About Tankei
Lived 1173 – 1256 (aged 82–83). Tankei was a Japanese busshi and sculptor.
Tankei (湛慶 1173 – June 13, 1256) was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He was the student of and eldest son of the master sculptor Unkei. He was also the teacher, and uncle of the sculptor Kōen, who would collaborate with his works, and would succeed him as head of the Kei School upon his death in 1256.
Famous works Statue of Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokiteśvara in the temple known as Sanjusangen-dō in Kyoto. The statue of Ugyō, one of the Niō guardians at the Nandaimon in front of the temple Tōdai-ji in Nara, with Jōkaku and 12 assistant sculptors.
Literature Hiromichi Soejima, « Japan, §V: Sculpture > (iv) Kamakura period (1185–1333) » [archive], Oxford Art Online, université d’Oxford. Consulté le 3 août 2012 Hisashi Mōri, Sculpture of the Kamakura period, vol. 11, Weatherhill, coll. « Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art », 1974 , p. 70 Victor Harris et Ken Matsushima, Kamakura: the renaissance of Japanese sculpture 1185–1333, British Museum Press, 2010 , p. 36-37
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Tankei's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Tankei?
Japanese sculptor (1173-1256)
When was Tankei born?
Tankei was born in 1173.
When did Tankei die?
Tankei died on 13 June 1256.
What was Tankei's occupation?
Tankei was a busshi and sculptor.
What nationality was Tankei?
Tankei was Japanese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tankei. https://biography.guide/tankei/
MLA: "Tankei." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tankei/.
Chicago: "Tankei." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tankei/.
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