Fragments of Buddhist Sculpture at the Usuki Site in Öita

Fragments of Buddhist Sculpture at the Usuki Site in Oita shows Ishii Hakutei turning his attention to one of Japan's most distinctive religious sites: the Usuki Sekibutsu, a group of stone Buddhas carved directly into the cliffs of Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Dating from the late Heian and Kamakura periods, the Usuki carvings are weathered, partially eroded, and intensely atmospheric — a subject well suited to an artist of Hakutei's sensibility, who consistently sought out scenes where time and material left visible traces.