Jōchō

He popularized the yosegi technique of sculpting a single figure out of many pieces of wood, and he redefined the canon of body proportions used to create Buddhist imagery.

Today, art historians cite Jōchō as "the first of a new kind of master sculptor"[2] and "one of the most innovative artists Japan has ever produced.

[4] Jōchō's techniques were passed on to his son, Kakujo, his grandsons, Injo and Raijo, his great-grandson, Kōjo, and ultimately Kōkei.

[3] The widely spaced and level knees thus form the base of a triangular design, conveying a feeling of stability and peace.

[4] Jōchō's sculptures' expressions convey compassion and elegance, and the detailed and precise carving of the facial features projects a certain kindness.

His school was imitated by sculptors across Japan for the over next 150 years, as Japanese sculpture degraded into a conformist orthodoxy before being reinvented in the Kamakura period.