Cleveland Museum of Art

One of a Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin)

Date

c. 1560–1625

Medium

Japanese cypress (hinoki) with traces of color; crystal

Culture

Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573) to Edo period (1615–1858)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Sculptors carved these two figures to look like members of the guard who protected the Japanese aristocracy in the 10th to 12th centuries. The pair belong in the roofed gate of a Shinto shrine. Their role was to embody the divine protectors of the deities, or kami , residing at the shrine. Their inset crystal eyes make them appear vigilant. Some Japanese sculptors used to specialize in inset crystal eyes.

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