Zocho-ten, Guardian of the South, one of a set of four Shitenno (Guardian Figures)

Historical period(s)
Kamakura period, 1185-1333
Medium
Wood with polychrome and gilt, crystal-inlaid eyes
Dimensions
H x W x D: 80 × 35 × 20.5 cm (31 1/2 × 13 3/4 × 8 1/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1974.20
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Sculpture
Type

Buddhist sculpture

Keywords
Buddhism, Japan, Kamakura period (1185 - 1333)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

This Zocho-ten (Virudhaka), Guardian of the South, is one of a set of four Shitenno (guardian figures). Based on varied devotional settings, the four guardian figures have been produced in many sizes, from more than double the size of a human, to the diminutive forms seen here, to even smaller. These lithe, animated figures are excellent examples of a hyperrealistic style that came to prominence in Japanese Buddhist sculpture in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

Published References
  • Zaigai Nihon no Shiho [Japanese Art: Selections from Western Collections]. 10 vols., Tokyo, 1979 - 1980. vol. 8: pls. 62, 64.
  • Julia Murray. A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980. Exh. cat. Washington, 1979. cat. 39a, pp. 51-52.
  • Paths to Perfection, Buddhist Art at the Freer/Sackler. Washington. pp. 196, 210-211.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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