Buddhist Guardian Figure

This 16th-century wood carving depicts one of the four Buddhist Guardian Figures of Buddhist lore who protect the four corners of the cosmos. His dynamic posture and swirling draperies seem to contain reserves of stored energy while his inlaid glass eyes enhance his fierce expression. One can trace these features to the immediately preceding Kamakura period (1185–1333).

The late 12th century in Japan had brought increasing diplomatic, commercial, and religious exchange with China, which contributed to stylistic changes in Kamakura-period and later art. Such continental influence can be seen in this later carving, for instance, in the Chinese-style draperies, with fluttering hemlines and fluted sleeves, and towering, elegant topknot. The use of inset crystal for the eyes was another important legacy of Kamakura innovation adding a vivid sense of realism. 

Another factor contributing to an increased naturalism in this early Muromachi period statue is the use of joined-woodblock construction employing multiple hollow blocks of wood for a single statue (called yosegi-zukuri). This technical innovation allowed sculptors to portray more dramatic movement than in works carved from a single tree trunk, as in 12th-century Heian-period wood Buddhist Guardian Figure of similar size in the museum's collection.