1400 years of sacred secrets, one chisel at a time.
The documentary Carving the Divine offers a rare and intimate look into the life and artistic process of modern-day Busshi – practitioners of a 1400 year lineage of woodcarving that’s at the heart of Japanese, Mahayana Buddhism.
Cinematography
Close-ups so intimate you'll smell the cedar.
Sound
Chisel sounds better than most ASMR channels.
Direction
Yujiro Seki disappears; the craft speaks.
Director
Yujiro Seki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Busshi training traditionally spans 10+ years before independent work; this film captures a dying apprenticeship model now preserved mostly in documentary form.
Director Seki spent five years gaining access to workshops normally closed to outsiders, including filming the rare consecration ceremony where the Buddha 'enters' the statue.
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