Cleveland Museum of Art

A Heavenly General (One of the Junishinshō)

Date

1200s

Medium

Wood with lacquer, color, gold, and crystal eyes

Culture

Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This dynamic figure was originally part of a set of Twelve Divine Generals ( Junishinshō ) that stood in a Japanese Buddhist temple hall, protecting the central icon of Yakushi Nyorai, the Healing Buddha. This sculpture was constructed from many pieces of thinly carved wood joined together with pins, then covered with hemp cloth and lacquer paste, and finally decorated with pigments. Eyes made of crystal, with painted details, finish the composition. The proliferation of religious sites throughout Japan in the 1200s, particularly in Kyoto, kept sculptors’ studios busy creating religious icons. A fierce facial expression warns us not to cross this protective deity.

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