formula.

Entry 3 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 3). Earliest known dated Tochigi work. Dimensions 丈二尺四寸五分. Signed with pre-Mokujiki name 行道 (Gyōdō) with cipher. Entries No.1–9 document the entire Yakushidō corpus including 十二神将 (Twelve Divine Generals).

Entry 15 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 15). Dimensions 丈一尺七寸. Early self-portrait predating the formal 千体之内 vow inscription formula.

Entry 17 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 17). Dimensions 丈三尺六寸. Figure seated on an elephant (象の上に座る). From Suwa-gun pilgrimage period.

Entry 18 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 18). Dimensions 丈三尺一寸. Part of Suwa pilgrimage cluster carved in same period as SC-1786-001.

Pair of shrine guardian dogs (阿吽). Exhibited Yamanashi Museum 2015. One of few Shinto shrine commissions in the catalogue.

Entry 19 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 19). Dimensions 丈一尺一寸. Earliest dated surviving work from Mokujiki's 12-year Kyushu period (c.1782–1797). Unusually small for a Fudō image at 33 cm.

Currently held by Yamanashi Prefectural Museum. Carved during Mokujiki's Yamanashi homecoming period.

Entry 28 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 28). Inscription verbatim: 随神尊 國土國中萬民安泰 日本千躰の内日本廻國八宗一見 天一字在法門 木喰五行菩薩. Primary documentary source for the 千体之内 formula text. Dimensions 丈三尺二寸五分.

Entry 29 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 29). Dimensions 丈三尺三寸. Left-side Zuijin guardian; companion to SC-1797-001 (right side; September 12). Both carved during Mokujiki's 8-day stay. Together the pair constitutes a unique documented Shinto guardian commission.

Entry 30 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 30). No dimensions given. Carved directly into a standing kaya tree — the tachiki technique used throughout Mokujiki's career. From late 1797 Yamaguchi pilgrimage period.

Entry 36 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 36). Dimensions 丈一尺八寸 前後 (~55 cm). Paired with Sōzuka no Baba (SC-1799-002) at the same Hall of Ten Kings. Part of Tōtōmi pilgrimage late 1799; the Enma + Datsueba pairing recurs in the 1804 Bibashima Jūōdō (SC-1804-002/030).

Entry 37 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 37). Dimensions 丈一尺七寸五分. Companion to Enma (SC-1799-001). The pairing of Enma and Datsueba recurs in 1804 at Bibashima (SC-1804-002/030).

Fujieda–Yaizu visit (c. 2 months); temple at Okabe-juku on Tōkaidō. Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Entry 38 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 38). Dimensions 丈三尺七寸. Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Entry 40 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 40). Dimensions 丈三尺三寸. Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Inscription 千体之内 on reverse confirmed per Fujieda guide.

Entry 41 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 41). Dimensions 丈三尺. Carved shortly after the Fujieda works (Entries 38–40; IDs 003, 008) during the 1800 Shizuoka circuit.

Entry 42 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 42). Dimensions 丈二尺九寸五分. Companion to Koyasu Kannon (SC-1800-009). Daikoku is a rare subject in the Mokujiki corpus — a syncretic folk deity. Carved one day after SC-1800-009 at the same temple.

Figure 5 in Fujii Tatsuya 2020 (p.41 of Ōkubo/Kojima 2008 cited). Dimensions not given. From the 1800 Aichi pilgrimage; child figure holds hōju (treasure jewel). Part of Fujii's analysis of roundness symbolism.

Figure 4 in Fujii Tatsuya 2020 (p.43 of Ōkubo/Kojima 2008 cited). Child figure holds hōju (treasure jewel) — subject of Fujii's argument that the round object in child's hands is the Shingon cintāmaṇi. Location confirmed as Shizuoka (蓮華寺).

Entry 57 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 57): given to Yanagi by Komiyama Seizō; part of Marubatake 88-Buddha corpus. Identified as the Jizō that first captivated Yanagi on his 1923/1924 visit — catalyst of the Mingei movement.

Entry 51 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 51): self-portrait at Marubatake. Dimensions 丈二尺四寸五分. Second of the three Mingeikan Mokujiki works.

Entries 46–48 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 46–48). Aśobhya dimensions 丈二尺八寸五分. Group of five at Mokujiki's birthplace hermitage; part of the Shikokudō/88-shrine complex. Aśobhya entry notes dimensions 丈二尺八寸五分.

Entry 58 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 58). Part of the Marubatake 88-Buddha set; Yanagi's personal copy. Documents Yanagi's direct collecting relationship with Mokujiki works after the 1923 discovery. Probably now at Japan Folk Crafts Museum (日本民藝館).

Entry 69 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 69). Group of 33 figures; Entries 70–72 document individual pieces (Batō Kannon; Senju Kannon; Shō-Kannon). Part of Niigata pilgrimage corpus age 86.

Donated by Masaichirō Yoshizawa (吉沢政一郎). In: TNM exhibition 'Dueling Geniuses'. Note: ColBase gives 享和4年 which is an era-dating error — 享和 ran only 3 years (1801–03); the correct Japanese era is 文化元年 (1804). Inscriptions/dimensions in: Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan Zuban Mokuroku Nihon Chōkoku-hen (1999) WorldCat 44766596.

Entry 82 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 82). Dimensions 丈三尺一寸. Rare depiction of a wrathful non-Buddhist subject; paired with Datsueba (SC-1804-003). Part of Niigata pilgrimage corpus.

Entry 83 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 83). Dimensions 丈二尺三寸. Paired with Enma Daio (SC-1804-002). Unusual choice of subject — Datsueba strips robes at the Sanzu River crossing. Rare in Mokujiki corpus.

Entry 74 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 74). Dimensions 丈八尺 (~242 cm) — among the tallest known Mokujiki works. Right-side Niō in temple gate; paired with SC-1804-005. Note: ColBase era 享和4年 is an error; the correct era for April 1804 is 文化元年.

Entry 76 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 76). Dimensions 丈八尺 (~242 cm). Left-side Niō in temple gate; paired with SC-1804-004.

Entry 78 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 78). Dimensions 丈二尺二寸; material pear (梨). After the host tree died the figure was moved to Shinpuku-ji's Daihikaku. Part of the Shinpuku-ji corpus alongside the Niō pair (SC-1804-004/033) and Konpira (SC-1804-007).

Entry 80 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 80). Dimensions 丈一尺六寸八分. Enshrined in a zushi (厨子). Part of the Shinpuku-ji corpus (cf. Niō pair SC-1804-004/033; Tachiki Kannon SC-1804-006). Era error 享和4年 = 文化元年 (1804); see SC-1804-004 note.

Acquired 2016. Provenance: Hayamizu Family Minami-Uonuma City Niigata (to at least 2007); London Gallery Ltd. Tokyo (to 2016). Exhibited: 'Celebrating the Arts of Japan' MMA 2015–17; 'The Poetry of Nature' MMA 2018–19; 'Japan: A History of Style' MMA 2021–22.

Entry 86 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 86). Dimensions 丈二尺二寸二分. Unusual subject — Dōgen (1200–1253) is the Sōtō Zen patriarch rather than a standard Buddhist icon. Portrait of a historical figure rather than a deity. From Mokujiki's late Niigata period.

Entry 93 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 93). Dimensions 丈二尺二寸四分. Fourth known carved self-portrait (cf. SC-1804-001 1804; SC-1801-002 1801; SC-1785-001 1785). Present ownership unspecified in source.

Carved at Enzōji (円蔵寺); later moved to Suiten-Ji. Inscription records Mokujiki counselled the sick by day and carved up to 3 figures per night.

Source: よかネット No.70 (2004) biographical chronology. Dimensions not given. Group of sixteen Rakan plus other works (など). Part of late westward pilgrimage circuit; rare Kyoto Prefecture dated entry.

Identified as the 千体目 (the 1,000th work carved under the 千体之内 vow). 73 Mokujiki works survive at Seigenji; 28 were carved during his 5-month visit in 1806. 千体目 is the last work to bear 千体之内 serial inscription.

Identified by temple as a self-portrait of Mokujiki (木喰上人の自刻像といわれる). Ajita Sonja is the 18th of the Eighteen Rakan. Distinguished by a smiling, wrinkled face — consistent with Mokujiki's late self-portrait style.

Tree struck by lightning in Meiji era; sculpture preserved when hall was built around it. One of 26 statues carved during ~3-month stay age 89.

Exhibited: 'The Smile in Japanese Art' Mori Art Museum 2007. Part of Inagawa-chō visit corpus.

Figure 1 in Fujii Tatsuya 2020. Temple holds 26 Mokujiki works (identified by Kurino Yorinousuke in 1951). Tachiki carved in kaya tree; after lightning strike in Meiji period moved to Kannondi hall. One of the mature-period tachiki works (cf. SC-1797-003 1797; SC-1804-006 1804).

Figure 3 in Fujii Tatsuya 2020. Part of the 26-work Inagawa-chō Mokujiki corpus. Fifth known carved self-portrait (cf. SC-1805-003 1805; SC-1804-001 1804; SC-1801-002 1801; SC-1785-001 1785).

One of 3 Mokujiki works at Tennyūji. Facial ink marks said to be schoolchildren's graffiti. Tennyūji enshrines Jundei Kannon as main deity. Requires advance reservation (¥300 admission).

Full title: 得久勢至大菩薩立像. Carved from a single pine log split lengthwise; the companion Kanzeon (SC-1807-007) fits back-to-back against it.

Full title: 聖観世音菩薩立像. Companion to SC-1807-006; the two Bosatsu are carved from opposite faces of a single split pine log and fit together back-to-back.

Housed in the Yakushidō hall at Tōkōji alongside a complete Jūō set, Datsueba, and White Demon (total 13 Mokujiki works in the hall). Distinct from SC-1807-004 (self-portrait at Bishamondō, different temple).

Complete set of the ten judges of the Buddhist afterlife. Installed alongside Datsueba (SC-1807-010) and White Demon (SC-1807-011) as a coherent underworld iconographic programme. Compare SC-1799-001/002 (Hamamatsu Jūōdō).

Seated Datsueba (the old hag of the Sanzu River who strips the dead). Part of the complete underworld programme at the Yakushidō. Compare SC-1799-002 (Sōzuka no Baba at Hamamatsu Jūōdō).

White Demon (白鬼 Shirogami) attending the Ten Kings in the underworld iconographic programme. Unusual subject in Mokujiki's oeuvre — one of only two known demonic figures (compare 紅鬼/Red Demon if any).

Entries 97–103 in Yanagi 1925 photo book. First documented 二千躰之内 inscription: 上人は既に千躰佛を成就し更に「二千躰」の心願に入った. Signature changed to 神通光明 明満仙人. Each figure 丈ほゞ二尺四寸餘り (~73 cm). DESTROYED in Kōfu air raids August 1945 (昭和20年). Known solely from Yanagi 1925 photographs. Fujii 2020 notes Mokujiki added Koyasu Kannon to the standard Six Kannon to create a unique Seven Kannon set.

Entry 10 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 10). Dimensions 丈二尺六寸八分. Undated; from Mokujiki's Sado pilgrimage period (c.1783–1785). Bodhidharma is a rare subject in the Mokujiki corpus. Pre-vow formula.

Sanskrit character for Fudō Myōō; flanked by 日月清明 (sun and moon clarity) and 天下和順 (peace under heaven); inscribed poem: なきがらは いづこのうらに すつるとも みは御嶽に あり明けの月

Entry 68 in Yanagi 1925 photo book (解説No 68). Poem: 四国どふ ぼだいのみちは とふくとも ちか道なれば あむあみた佛. Dimensions 丈九寸四分×巾二尺二寸五分.