Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bonten, the Creator

Japan

Date

late 10th century

Medium

Japanese cypress wood

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This Buddhist guardian figure, which could be a depiction of Bonten (the Hindu deity Brahma), stands at attention, wearing a suit of armor and a robe with a shawl. His hair is tied in a topknot. Although now missing both arms and ravaged by insects, this guardian dates from around 950 to 1000, when Buddhist sculptors turned away from the forceful and menacing figures of an earlier style of Buddhist sculpture in favor of a gentler demeanor such as this. Use of the ichiboku technique, whereby the main body of the sculpture was carved from a single block of wood, also points to this date. Japan, Asia

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