Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin) (c. 1560–1625): Art, History and Details

Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin) (c. 1560–1625) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin)
• Date: c. 1560–1625
• Culture: Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573) to Edo period (1615–1858)
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: Japanese cypress (hinoki) with traces of color; crystal
• Dimensions: 68.5 x 71.4 cm (26 15/16 x 28 1/8 in.); 70.2 x 70.5 cm (27 5/8 x 27 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 2020.215

A detail from the museum

Some Japanese sculptors used to specialize in inset crystal eyes like the ones these sculptures have.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.